PIXMA G2020 won't print blue, although window says it is 2/3 full

[kiddee]

My Canon Pixma G6000, bought 7/19/23, is not printing blue.  I have done several print head cleanings and a couple deep cleanings.  Ink windows look like they are all 2/3 full, although I have never had to change or refill the inks, which is rather amazing. Suggestions? 

[Tiffany]

Welcome to the forum!

So that the Community can help you better, we will need to know the exact model number in the G6000 printer series.  Any other details you'd like to give will only help the Community better understand your issue. The forum is not intended for immediate support. If this is a time-sensitive matter, click HERE search our knowledge base or find additional support options HERE

[jrhoffman75]

Did you run a nozzle check after the cleanings?

Canon : Inkjet Manuals : G6000 series : Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern

[kiddee]

Yes, I did nozzle checks each time, and no blue.  Just pink and yellow.

[jrhoffman75]

I would guess plugged or failed print head. Nothing to lose by trying one of the head cleaning methods on YouTube. 

[kiddee]

Thanks for the YouTube suggestion, John.  I watched a video on flushing the nozzles.  I hate to get inside the printer and mess with stuff, afraid I'd break something or not get it put back together correctly.  The printer is barely under warranty, and I am scheduled to take it to Geek Squad this week to have them fix it.  I think at no charge.  Better than my trying it.  However, that's an option.  I didn't do the nozzle cleaning option in maintenance because it warned that it would take a lot of ink.

BTW, my printer is a Canon Pixma G2020.  I didn't see a place to change that info.

[kiddee]

Update - I was hesitant to try the nozzle cleaning for a couple of reasons.  1) It says it takes a lot of ink.  I didn't know how much. 2) I wondered where all the ink would go.  Would it leak out?  Or sit somewhere inside the printer until it dries out?  I do miss the days of more thorough user manuals that used to come with electronics.

Since it was barely under 1-year warranty I could have tried contacting Canon, but didn't think of it, or even think I could get through to any customer service.  Geek Squad agents do not fix printers, but they did find the tray inside where the ink probably would go with nozzle cleaning.  However, they are replacing the printer for $29 since I'm a Total member.  I decided that is a better option than my trying to do the nozzle cleaning myself with the unanswered question of how I would get rid of the ink in the tray, or if it just dries up.  I am paying $89 for someone to come out and set up the new printer, unless I can figure out how to do it before their scheduled visit on Tuesday.  I'm not very technical, but may give it a try today.  Thanks for the suggestions.

[Stephen]

There is a sponge in the printer, which is called the "waste ink absorber." If you leave your printer on all the time (which we recommended), your printer will do a daily maintenance routine that will push a tiny amount of ink through the print head & nozzles, and then it will dab itself off on the waste ink absorber. This prevents the printhead from drying out & keeps the ink from getting gummy in the tubes inside of the printer. 

Canon USA support is available during the week at 800-OK-CANON (800-652-2666). You need to ensure your printer is registered and eligible for phone support (it is still covered by warranty). You can do that at https://canon.us/account. 

[kiddee]

Update and another question about ink levels on my Canon 6020 printer.  I had Best Buy replace my printer that was not printing the cyan ink with a new printer of the same model for a $29 fee.  Then I paid Geek Squad $99 to come out and set it up.  Glad I did because 2 guys worked quite awhile on it, and it seemed more complicated than I would want to tackle.

Now the ink level windows show cyan at about 50%, red about 75% and yellow at about 66%.  On the old printer the ink levels always stayed about 2/3 full.  I noticed that they didn't look full just as the guys were leaving, and ran out to their truck to ask about it.  They said that was normal, the ink had filled the lines from the window area to the print heads (or something like that) so the full bottles of ink were in there.  I could add more ink if I wanted to.  I tried adding more cyan, but none seemed to go in and the level in the window didn't change.

Can someone educate me on what the ink windows are actually showing?  I had the previous printer almost a year, and we print a few pages almost every day (although mostly black), and never had to add ink.  That's great!  With an older printer of a different brand, I was replacing ink every few months, which cost quite a bit.  That's something I really like about this printer.  But is it normal for the original ink to last a year and still be 2/3 full for a home user who prints a few pages almost every day?  

[kiddee]

Interesting about the sponge inside the printer.  Wondering if that info is documented for the user?  Yes, I leave our printer on all the time, except on rare occasions.  

I'll make a note about the canon.us/account on the front of my new printer installation guide.  I assume I'll have a new 1-year warranty.  Thank you.