Pixma MG5420 - Ink starvation on CD/DVD printing

[RWL]

When I print directly to CD or DVD disks, parts of the text are faded and photos don't print in the correct colors.  If I print the same layout to paper like I'm printing to a paper CD label, it prints normally.  The ink tanks are all more than 3/4 full.  It doesn't matter what brand of disk - it occurs on all of them.  This has been happening since I bought the printer a couple of years ago, but it seems to be getting worse.  A nozzle check print looks fine.  I have tried using both Acoustica CD Label Maker and Canon's EZ Photo Print software and both yield similar results.  The apparent ink starvation only occurs when direct printing to CD and DVD disks.  

[RWL]

Although the grid in the nozzle check photo above looks like it has gaps, or light areas, it's an artifact of the photo. The grid is evenly solid.

[James_C]

Hi RWL,

Perform the following steps to see if the issue continues.

You can create personalized disc labels using your favorite photos and print them.

  Important

• Do not set the disc tray until a message prompting you to load a printable disc appears. Loading a printable disc while the scanner or printer is operating may damage the scanner or printer.

1. Start My Image Garden.

    Starting My Image Garden

2. Select the image(s) you want to use for a disc label.

    Selecting Images, PDF Files and Videos

3. Click Disc Label from New Art.

   

   The Select Theme and Main People dialog box appears.

4. Set the theme, Paper Size, etc., then click OK.

    Setting the Theme and Main People

   

   The disc label appears in the My Art view.

    Note

   • Even if a high priority is set, the person may not be placed in the item depending on the selected theme.

   • The layout may not be as expected depending on the photo information or analysis results of the selected images.

5. Edit the item according to your preference.

    Editing Items

     Note

   • In the Advanced Settings dialog box displayed by clicking Advanced... at the bottom of the screen, you can set the print area. If Advanced... is not displayed, click  (Right Scroll).

      Advanced Settings Dialog Box (Disc Label)

   • When Identifying people... appears at Unregistered People in Global Menu, the result may not be as expected since automatic placement does not apply to images for which analysis has not been completed.

   • Refer to "Inserting/Adjusting Images" to swap automatically placed images.

6. Click Print at the bottom right of the screen.

   The print settings dialog box appears.

7. Set the number of copies to print, the printer and paper to use, etc.

     Note

   • See "Print Settings Dialog Box" for details on the print settings dialog box.

8. Click Print.

 Note

• You can correct or enhance images before printing.

   Correcting/Enhancing Photos

   Enhancing Photos Using Special Filters

• You can swap images in items.

   Inserting/Adjusting Images

 Please note, Canon's Forum is not intended for immediate help, but a place to allow for the Community to give you assistance and feedback. If this is an urgent support need, please use the link below to reach our friendly Technical Support Team:

http://Canon.us/ContactLI

[RWL]

It's not that I can't print at all, it's that the prints are only partially present. I get the same results whether I use Canon software or Acoustica CD Label Maker. I have tried printing on the same disk up to four times, and it still skips printing in the same areas that didn't print the first time.

[Michael]

Hello.

Since the nozzle check appears to be normal, the issue would have to be related to your CD media.  Try using a different brand or type of CD media to see whether or not the issue occurs.

If additional assistance is needed, find more help at Contact Us.

[RWL]

Taiyu Yuden and Staples brandCDs do the same thing, and similar problems occur when printing to DVD disks rather than CDs. This is not a media problem where the ink doesn't stick; the ink isn't being sprayed on some parts where it should be sprayed.

[James_C]

Hi RWL,

It is recommended at this point that you contact one of Canon's Technical Support Representatives. To contact a Technical Support Representative, please use the link below:

http://Canon.us/ContactLI

[RWL]

I used the link you provided and offered this summary to the tech there:

When printing directly to CDs and DVDs the print is partially cut off, looking like ink starvation, but it's not ink starvation. The tech on the Canon product forum suggested contacting here to determine what to do. What I know / what I've done:

The problem occurred sporadically from the beginning but now occurs on every disk I print.
The print is typically cut off or faded at one end, or the upper half of the line of text, and photos have odd colors.
The ink tanks are over half full
It occurs with different types of CD printing software - both Canon ImageGarden and Acoustica CD Label Maker
It occurs equally on different brands of disks, and on both CDs and DVDs, so it's not a particular brand of disk that's the problem.
A nozzle check shows no ink starvation and nozzle cleaning doesn't correct the problem.
The same CD label printed to a paper label is fine, and my regular non-CD printing is not showing any problems. It's only direct printing to disks.
Reprinting onto the previously printed disk (multiple times) doesn't fill in the faded or missing areas - the printer just isn't printing there.
I have tried changing various settings on the printer properties such as: Standard or Photo printing; media type is printable disk (recommended) as well as just printable disk; print quality only has a choice of high; Printer paper size only has a choice of Disc tray J; paper source is always cassette.
For images of what the discs look like, you can check out this thread that I posted on the Acoustica support forum: http://forums.acoustica.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17120&sid=3de47f53c23a195ece9cfc13d92073aa

Is there a firmware update or firmware reset that might fix this?

The drop down boxes below aren't letting me fill in additional information you need:
Connected via USB cable, not wifi, Windows 10 64 bit currently, but the problem occurred in Windows 7 32 bit as well.

[RWL]

I did the checking of the cartridges and nozzle checking requested by the tech support at the link you recommended, then cleaned the timing strip per the directions, but the problem continues 

[RWL · Accepted solution]

The last step was to remove and reseat the print head.  This also did not correct the problem.  The tech says that this appears to be a printer failure.