PIXMA MG5650 Printing distorted and uneven black

[Ellie7]

Pixma MG5650.

Its old but has always worked well. Now black is printing unevenly and kind of double print and blurry.

Have done all the available cleaning processes to no avail. Cleaning the printhead is next but if that was blocked would it not print black at all. Other colours are fine.

Any suggestions?

[Ellie7]

Damage print head?

[Ellie7]

It's what I am now thinking but the cause?

Maybe bad ink. I confess I used non Canon due to pricing. Regretting it now but could this be the problem?

[DerrickL]

Yes, it could. 

[Ellie7]

The supplier does have a guarantee covering the printer if their ink causes damage. I am trying to get as much info as possible to argue my case.

They have suggested the print head is blocked but I said black ink is getting through...they said maybe the PGBL cartridge was helping out but I doubt that.

And so it goes on. Thanks for replying. 

[Arthur]

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[shadowsports]

Greetings,

While using 3rd party inks could cause issues (reliability and quality) it's unlikely they would damage your product irreparably.  Your printer is 11 yrs old, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for the printhead to have reached the end of its service life.  

Due to its age I would not dump a bunch of money or time into it.  A replacement printhead will not be inexpensive and if it's not the problem they are usually not returnable.  

Buying OEM inks or a new printhead may just set you back further.

Given the printer's age, I would recommend replacing it with a newer model that supports more modern printing technology.

Edit**. I forgot to mention that you should also check and clean the encoder timing strip if it's dirty. 

[Ellie7]

I have been supplied with a new printer.  I was persuaded by the company to use their ink irrespective of the age of my printer. Also,  the black ink cartridge was showing a third full but unlike the other cartridges there was no 'runny' ink to be seen. We will never know the cause of the problem but I won't be buying compatible ink again!

Thanks.