I recently purchased the TS6020 printer. I noticed right a way that the printer initiates a cleaning cycle after each document has been printed. It doesn't matter what the content of the printout is or what color. Aproximately 60 seconds after the document has printed, the printer begins an automatic cleaning cycle.
If you print another document within this 60 second time frame, the clock starts again. But basically it does this cleaning routine after each and every printout. This obviously consumes a lot of ink unnecessarily.
It doesn't matter wether the printer is set to auto power off, the process is the same.
I tried turning the printer OFF prior to the 60 second clock running out, but as soon as you turn the printer back on, the cleaning cycle is then initiated.
Opening the scanner lid, moves the print head to the center and interrupts the auto clean cycle, but when you close the scanner lid or after a 25 minute time out, a deep cleaning cycle starts, consuming even more ink.
I contacted Canon customer service about this issue today and got 3 different answers.
1. When I asked the first rep if the TS6020 performed auto clean cycles, the answer was an immediate NO. I had not given any indication that this was an issue, it was just a general question.
When I informed the rep that this happened with my printer each time a document was printed, he transferred me to another rep.
2. This rep also proclaimed that the printer didn't do that, so I let him listen to the process. He then asked me to turn off the printer, unplug the power, wait 20 seconds and plug it back in. Surprise, suprise, nothing changed. He then proceeded to tell me that if I didn't like the sound of that, to return the printer for another one. Although he said there was nothing wrong with the printer. Needless to say, the NEW printer would do the same thing, so that wasn't a practical solution. I was then transferred to another technician.
3. This gentleman was supposedly a higher level technician and after explaining the issue for the third time, he assured me that this was a normal preventive maintenance routine, which could not be turned off. He suggested that I exchange the printer for another one, since the TS6020 was the ONLY one with the auto clean cycle.
Further investigation determined this to be inaccurate. In fact most if not all current Canon printers have this function built in.
It is clear to me now what the strategy is with Canon. Sell printers for little or no money and bleed the consumer dry by forcing automatic cleaning cycles upon its customers. Each "routine" cleaning cycle consumes a considerable amount of all inks. The TS6020 is a 5 cartridge printer, so each cartridge is litteraly sucked dry in between each printed page.
Searching this forum results in numerous complaints regarding this issue with different printers.
I have been a faithfull Canon products, cameras, printers, scanners, user for many years, but am seriously rethinking my positiion.
If Canon is willing to do the right thing and retain its market share, it would provide a modified firmware to alleviate this problem.
