mp 600 skips lines

[wiz]

mp 600 alternately prints 4 lines and then skips 4 lines over and over again in a document when printing in black ink.

[Naomi]

Hi wiz!

To have a better understanding of your issue, we'd like to gather more information regarding your current issue.  Does the skipping issue occur when printing from the computer and when making copies?  If you notice this only happens when printing from the computer, please let us know what operating system you have on your computer, and if you've tried printing from other programs. That way, our Canon Forum members and our Subject Matter Experts will be able to assist you with suggestions appropriate for your Canon PIXMA MP600 printer.

Thanks!

[wiz]

It does not happen when I copy a document, but it does happen when I print a page from the Web (e.g. directions from mapquest.com), when I print from Word 2010 and from Excel 2010. I am running Windows 7 on this computer and the same thing happens when I use another computer that is running XP.

[Karl1]

Hi wiz,

I would like to see the results of the Nozzle Check pattern to see if this is hardware or software related.  To print the Nozzle Check Pattern, perform the following steps:

1. Make sure that the machine is turned on, then load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Auto Sheet Feeder or the Cassette.

2. Open the Paper Output Tray, and then open the Output Tray Extension.

3. Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source where you have loaded paper.

4. Print the nozzle check pattern.

1. Select 'Settings' on the HOME screen.
2. Select 'Maintenance', then press the <OK> button. The Maintenance screen is displayed.
3. Select 'Nozzle check pattern' (3) and then press the <OK> button. The pattern print confirmation screen is displayed.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Select 'Yes' (4) and then press the <OK> button. The nozzle check pattern is printed, and the pattern confirmation screens are displayed alternately.
   
   
   

Here is what the nozzle check should look like:

Does the Nozzle Check print correctly?

[wiz]

Hi Karl1,

Thanks for the response. I had printed the Nozzle Check Pattern a few times. The 5 color rectangles are perfect. The sixth rectangle, which is BK is a nice solid grey. I notice yours is blue, but that is probably an artifact. The problem in my pattern is the PGBK rectangular grid. Tthe bottom half is missing, i.e. its cut halfway in the letters PGBK. In other words I only see the top half of the letters PGBK and the corresponding top half of the grid.

[Karl1]

Hi wiz,

Have you tried going through the cleaning process in the same maintenance menu?  It is recommended to perform 2 normal cleanings, then 2-3 deep cleanings for best results, then print the Nozzle Check again.  If the PGBK pattern still is cut off, then the printer will likely require service in which case you will want to use the Contact Us link to speak to one of our support staff who can provide service options.

[wiz]

Hi Karl1,

Yes - I did clean it twice and then did a deep cleaning. Frankly being a retired engineer I've always subscribed to the theory that whatever you touched last is the source of the problem. In my case I had originally encountered this problem when I installed a new computer, which is a laptop running windows 7 x64. My old desktop was running XP and I never had a problem with the printer right up until I made the switch. My laptop said the Canon CD with the setup was incompatible so I went to the Canon support/download page and downloaded and installed the driver and software for Window 7 x64. That's when the trouble started. However, keep in mind that when I encountered the problem with my laptop - printer combo I then tried printing using my XP desktop as the source. The desktop and laptop are not networked together.

I know that this might sound silly,but is there anything in the downloads that could have affected the printer rather than just the laptop? 

Thanks for your very prompt reply

[Karl1]

Hi wiz,

Normall you'd be right that the last thing you touched caused the problem, but since this is ocuring on the Nozzle Check which is done without any communication with the computer, it's going to be hardware problem.  It just so happened that the nozzles in the PGBK happened to fail around the same time of your install.

[wiz]

hi Karl1,

Out of curiosity what does PGBK stand for? That tank hardly seems to get used. The BK tank seems to be the one that's used the most.

[Karl1]

Hi wiz,

The PGBK stands for pigment black.  The smaller BK is dye based black.  The pigment black is better suited for high quality back text whereas the dye based black is better suited for printing black in photos.  If you print primarily black text on plain paper then the PGBK should have been getting more use than the the smaller BK tank, further indicating issuse with the printer.