Canon ipf6100 prints purple as desaturated blue

[TomorrowHill]

Hi everyone,

First off, thanks so much for taking a moment to read and help.

My wife and I run a small photography studio, and we use a Canon ipf6100 printer. Recently, we discovered that several shades of purple are no longer printing properly. Very light hues seem fine, but deeper shades (such as a royal purple) come out looking almost like a desaturated blue. No other colors are affected, and (to the best of my knowledge) no profiles or settings have been changed. I've tried several cleanings, replaced the print head, and have messed around with several other icc profiles, but nothing seems to work. I've even went back to test other photos that we've previously printed successfully, but they also lose their purples. Now we have a wedding shoot to print where the bridal party wore (of course) purple dresses, and I have no idea what to try next.     

If anyone has any suggestions, or (assuming it's a profile issue) a custom profile that might help the problem, I'd be eternally grateful for the help.

Thanks in advance!

[jaapb]

Hi,

I suspect hardware failure or ink delivery problems, profiles don't suddenly stop "working".
Few other aspects to go into:
Have you printed a nozzle check pattern to determine correct ink placement? If the remaining ink level is low, the nozzle check pattern will not be printed correctly. Replace the ink tank whose ink is low (says Canon).
Updated any software involved with printing or even OS?
Still using the same paper and/or media settings?
Is the 6100 calibrated initially as per user manual before you first started using it?

Just a few things to consider, good luck

Jaap

[TomorrowHill]

Hi Japp,

Thanks so much for the reply. The 6100 is calibrated, and is using the same paper and settings as always. There have been no new software updates (I'm running the latest firmware), and the ink cartridges associated with purples are all reletively full. I've had experiences where entire photos were discolored, but in this case everything else looks sharp and vibrant except for purples.

Although the ink cartridges aren't low, is it possible that it could be a problem with a cartridge? When you say hardware failure, is it possible that some component of the printer could fail and cause this issue. The 6100 is a little over three years old, if that helps.

Also, could a nozzle clog cause this kind of problem? I did one nozzle cleaning, but is it possible that multiple cleanings could be required?

Again, thank you for taking the time  

[jaapb]

Ok, still left to do, since you already did the cleaning procedure, is to print the nozzle pattern this might give you a clue if all the inks are properly layed down on the paper and the nozzles are ok. Hardware failure is difficult to self diagnose and repair so you may have to call in a Canon service representative if the pattern print turns out ok but your actual prints still don't.
Sorry I can't be of much more help.

Jaap

[Clearair]

I own and use a 4 year old iPF6100 that is functioning perfectly.
I would re run the printer calibration NOW and nozzel check AFTER replacing the cartridges that handle these colours.
The poster changed how many print heads, there are two.
Also are these ink cartridges genuine Canon?
Here in the UK there have been failures of these printers due to fake ink.
There may be contamination in a nozzel from more than one ink.
Note that replacing an ink cartridge will take time before it flushes through with new ink,
so run test prints rather than flushing all your ink with A or B cleaning.
Regards and good luck with your printer.

[Clearair]

I forgot to add that the printer/papers/ink forum may be a better place if you still have problems
as you will have more answers for sure.

[Bullfrog]

I've been investigating my ipf6100 printer for various reasons and have recieved good advice here.  Some things I have tried and/or read

- recalibrate using the adjust printer function if you have recently installed new cartridges as ink level can affect profile (this I recall reading from one of the zillion canon websites I surfed but if you want proof, I cannot remember where)

- I"m assuming you have not changed devices, or installed new drivers, or software (ie Applications), or added new media via the media configuration tool.  If you have added media which was not native to your region, your profiles could be altered (I"m assuming you are using Canon profiles.)

My last comment:  

 I did as another mentioned, I ran both Cleaning A and Cleaning B AT LEAST TWICE coincident with a few nozzle test prints and print head adjustment and I replaced the ink cartridge that was giving me grief (matt black) and my problem did resolve itself.

So to answer your question:  based on my recent experience (and my printer is just over 3 years old) yes, it took more than one cleaning.

All I can tell you is 2 weeks ago, I was printing without incident and then one day...kabloom - the thing started tracking black ink.  

The Cleaning did suck a great deal of ink but I did find with sucessive printing (I used about 7 metres of roll paper) it did improve and the cartridge was the last thing I replaced.

I did not replace the Print head - there are two, and each are $800 Canadian and I'm not prepared to invest that in a 3 year old printer.

For what its worth