Canon TS8050 missing colours

[Firepig]

My Canon Pixma TS8050 has stopped printing any colours other than Magenta and PGBK black. I am using genuine Canon cartridges and have tried replacing a cartridge, but no effect. I have also run the Clean and Deep Clean routines multiple times, to no effect. I then removed and cleaned the print head, but it made no difference. Nozzle check pattern prints show a full grid of PGBK, then all the remaining codes (C to GY) in Magenta, with three full bars of Magenta and nothing at all against the other colours (C, Y, BK, GY). This happens whether printing from PC or using the printer's own onboard utility. Is there anything I can do? Printer is over two years old, so out of warranty.

 

[Notajock]

Same printer, same problem but it’s the cyan colour channel stopped working. New Canon ink cartridge. (In case my Internet-Ink cartridges were to blame). Tried : cleaning, deep cleaning, remove and rinse print head, firmware update.
From lack of responses to your OP, it must not be a common problem. But it obviously happens to some.
Anyone shed any light? Is full factory settings reset possible?

 

[Firepig]

I never solved the problem, despite a lot of effort trying to clean the print head. In the end I bought a second-hand printer of the same model, mainly because it was cheaper than discarding the stock of ink I had, then bought a new printer of a different brand.

 

[Callistemon]

Which method did you use to manually clean the print head? For example, rubbing paper towels on the surface is not very effective and can cause damage. Rinsing is much more effective.

 

[Notajock]

Which method did you use to manually clean the print head? For example, rubbing paper towels on the surface is not very effective and can cause damage. Rinsing is much more effective.

I used a warm water bath with a drop of washing up liquid. During this (and gently patting it dry with paper towels) I observed that cyan (the missing colour) was present at the print nozzles, suggesting that if there was a blockage, it was not complete. However, the nozzle check print still had a complete blank for cyan. Today I will try an off the shelf printer head cleaning product using solvent, syringe and tubing.
I am not hopeful however, as there are others who have bought a new print head only to find the same colour missing, suggesting firmware problem.
But I will try a bit more before offering a mono printer on. And shopping for a new one.
Researching and wading through the inkjet printer market 4 years on is exhausting. What is the equivalent model to the one that I have? Should I switch back to Epson? Are models with tanks instead of cartridges the way to go? What if one of *those* heads get blocked? Honestly, life is too short for this crap.

 

[Firepig]

I also soaked the print head for a long time and repeatedly. Then the second-hand one I replaced it with had a different problem, cutting off the bottom of every A4 page, despite careful reviewing of all the settings, as if it was hard-coded to US Letter paper. That's when i gave up on Canon. I bought an Epson WF-4830, but it doesn't match the photo-printing capabilities of the Canon and I may get a photo printer as well. It's hard to find a single printer that is both an office workhorse and an occasional quality photo printer.

 

[Notajock]

Ok -In case others find this thread, I should update this with the result of my cleaning efforts, which were successful. I used a kit from Printhead Hospital £16 via Amazon, syringe, tubing, adapters to fit the 2 sizes of ink inlet ports on the printhead, and fluid which seems to be ammonia based. Forcing this through the non-printing colour channel worked. On first attempt, 95% clear. Doing it again, as recommended, leaving it to sit for an hour, then flushing through with a final 10ml. brought the nozzle pattern right up to scratch.

I withdraw my suppositions about firmware / electronics problem, and admit that air blockages in the print head can be more complicated than I imagined.

Anyway, I am very glad not to have to shop for a new printer. For a while, anyway.

 

[Callistemon]

I used a warm water bath with a drop of washing up liquid. During this (and gently patting it dry with paper towels) I observed that cyan (the missing colour) was present at the print nozzles, suggesting that if there was a blockage, it was not complete. However, the nozzle check print still had a complete blank for cyan. Today I will try an off the shelf printer head cleaning product using solvent, syringe and tubing.
I am not hopeful however, as there are others who have bought a new print head only to find the same colour missing, suggesting firmware problem.
But I will try a bit more before offering a mono printer on. And shopping for a new one.
Researching and wading through the inkjet printer market 4 years on is exhausting. What is the equivalent model to the one that I have? Should I switch back to Epson? Are models with tanks instead of cartridges the way to go? What if one of *those* heads get blocked? Honestly, life is too short for this crap.

If the cyan is not blocked but does not print at all, then there is likely an electrical defect in the print head. It is unlikely to be the firmware. Call Canon and request a replacement print head. Many replacement print heads available on the internet are counterfeit or already defective. Try purchasing it straight from Canon if possible.

Epson print heads are much more difficult to replace than Canon. Individual ink tanks are superior to disposable cartridges in quality and resources. The only disadvantage with Canon’s print head system over disposable cartridges is that they stop providing replacement print heads after only 5 years, and cartridges are usually available forever. The newer equivalent of the Canon TS8050 would be the TS8350. Try a genuine print head first if possible, otherwise your printer hardware is defective.

 

[Notajock]

If the cyan is not blocked but does not print at all, then there is likely an electrical defect in the print head. It is unlikely to be the firmware. Call Canon and request a replacement print head. Many replacement print heads available on the internet are counterfeit or already defective. Try purchasing it straight from Canon if possible.

Epson print heads are much more difficult to replace than Canon. Individual ink tanks are superior to disposable cartridges in quality and resources. The only disadvantage with Canon’s print head system over disposable cartridges is that they stop providing replacement print heads after only 5 years, and cartridges are usually available forever. The newer equivalent of the Canon TS8050 would be the TS8350. Try a genuine print head first if possible, otherwise your printer hardware is defective.

Thanks so much for coming on this. Turned out I underestimated how easily a whole colour channel can be blocked in the printhead, but the Print Hospital kit worked like a dream.
Glad not to be shopping for a new printer right now.