Printer ink / print head question: My wife has a Canon Pixma Pro-100 that she uses for her art work and photography. She pulses in and out of these activities so the printer might get...

KelloggKid

My wife has a Canon Pixma Pro-100 that she uses for her art work and photography. She pulses in and out of these activities so the printer might get heavy use for 3-4 days and then sit unused for 5-7 weeks. After that long of an absence the ink cartridges and print head seem to dry out. Given the expense of these items is there anything I can do to add to their life span? What would happen, as an example, is I were to pull the entire print head and cartridge assembly, put it in a zip lock back and in the refrigerator? Might that keep them from drying out?

Any suggestions greatly appreciate.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

Maybe print a test page once a week or even every Sunday and Wednesday?

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

KelloggKid wrote:

My wife has a Canon Pixma Pro-100 that she uses fo... (show quote)

Huh!?!? I have a Pro-100 that I often don't use more than once a month and have no problem with things drying out. I do keep it plugged in all the time.
But I know a guy who once a week just prints an 8x10 of one of those printer test pages, the kind that have all colors etc. "To make sure it is working." His doesn't dry out either and he is happy but doesn't understand why mine doesn't dry out.

alx Loc: NJ

Having been there... Printing is cheaper than replacing. Exercise it at least once a week.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

I have a different larger printer, and I keep it turned on all the time. That seems to help with the drying out issue.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

robertjerl wrote:

Huh!?!? I have a Pro-100 that I often don't use more than once a month and have no problem with things drying out. I do keep it plugged in all the time.
But I know a guy who once a week just prints an 8x10 of one of those printer test pages, the kind that have all colors etc. "To make sure it is working." His doesn't dry out either and he is happy but doesn't understand why mine doesn't dry out.

Same. Is the OP using 3rd party ink or refilled cartridges?

Murray Loc: New Westminster

robertjerl wrote:

Huh!?!? I have a Pro-100 that I often don't use more than once a month and have no problem with things drying out. I do keep it plugged in all the time.
But I know a guy who once a week just prints an 8x10 of one of those printer test pages, the kind that have all colors etc. "To make sure it is working." His doesn't dry out either and he is happy but doesn't understand why mine doesn't dry out.

Me too. I can go a couple of months without printing & no problems. I use only Canon inks.. they’re more expensive but never had a problem.

morkie1891

Watch Jose Rodriguez videos on YouTube. He has in depth knowledge and experience. He will suggest printing something small every other day in order to save ink and also explain why the pro 100wont dry up

Wilhan

I won a Canon Pixma Pro 100s in a photo competition over two years ago and I've been extremely pleased with the results from it (overcoming my Nikon bias to all things Canon). I use it to print my competition entries for my camera club and consequently there are times that I might not use it for a couple of months. When I do print I tend to wait until I have a batch of photographs to print as the printer goes through a cleaning cycle if it has not been used for 48 hours. Also as the printer uses dye inks rather than pigment based inks I don't think that there are as many problems keeping the print head clear on a printer using dye inks. I will only use original Canon ink in the printer and I believe that this helps also.

elliott937 Loc: St. Louis

Kellogg, several questions. Do you leave the printer plugged in? More importantly, are you using Canon ink? If that last one is a NO, then switch to Canon ink to see if your drying problem clears up.

Ron 717 Loc: Pennsylvania

KelloggKid wrote:

My wife has a Canon Pixma Pro-100 that she uses fo... (show quote)

Maybe I’m just lucky but I have gone 2 months without printing with my pro100 and have never had a problem. I use only Canon ink direct from Canon and I keep the printer plugged in at all times.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

KelloggKid wrote:

My wife has a Canon Pixma Pro-100 that she uses fo... (show quote)

Like yours, mine might sit for a month or more, but it prints fine when I need it. Although I've never experienced it, drying out can be a problem for ink cartridges.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/advice/10501129/How-do-I-stop-the-ink-in-my-printer-cartridges-drying-up.html
https://www.printerland.co.uk/blog/2017/06/why-do-printer-cartridges-dry-out/
https://www.quora.com/How-much-time-it-take-inkjet-cartridges-to-dry-out

L-Fox

Remove the cartridges. Put them in a zip bag. Put the bag in your fridge door shelf. Retrieve as needed.

Geegee Loc: Peterborough, Ont.

If you want to make sure it is not drying out all you have to do is turn it on. It will run through a head cleaning cycle, then shut it off. No need to print anything.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

KelloggKid wrote:

My wife has a Canon Pixma Pro-100 that she uses fo... (show quote)

Consider using a Dampit. Lay this in the printer after dampening (but eliminating all excess water) and then limit air circulation through the printer. Seems to work especially on the smaller printers.

I learned about this at the Sante Fe Photo Workshops venue.