Duplex Printing & Assorted Problems IX4000

MSH · 06 Dec 2012

Hi all

I'm new to this forum, and note this theme may have been explored a little, but some time ago, so it may be worthwhile to reopen the case - so to speak.

I run a small business and have 2 IX4000 printers connected to my PC - nothing fancy, just USB.

Recently they have both begun to display bizarre tendencies e.g. not duplexing, just printing all pages out, the print page counter freezing, printer "stopped responding" and just freezes, total inability to recognise magenta (go figure?) cartridges - so I end up using the old chip all the time (all my cartridges are generics and have been for some years), partially printing a page and then jumping to the next page to print the rest etc.

Previously I was on an XP o/s with no problems and brought in a new machine with Win 7 x64. However the problems were not immediately apparent. And even now, some print jobs will be fine (for say- the 1st 5 pages), then the machines go bezerk again.

In fairness, the machines have printed many (I said "many") miles of ink - they work hard. I have replaced a head on the older one a while back, but the newer machine still has the original head and the print quality still looks good.

So - the question therefore revolves around whether the printers are just old and tired and have developed problems in the logic boards, or whether these symptoms are specifically Windows 7 related?

And of course, all useful input grateful received (on bended knees)!

bobafetthotmail · 06 Dec 2012

I had similar issues with an Epson printer/scanner/whatever, and it turned out that unselecting "fast printing" or some-such from the printing options solved the printing issues (I doubt it will do anything for recognizing ink). So try playing a bit with yours.

Other than that I think it could be a driver issue (as on XP they worked well, anyway how much did they went well with win7 before having issues?). Did you download and install drivers from the site (here) or did you use the install disk?
You can also try their driver addons and utilities.

MSH · 07 Dec 2012

Thanks for the input.

I thought it may have been related to the drivers, and therefore deleted and reinstalled the devices using the drivers from the canon asia site url. Thanks for the canon europe link - I will explore this a bit more.

(Of course, Murphy's law being as it is, the original disc was not compatible with Win7 64-bit o/s, so I had to find the drivers on the web).

Here's a thought perhaps - both printers were connected via the same hub. Is there a chance of problems arising if this is the case? I have connected them separately but have not tried them yet, because I'm now wrestling with a "magenta cartridge not installed properly" - issue. So there are obviously a few simultaneous problems.

GRRR! Maybe they (like me) are getting old....

bobafetthotmail · 07 Dec 2012

heh, that cartridge problem is a printer-only issue not dependent from Win 7, so yeah they aren't in peak condition.

I suggest to look for printer hacks, as there is an ongoing war against the printer companies that do their best to milk you dry vs people trying to avoid that, someone may have found a way to bypass that check.

as for the hub, yes it could be malfunctioning, try them without the hub. Also try them one at a time. (the other disconnected)

For the sake of trying everything, try this:

Try enabling or disabling (depending on current setting) the Legacy USB support (or somesuch) from your BIOS options.

Another:
Go to your Control Panel > System > Hardware tab > and click on the "Device Manager" button.

In the Device Manager window, find the item or items labeled "Universal Serial Bus controllers." Open it, and double-click the first item called "USB Root Hub." Repeat for all items if there is more than one.

In the USB Root Hub Properties dialog, click on the "Power Management" tab.

"Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is checked by default. Uncheck this box, and click "OK."

MSH · 12 Dec 2012

Thanks for the input.

Tentatively, getting rid of the shared hub for the 2 printers has (at least) appeared to sort out the page jumping problem. As soon as I get the other printer working, I will know whether it too has been rid of this issue (i.e beware putting more than 1 printer on the same hub)- and this is probably irrespective of the o/s.

The magenta cartridge issue - yes, not a Win7 issue but appears to just be a random cartridge defect. I swapped the heads and inks over between machines, and the error followed to the other machine. Left the heads in place and swapped back the inks only, and the error migrated back to the original machine. In other words the problem is moving with the ink cartridge. So much for reliability of generics!

However, I suppose I get my pound of flesh from using them at a far cheaper print cost per page...

And I reset the USB controllers as suggested.

thanks again for the feedback and help - much appreciated.