Canon PRO4000 grainy?

[Kate Lowman]

I bought my Canon PRO4000 about 7 months ago and was happy until recently a visibly grainy quality appeared, especially noticeable in flesh tones. After many tests, finally a printhead adjustment improved the situation. BUT, in studying all these prints with a magnifier, I have concluded that the good prints from this PRO4000 are not as creamy and smooth as the good prints from my previous Canon IPF 6400. This is true for both the new post-alignment prints and earlier prints done before I noticed a problem. To the naked eye, they look good, but with magnification they are not as good as those from my previous Canon printer. The printhead misalignment just made it enough worse so that I really saw it. Now I am wondering whether others have encountered this. Is there some other setting/alignment I should be doing, or is there a flaw with this machine? Reviews of the printer indicated the prints should be better than previous models, but that is not what I am seeing. I have been printing for quite a few years, but just for my own fine art prints, so my knowledge base is not as broad as I would like. Any thoughts or next steps would be much appreciated.

 

[I.T. Supplies]

Hi Kate - Did you get a new head during the time you purchased the printer or same head? If the nozzle checks come out ok, but still getting issues, we recommend contacting Canon as they can go through a diagnosis (mainly a print out from it) and determine what the issue may be. From purchasing it around 7 months ago and everything you did is correct, you may be qualified for them to send you a replacement head. I've rarely hear of this issue happening, but it's possible the head is not functioning properly.

If you install a head into the printer, it starts a 1-year manufacturer warranty each time and is only covered if something happens to the head (like a defect). If you run enough ink through it (per it's ink usage), this will put the head out of warranty (if done within the year), you'll have to purchase a new head upfront otherwise. But that is also a rare part since majority of users don't go through that much ink within a print head year.

The Pro series colors are revamped from the previous generations, but you do lose the Green color that was replaced by the Optimizer (mainly for papers with a sheen). I've still seen really good results though.

Canon's customer service: 800-423-2366

 

[Kate Lowman]

Hi Kate - Did you get a new head during the time you purchased the printer or same head? If the nozzle checks come out ok, but still getting issues, we recommend contacting Canon as they can go through a diagnosis (mainly a print out from it) and determine what the issue may be. From purchasing it around 7 months ago and everything you did is correct, you may be qualified for them to send you a replacement head. I've rarely hear of this issue happening, but it's possible the head is not functioning properly.

If you install a head into the printer, it starts a 1-year manufacturer warranty each time and is only covered if something happens to the head (like a defect). If you run enough ink through it (per it's ink usage), this will put the head out of warranty (if done within the year), you'll have to purchase a new head upfront otherwise. But that is also a rare part since majority of users don't go through that much ink within a print head year.

The Pro series colors are revamped from the previous generations, but you do lose the Green color that was replaced by the Optimizer (mainly for papers with a sheen). I've still seen really good results though.

Canon's customer service: 800-423-2366

Thanks so much for the suggestions. It's a new head/new printer. I ran a nozzle check and that was fine. Prepared photos of the printing problem and contacted Canon. They were great. Spent a lot of time with me working through the problem. In the end, a firmware update solved the issue. I have tested a bit more since the call, comparing a current print to one from my previous Canon printer (exact same size of print, same paper, using a magnifier, etc), and I have to say they are both great. Actually, the new one may be a little better due to more contrast. Great prints and great service from Canon – can you tell I'm feeling a lot better? And thanks for your help, Kate

 

[I.T. Supplies]

Kate,

That's awesome that they helped you figure out the issue! Glad I could be of assistance with the suggestion.
We get these types of issues/concerns somewhat often and do our best to help customers hopefully resolve them in a timely manner.

If you're not a customer of ours, we are more than happy to help you with any further questions and/or issues or supplies.
Our headquarters is based in the Chicago suburbs, but we have warehouses around the country for quick delivery.

Stay safe during this time!
Chris
IT Supplies