Canon Pixma iP4500 hardware problem

[Ringer]

The yellow cartridge is not printing correctly if at all. Ran nozzle test, see attachment. Contacted Canon who stated it would appear to be a hardware problem and suggested I send the printer to their service centre in Surrey (I live in Staffordshire). Given the possible cost of postage and repair, the fact the printer is 10 years old and the relative low cost of current stand alone printers, economically this does not make sense. Before I go down the replacement option path (any suggestions for a similar printer to the iP4500?) any advice that will allow me to correct the fault myself would be appreciated.

 

[Gremlin11]

HI Ringer,
You have a failed or failing print head.

You can try to clean it by removing it from the machine and soak it in some boiling water with a few drops of dish soap, however it is likely that the print head is failing and this will make little to no difference. Canon do warrant their print heads, but not in 10 year old printers.

The cost of the replacement head will exceed the value of the printer, at about $200 AU plus install. The printer would be lucky to be worth $50.

Your best bet is to cut your losses and replace the machine.

What to replace it with would depend on your needs. There are over 500 printers available within this market place, so to know what to replace it with would require a lot more information about what you use the printer for and how much you print.