I am writing this for I know many have issues at times with their printer (not necessarily the Canon i9900 alone) printing banded lines, streaking, etc....
Assuming you are aware of all the options of how to change the printer's functions and you still get printing problems, the following will provide you the best performance out of your print head, for the print head is the key to good, consistent printer performance:
Assumptions:
You are printing something you really want to have the best quality of.
You are using a high quality paper such as Ilford or other top quality printer paper and the correct printer profiles.
Tips:
1) Ensure you have your ink tanks greater than half full. The lower the ink tanks are, the lower their performance. The idea is that you have less weight on ink in the tank pushing down through the print head when that tank is used and if you are printing solid black (which uses all the inks), it could be less black than you want. When I had a banding problem and talked to the Canon tech department, they asked if my ink tanks were all full or at least over half full. This simply makes sense if you think about it.
2) Find a good color calibration file online and print it on regular copy paper daily (or every other day). The key is you are sending ink through all the areas of the print head each day and it won't get dried ink on it (which is the number one culprit of inconsistent print quality in solids and other key areas of your print). I have been doing this for a couple months. It uses no noticable ink amout.
I have been following this suggestion which I read somewhere (I would credit them, but I simply cannot remember where I read it). It is going on a couple months now and I never have to wonder whether my printer will produce the prints I want. It really is a great feeling. The Canon printer i9900 has had a history of a short print head life span, but I believe with a little consistent use and care, you can use it for a long time.
Please try this with any and all your printers because once you build it into your routine, whether you are printing that day or not, you will be glad you can get consistent results each time you are ready.
Hope this helps.
Pat
