Printer Cartridge Issues: Maximizing the Lifespan of Your Canon TS3322 Integrated Cartridge

Question: 
Is my print head dying two weeks after switching to spongeless cartridges? I’m using a Canon TS3322 with a built-in cartridge. Even after many cleaning attempts, it appears to get worse. I’ve run about 1,000 pages through this cartridge, and I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or if this is wear and tear. Can you help?
 
Answer: 
Thanks for contacting us and supporting BCH Technologies and our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Printer problems are urgent, and we do our best to give thoughtful, detailed responses to ensure the most accurate advice possible. Let’s explore your concerns in depth.
 
Based on your description, it sounds like the cartridge has reached the end of its life. The symptoms you report—that your print quality is not improving despite the cleaning—are consistent with some missing pixels or cells on the print head. This is a frequent problem with integrated cartridges, mainly when extensively used or modified to increase capacity.
 
Here are some highlights and advice:
Lifetime of the Canon TS3322 Integrated Cartridge

• Standard Life: Cartridges providing a printing capacity of 200 to 500 pages if used as per manufacturer guidance
• (The features above have a lifespan of about 1000 to 1500 pages when refilled conventionally.)
• Non-Porous Conversion: This process can allow the cartridge to gain more than double its original content, maybe even 2.5 to 3 thousand pages. However, it also puts additional stress on the print head.

Observations from Your Usage
Using the numbers you gave me, you started using the spongeless cartridge at approximately 1,300 pages and printed 1,000 more. Together, that adds up to about 2,300 pages; although this is relatively low for spongeless cartridges, it’s not low for megawatt well cores. There are a few things in play here:

• Print Content: Printing large blocks of gray or black uses up more ink and produces more heat in the print head. When these types of patterns are continuously printed, the print head can get too hot, which can lower its life span.
• Cartridge Heat: While a color cartridge only heats up when a particular color is deployed, the black cartridge is more regularly used, resulting in more wear and tear.

Recommendations

• Modify Print Settings: Switch your printer to high-quality mode to make your cartridge last longer. The silver lining is that this will minimize the number of missing shots due to pixel dropouts, thus improving the print quality, if at the cost of HPs slower printing process.
• Monitor usage: Avoid heavy-duty printing chores like printing full-page black-and-white images, which are demanding on the print head.
• The spindle may be too wide, pushing it to the edge of the body with spongeless conversion. Always watch the spindle, and it should be replaced. When the printing continues degrading, you can change the cartridge.
• Color Cartridge Lifespan: Because color cartridges are used less frequently, they tend to have longer lifespans, from 5,000 to 7,000 pages. This can be advantageous for mixed-color print when relevant.

Printer issues become a convoluted matter at most owing to their device-driven nature. Therefore, we cannot offer and are unable to provide remote troubleshooting, recommendations, troubleshooting, or plumbing repairs. We offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic service (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Still, demand is exceptionally high, and we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, requiring several weeks for printer drop-off.
 
We only work to repair a complete printer or specific parts, and everything is described step by step in our orchard. But we know that our rates are not the cheapest out there. So, we strongly suggest self-help through online research. From YouTube or our YOUTUBE Channel homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies) – use the search icon (next to "About" in the menu bar on the right) to search for specific videos. YouTube might also recommend relevant videos from other creators that may help.