Canon PIXMA MX922 Printing Wavy, Zigzag, or Double Text: Causes and Fixes for PGBK Ghost Printing

Question

I watched your video about manually fixing wavy or zigzag text on a Canon printer, and I appreciate the explanation. However, it looks like my PGBK printhead may be failing. The black text is still printing doubled, almost like a ghost image side-by-side, and manual alignment does not seem to affect it. The "A, B, C, D..." alignment pattern still prints doubled every time. Is this a known issue with the Canon PIXMA MX922? I have seen many other people online reporting similar double-text or wavy-text problems with this model.

Answer

For the Canon PIXMA MX922, double text from the PGBK channel is a fairly common complaint. It can look like the text is being printed twice, slightly offset to the left or right. Sometimes it appears as wavy text, shadowed text, ghost printing, or a side-by-side duplicate image. Since you mentioned that manual alignment did not change the PGBK text pattern, that gives us an important clue: the issue may not be a simple alignment problem.

The first thing I would do is print a nozzle check. A nozzle check can tell us whether the PGBK nozzles are firing cleanly, partially clogged, spraying sideways, or missing sections. The PGBK channel is the pigment black channel used mainly for plain-paper text printing. If some of those nozzles are partially blocked, damaged, or deflected, the ink may not shoot straight down onto the paper. Instead, the ink can spray at a slight angle. When that happens, the print may look doubled or shadowed, even if the alignment setting itself is correct.

A partial clog does not always mean the nozzle is completely blocked. Sometimes the nozzle still fires ink, but the spray direction is distorted. This is why a page can still show black text, but the text looks fuzzy, wavy, or duplicated. In this situation, the printer may keep printing the PGBK pattern, but the placement of the ink dots is physically wrong because the ink is leaving the printhead at the wrong angle.

Another thing to consider is bidirectional printing. Inkjet printers often print while the carriage moves in both directions: left to right and right to left. If the forward pass and return pass do not land in the same position, the text may appear doubled. Normally, printhead alignment is supposed to correct that timing difference. However, if the printhead itself is spraying sideways, or if the carriage movement is not stable, alignment may not be able to compensate enough.

That is why a nozzle check is so important. If the PGBK grid looks uneven, fuzzy, shifted, split, or slanted, then the problem may be coming from the printhead nozzles rather than from the alignment setting. If the PGBK grid looks perfect, then the issue may be more related to bidirectional alignment, carriage tracking, paper height, or platen flatness.

The platen is another possible cause. If the platen is not flat, if the paper is lifting, or if the paper path is not holding the sheet evenly, the distance between the printhead and paper can vary. Even a small height difference can affect dot placement. The MX922 uses a relatively precise gap between the printhead and the paper. If the paper bows upward, the printhead-to-paper distance changes, and the ink droplets can land in a slightly different position than intended. This can make text look fuzzy, shadowed, or doubled.

Also check for anything that may interfere with smooth carriage movement. A dirty encoder strip, ink mist, grease, paper dust, or a small obstruction can cause the carriage to lose positional accuracy. The encoder strip is the clear plastic strip behind the carriage that the printer uses to determine where the printhead is. If that strip has ink, fingerprints, or debris on it, the printer may misread the carriage position. That can create horizontal misalignment, double lines, or distorted text. Clean it gently only if you are comfortable doing so, because the strip is delicate.

Since you said the "A, B, C, D..." alignment samples keep printing doubled and are not improved by manual alignment, I would check the following areas in this order:

First, print a nozzle check. Look closely at the PGBK section. If the PGBK lines are doubled, fuzzy, stair-stepped, or spraying sideways, the printhead is likely the main suspect.

Second, try printing with high quality or unidirectional settings if your driver allows it. Higher-quality modes often slow the carriage and may reduce the visible double-print effect. If the issue improves in high quality but gets worse in standard or draft mode, bidirectional timing or carriage-position accuracy may be involved.

Third, try a different paper setting. Canon printers often use PGBK for plain paper text but may switch to dye black or composite black depending on the paper type. For example, changing the media type from plain paper to photo paper may bypass the PGBK channel and use the dye black or color inks instead. This is not a true repair, but it can help confirm whether the PGBK channel is the problem. If text looks better when PGBK is not being used, then the pigment black side of the printhead is likely involved.

Fourth, inspect the platen and paper path. Make sure the paper is feeding flat and not rubbing, curling, or lifting. Also check whether there is ink buildup, dried debris, or paper dust on the platen area. If the paper is not flat under the printhead, the ink dots may not land where they should.

Fifth, consider the possibility of printhead wear or failure. The MX922 printhead can develop electrical or nozzle-direction issues over time. If cleaning and alignment do not change the PGBK pattern, and the nozzle check confirms distorted PGBK output, the printhead may be physically failing. In that case, repeated deep cleanings may not help and may waste ink. Too many cleanings can also overfill the waste ink absorber system.

There is one more point that is easy to overlook: not all PGBK double-print problems are caused by clogs. Some are caused by nozzle plate damage, internal delamination, overheating, electrical issues, or aging of the printhead. If the PGBK nozzles are firing but are firing in the wrong direction, cleaning may improve it slightly, but it may not fully restore sharp text. That is why the nozzle check pattern is the best starting point. It tells us whether we are dealing with a clog, a spray-direction problem, or a more general alignment and movement issue.

For your case, based on your description, I would not rely only on manual alignment anymore. I would print a nozzle check first, examine the PGBK pattern carefully, then test whether the issue changes when using a different print quality or paper type. If the PGBK pattern itself is doubled or distorted, then the PGBK side of the printhead is probably failing or partially blocked. If the nozzle check is clean but normal documents still print doubled, then I would look more closely at bidirectional alignment, the encoder strip, carriage movement, platen flatness, and paper feeding.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair because many of these problems require hands-on inspection. Because of that, we are not able to provide remote troubleshooting, repair suggestions, or direct support for printer repairs. We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility, BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Due to high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so it may take a few weeks before we can accept your printer for drop-off. Our repair services are structured to address either the whole printer or specific parts, with instructions provided on how to proceed. However, we understand that our rates may not be the most economical option, so we strongly encourage self-help through online research whenever possible. A good starting point is YouTube, including our homepage at BCH Technologies on YouTube [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. You can use the search icon next to the "About" tab on the right-hand side of the channel menu to look for videos on specific topics. Since we have created repair videos for many years, it is difficult to remember every individual video by topic, so YouTube's search function is often the fastest way to find the most relevant help. YouTube may also recommend useful videos from other repair channels.

Thank you again for reaching out and for watching our content. I hope this gives you a clearer direction for diagnosing the Canon PIXMA MX922 double-text issue, especially the difference between a simple alignment problem and a PGBK printhead or nozzle-direction problem.