I had the same problem - at least I thought I did, but managed to fix the Canon head using an excellent website which tells you how. However, I bought cheaper replacement cartridges after several people suggested this and then it was pointed out to me that these do not produce archive quality prints. We print family photos for our children and grandchildren and we want them to be archive quality. So I have decided to buy a Canon bottom of the range printer but with the same head as the one I have and use archive inks in that, then use the other Canon for all our other colour printing. We also have a little Brother B/W printer to keep costs down. If you think you might be able to renovate your existing print head, which I managed to do and it's now working perfectly, send me a private email and I'll give you all the info. You don't need to be an engineer, by the way!