I have a Canon pixma mp990 Recently it has stopped printing with the larger black ink cartridge that is meant for printing text (PGI-220BK) All the other cartridges print fine I was using a non-canon cartridge I took it out and put one in from a different brand Still same problem I tried cleaning cycle and the deep cleaning cycle (twice) Still same problem The ink level meter shows the black ink level as going down (presumably due to the cleaning, so the ink is coming out in some fashion) When I print the test page pattern thing it comes out ok but the grid at the top which tests the pigment black cartridge is completely not there. Not with lines through it or badly printed, but simply nothing is there. Likewise I print a document with black and blue text, the blue text prints and all the black is just not there

If you are using non genuine ink cartridge, that can create trouble to print head. Use the canon genuine ink cartridge. Install it properly and remove the print head from printer and clean it with lint free cloth and warm water. After dry it, put back in the printer carefully. Also you can find here the more troubleshooting steps to fix the canon printer not printing issue.

If in case you need any help to reinstall ink cartridge in printer, you can contact canon printer experts through free live chat.

FIXED : Ok so I just had a issue with the magenta not working so I took the cartridge out and gently squeezed it where the sponge part is til ink came out and blotted on a paper towel put the cartridge back in and printed test page and it worked ??

It looks to me that your non Canon cartridge has blocked the print head. I see this all the time. Remember the compatables are not pigment based but just watered down ink so you can get it to flow through a syringe into the cartridge. This however is the classic outcome of trying to save a few pennies on an expensive bit of kit!