Canon Pixma MP640

This page is for completeness rather than use. We aren't aware that any of these parts go wrong.

In principle the feed rollers will wear out but we suspect injkjets don't last long enough for that to be an issue.

Position numbers and product codes were copied from the Canon Service Parts PDF. Descriptions are derived from the same source but given in colloquial English. Compatibility is from Web research - it is believed approximately correct and intended to indicate design similarity rather than recommend a spare for individual printers. Check the service parts list for the specific printer. The number of search results is as given by Google in April 2014. Prices in dollars are from executivecolor.net and mk-electronic.de.

A US dollar is generally between 0.7 to 0.8 Euros but the price in Euros is often numerically higher. It may simply be that Canon can charge more in Europe. It could be the cost of all those social regulations, maternity leave, holiday entitlement. The cost of a fragmented market in Europe - or benefits of a big unified one in the US ? Spares prices are essentially arbitrary and there has been a very long tradition that the price in Euros or indeed pounds is the same number as the price in dollars - even if that means spares cost much more in the UK.

The level of interest might be juged from the number of lines Google returns. We are really down in the "spares that go in the bin" department here - assuming anyone really does have stock. Nobody ever asked a question in a legitimate forum about any of these parts. Either they couldn't get the part code or they lost heart at the thought of taking an inkjet printer to bits. All the SERPS in this Web-search are clearly machine generated

Canon have clearly given a data feed to mediaform.com.au, mk-electronic, and executivecolor.net.

HelpOwl

The helpowl page amounts to web-spam generated by a "bot". Every query about an MP640 part results in a response from helpowl, which repeatedly says

I Can't Find Anyone Who Stocks A Canon #qm3-6264 Power Pack. I assume a power surge blew out the power pack on my Canon Pixma MP560 WS. I can't find a replacement anywhere, not even at Canon.com

One person once asked that question on helpowl and it has then been associated with every part code for the printer. This is then followed by an image-view of the MP640 "Getting started" guide which will never help anyone looking for a part. The page presumably looks interesting to Google beacuse it seems to have a load of links; but most of them adverts, non of them to the point. There also seem to be a whole bunch of text fragments that don't actually display in the source text. Helpowl is rarely / never any help - but they are good at gaming Google.

It looks as though what helpowl does is to take a parts data feed and any documenation they can get and then create a page for every line going for rich links and a superficially attractive presentation, then hoping for "web-2" contributions. They don't actually get much in the way of contributions, presumably because technicians have noted their innumerable innane entries in Google and avoid them.

The answer to the helpowl query, incidentally is - executivecolor.net has them for 23.21 US dollars (which would make it a feasible repair) MK-electronic.de have them for 51.38 euro (which is a bit too much). Or try eBay. We are looking for reasonable prices from a UK distributor.