Canon CH-40 Print Head, the original 3430C001 colour unit for Canon PIXMA MegaTank G-series machines, is now in stock at Mascom International for KSh 5,150. This is the colour half of the two-head layout Canon uses on these printers, carrying the cyan, magenta, and yellow nozzle rows that handle every colour page your printer produces. The Canon CH-40 Print Head arrives brand new and sealed in its Canon retail packaging with the 3430C001 code printed on the label. Mascom International stocks it at Old Mutual Building, First Floor Room 4, Kimathi Street, Nairobi CBD, open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Bring your printer model number to the counter and our staff confirm the fit before you pay.
Print bureaus along Tom Mboya Street, cyber cafes across Nairobi CBD, school bursars in Kiambu and Machakos, church administration offices, and accountants who issue colour invoices all hit the same wall eventually. Black text still prints, but colour pages come out banded, faint, or missing one channel completely. Repeated deep-cleaning cycles burn through tank ink and change nothing on the test page. At that point the printer is not finished the colour head is. The Canon CH-40 Print Head returns those three channels to service for KSh 5,150, against KSh 25,000 and upward for another MegaTank unit.
Unlike other electronics retailers in Kenya who sell unbranded copy heads pulled from scrapped machines, Mascom International supplies the Canon CH-40 Print Head as an original Canon part in factory packaging. Users consistently report that copy heads block within weeks and leave the printer worse than before. At Mascom International, we're seeing steady counter demand for this part from offices still running the G2420 and G3420 units bought during Kenya's 2021 to 2023 tank-printer shift. Carry your printer to Kimathi Street for a free fitting, or order the Canon CH-40 Print Head for pay-on-arrival delivery to any county.
Common Questions About the Canon CH-40 Print Head
How do I confirm my printer takes the CH-40 and not the CH-20?
Read the model badge on the front panel of your printer. The CH-40 serves the 40-family MegaTank models sold across Kenya, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa — G1420, G2420, G3420, G5040, G7040 and their siblings. The CH-20 serves the North American 20-family, meaning G1220, G2260, G3260, G5020, G6020, and G7020. The two heads look similar but the contact pads differ, so a CH-20 will not communicate with a G3420 carriage board. Send your model number on WhatsApp and we will check it against Canon's list.
Which PIXMA models are covered by part number 3430C001?
Part 3430C001 covers PIXMA G1420, G1430, G2420, G2430, G2460, G2470, G3420, G3430, G3460, G3470, G3480, G4470, G5040, G6040, and G7040, plus the GM2040 and GM4040 MegaTank models. That range includes the single-function tank printers common in small Nairobi shops and the wireless all-in-one units used in cyber cafes. Canon sells the same part in the Kenyan market as CH-40 and abroad as 3430C001AA identical item, different label. Anything outside that list needs a different head entirely.
My printer prints black but leaves gaps in cyan, magenta, and yellow. What now?
Run a nozzle check pattern first, then compare the colour blocks against the black block. If black prints solid while cyan, magenta, or yellow show whole missing bands after two deep-cleaning cycles, the colour head has failed and the CH-40 is your part. Black printing normally rules out the carriage motor, the paper path, and the mainboard, because black runs through a completely separate head. Check tank levels before spending anything an empty magenta tank produces the same symptom for free.
What is the difference between this unit and the BH-40 sold alongside it?
The CH-40 handles cyan, magenta, and yellow dye ink under part number 3430C001. The BH-40 handles pigment black under part number 3421C001. Canon fits both into the same carriage, and either one can fail on its own. Replace only the head that has actually stopped working — there is no benefit in changing both when your nozzle check shows one clean block. Mascom International stocks the BH-40 at the same KSh 5,150 price for customers whose text output has gone patchy.
How long should a colour head last in a Kenyan office?
Canon publishes no page rating for print heads, because lifespan tracks usage habits rather than page count. Heads that fail early almost always belong to printers left idle for weeks at a time, where dye ink dries inside the nozzle plate. A single colour page printed every week keeps the channels wet and costs almost nothing. Dust from Nairobi's dry season and the humidity along the Mombasa coast both shorten head life, so keeping the lid closed genuinely matters.
Which Canon ink bottles pair with printers that use the 3430C001 part?
G1420, G2420, G2460, G3420, G3460, and G3470 printers take GI-41 bottles in black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. G5040, G6040, G7040, GM2040, and GM4040 printers take GI-40 bottles in the same four colours. Canon rates a full set of 70 ml colour bottles at up to 7,700 pages at 5% coverage, and the 135 ml GI-41PGBK black bottle at up to 6,000 pages. Third-party refill ink remains the single most common reason colour heads block early.
Does swapping the head reset the printer's waste ink absorber?
No. The waste ink absorber counter is a separate figure held in the printer's memory, and fitting a fresh CH-40 leaves it untouched. If your machine was already warning about a full absorber before the colour trouble started, that warning returns after the head swap. Bring the printer to our Nairobi CBD counter and we will read the absorber percentage for you, so you know whether a KSh 5,150 head is worth spending on that particular unit.
What does replacing this part save against buying another MegaTank printer?
A G3420-class MegaTank sells for roughly KSh 25,000 to KSh 34,000 in Kenya today, and a G7040 office unit costs considerably more. At KSh 5,150 the CH-40 returns a working machine to service for around a fifth of that outlay, and you keep the scanner, the Wi-Fi board, the rollers, and whatever ink already sits in the tanks. The swap takes about ten minutes at our counter, so the printer goes back to the office the same afternoon.
Technical Specifications
Colour Head Function and Nozzle Layout
- Part number 3430C001, the colour half of the two-head layout Canon uses across the PIXMA MegaTank G-series.
- Carries cyan, magenta, and yellow nozzle rows; black text runs through the separate BH-40 unit instead.
- Fires dye-based ink drawn straight from the refillable tanks, so no cartridge chip or counter reset applies.
- Thermal inkjet firing uses tiny heaters that boil ink to push each droplet onto the paper.
- Gold contact strip on the rear carries firing signals from the carriage board to every nozzle row.
- A fresh head recovers colour density that repeated deep-cleaning cycles can no longer bring back.
Printer Compatibility Across the MegaTank Range
- Fits PIXMA G1420, G1430, G2420, G2430, G2460, and G2470 entry tank printers common in small Kenyan offices.
- Fits PIXMA G3420, G3430, G3460, G3470, G3480, and G4470 wireless all-in-one models used across cyber cafes.
- Fits PIXMA G5040, G6040, and G7040 office tank printers built for higher monthly page volumes.
- Canon also lists the GM2040 and GM4040 MegaTank models against this part number.
- Does not fit North American G1220, G2260, G3260, G5020, G6020, or G7020 units, which take CH-20.
- Model numbering differs by region, so check the front badge rather than assuming from the box artwork.
Genuine Canon Ink Pairing and Running Cost
- G1420, G2420, G2460, G3420, G3460, and G3470 printers refill from GI-41 bottles in four colours.
- G5040, G6040, G7040, GM2040, and GM4040 printers refill from GI-40 bottles in the same four colours.
- Canon rates a full set of 70 ml colour bottles at up to 7,700 pages at 5% page coverage.
- The 135 ml GI-41PGBK black bottle is rated at up to 6,000 pages, or 7,600 pages in Economy mode.
- Key-shaped bottle nozzles only enter their matching tank, which stops accidental mixing during a refill.
- Staying on Canon bottles protects the new head; cheap refill ink is the leading cause of early blockage.
Installation Steps and Safe Handling
- Switch the printer on before opening the cover, so the carriage parks in its centre service position.
- Lift the head lock lever, withdraw the failed unit, and set it aside for disposal.
- Peel the protective tape and lift the nozzle cap off the replacement before it goes anywhere near the carriage.
- Never touch the gold contacts or the nozzle plate — skin oil and dust block ink flow permanently.
- Seat the head squarely, close the lock lever until it clicks, then shut the cover fully.
- Run one cleaning cycle followed by a head alignment so colour registration lines up with the black nozzles.
Build Construction and Contact Protection
- Moulded body keyed to the G-series carriage, so it physically seats in one orientation only.
- Sealed foil pouch inside the retail box keeps the nozzle plate from drying out before first use.
- Gold-plated contact strip resists corrosion in humid coastal conditions from Mombasa through Malindi and Lamu.
- Filter mesh at the ink inlets traps particles before they can reach the firing chambers.
- Ships capped and dry, so the first prime cycle pulls ink down from the tanks automatically.
- Store unopened in a cool dry place; sustained heat above 35 degrees Celsius shortens shelf life.
Warning Signs That Point to a Failed Colour Head
- Nozzle check pattern shows whole missing blocks in cyan, magenta, or yellow after two deep cleans.
- Colour pages carry horizontal white bands that land in the same position on every sheet.
- One channel drops out entirely while its tank still shows ink above the lower limit line.
- Black text prints cleanly while every colour element looks washed out or shifted toward one hue.
- Deep cleaning visibly drains the tanks yet produces no change at all on the test page.
- The printer reports a head error in the Canon utility after a full power cycle and restart.
What Comes in the Box
- One Canon CH-40 Print Head, part number 3430C001, sealed in its protective foil pouch
- Canon retail box carrying the part number and barcode on the label
- Canon handling and installation documentation
- Mascom International 6-month warranty card
Note:Ink bottles are not included. GI-41 and GI-40 sets are sold separately at Mascom International. The BH-40 black head is a separate part number and is stocked at the same counter for customers replacing both units together.
Warranty
The Canon CH-40 Print Head carries a 6-month Mascom International warranty covering manufacturing defects. Cover applies to a head that fails to prime or produces no colour output under normal use with genuine Canon ink. Damage from third-party refill ink, dropped units, touched contacts, or forced installation sits outside it. Claims are handled directly at our Nairobi CBD service desk.
Where to Buy the Canon CH-40 Print Head in Kenya
The Canon CH-40 Print Head is available now at Mascom International, Old Mutual Building, First Floor Room 4, Kimathi Street, Nairobi CBD. Walk in Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and our counter staff check the part against your printer model before you pay. Carry the printer along and we fit and align the head at no extra charge.
Order through any of the following:
- Phone/WhatsApp: +254 708 852 521
- Email: info@mascomintl.com
- Website: www.mascomintl.com
Mascom International sends the Canon CH-40 Print Head to all 47 Kenyan counties with pay-on-arrival delivery, settled by M-Pesa or cash only once the part reaches you. Nairobi and its environs receive same-day delivery. All other major cities and towns, including Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, and Kakamega, receive next-business-day delivery. Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Lamu, Tana River, and Turkana receive delivery within 2-3 business days.
Every unit ships with the 6-month Mascom warranty stated above. The matching BH-40 black head, GI-41 bottles, and GI-40 bottles sit on the same shelf for customers servicing a printer completely in one visit. Buyers across Kenya rely on Mascom International for original Canon spares, accurate pricing, and after-sales help straight from our Nairobi CBD service desk.
