Customer Reviews

Canon BCI-6C Cyan Ink Tank

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Although lower cost substitute ink cartridges are sold all over the web, and on this site as well, the few bucks you might save aren't worth the all-too genuine risks of replacing with generic "no-name" ink tanks. I've heard (but wouldn't wish to try it, frankly) that generic inks fade faster when exposed to daylight, could clog the print-head spray nozzles, don't spread properly on top-quality paper, and simply can't compare with the uniquely formulated dyes that have been specially researched for your printer and its matching photo papers. The one exception might be if you use a black-ink-only inkjet [hard to imagine anyone could screw up black ink]. I concur that printer manufacturers use that old hoary "razor trick" (give away the razor, profit on the blades), but with Canon's individual ink tanks -- where you replace only those tanks that run dry, you aren't out a lot. My Canon photo printer uses an array of six ink tank colors. Of these six tanks (all available on this site), 'photo cyan' and 'photo magenta' seem to be used up 2 to 3 times faster than 'black'. In other words, rather than replacing an entire set of six ink tanks, you can replace just those tanks that run empty the soonest -- thus not having to toss out a 3-ink tank [as used by HP] where 2 of the 3 remaining inks still are far from used up. Just a word of caution here - make certain that every cartridge you order from Amazon clearly states its eligibility for SuperSaver shipping. If you have to add shipping charges to this low-cost item, you could end up paying more than you would have at the local office supply store.

I have had my Canon BJC-8200 for more than a year now and I could not be happier with it. Not only does it produce photographs better than you can get developed from 35mm film it saves money while doing it. Since there are 6 separate ink tanks rather than one black ink tank and one 3-color tank; I have only to replace the tank which runs out of ink rather than one huge tank which has run out of red, but still has plenty of the other two colors.

And don't let the small size of the tanks fool you in to thinking that they will run out of ink frequently; since flow control is so precise I can print a huge pile of 4x6 pictures before the yellow or red runs out.

If you are looking for a great printer that will almost pay for itself with savings on ink; look at one of the Canon bubblejet printers with individual tanks.

I'm using this product with my Canon i900D photo printer. I'm thrilled beyond words with the quality, the output (and lack of quickly drying up) that this cartridge offers. Per a prior experience (and recommendations of others), I wouldn't recommend the cheaper clone cartridge makers. Stick with this product, both for your warranty's sake, as well as minimizing your frustration level. The Canon products are worth the few extra $$ to purchase.

I am using this cartridge with my Canon Pixma IP3000 at home. I have printed about 200 mid-sized pictures since I installed it in my printer. The cartridge has lasted four months. I finally received a message that the cartridge is empty but still am able to print from it. I have used cheap cartridges in the past with another Canon printer and came to a conclusion that what you pay is what you get. The cartridges lasted very little and clogged up the printer heads. I think that paying more for the authentic Canon is going to pay off in the long run - your printer will work much longer.

These name brand tanks are more color accurate than SOME refill inks. Furthermore, I've had one refill ink permanently clog the tank, and the printer as well, until I performed deep cleanings on the printer with a squirt or two of alcohol. I've found one aftermarket brand ink refill that seems to flow freely. To the consumer who doesn't want to experiment in order to save money, I recommend the Canon tanks, as expensive as they are.

I have tried inkgrabber and 123 inks, These "compatible" cartridges are not the same as the original Canon inks. They are very different and have different archival values and fade resistant values. Canon brand inks hold their color longer and are not as prone to fading by light, oxygen, or other gases that are known to cause fading. I own the Canon i9900 printer and it performs flawlessly with Canon inks.
Buy Genuine Canon for the kink of results Canon advertises for their printers. Amazon has had the best prices for genuine Canon inks.

Well, the other guys are all complaining about Amazon's shipping charge. Amazon's "free shipping for over $25" offer comes and goes, so if you see it in effect -- it is as of today (10/12/2005) -- grab whatever you need. As for buying the ink tanks, just buy all three colors in the set at the same time to qualify.

Anyway, let me talk about the ink tanks themselves. The three "BCI-6" ink tanks work in the Canon Pixma iP3000 printer. (Maybe in other models as well, but I have the iP3000.) These are official Canon ink tanks so you'll know they'll work well. The number of prints you get heavily depends on your printing habit, e.g., what you print, how much you print, and at what quality you print.

Using my usage as an example. I print at Normal Quality most of the time, and I print about 50% photos (at 200 or 300 dpi, depending on needs) and 50% web pages (e.g., flight confirmations, Hotmail messages, etc.). I don't print Word text documents much. I've run through 2 sets of ink tanks, and my very rough estimate is each set has lasted about 250-300 8.5"x11" sheets. Maybe more, but I don't wish to raise your expectations too much. Suffice it to say that of all the inkjet printers I've owned -- photo or not -- the iP3000 has a terrific ink capacity record. Of course, if you use one color more than the others, that particular ink tank (or ink tank combinations) will go out faster.

(For your reference, a few months ago I read in a magazine review the the average per letter-size print cost of the iP3000 came out to around 12 cents per page on plain paper, one of the lowest average costs for inkjets. Not sure what settings they used in their tests or how much they paid for ink tanks, though.)

In case you are interested... the new Canon iP4200 model employs a new formula of ink which supposedly will not fade for at least 30 years. My own take is, no matter how you print your photos -- even at professional photo labs -- a photo print will eventually fade if exposed to light. It's just a simple law of chemistry. So be sure to archive your digital photos on CDs or DVDs so 30 or 40 years from now, you can still print fresh copies and relive your treasured memories in their full colors.

Whenever my ink tanks are running low because of my hobby of printing a lot of pics, I order a couple of them on Amazon and get great prices, free shipping and avoid sales tax. I own a Canon i860 printer and require: 6BK, 3EBK (large tank), 6Y, 6M, and 6C. I just got my 6C today and my other inks are on their way. I ordered the 6C yesterday and got it today because the distribution center was so close, and this is with free shipping mind you!

The ink works very well, of course, it's genuine Canon ink. I can't say that I am impressed with fake inks I bought in the past off ebay and the like. They clogged my printhead and my old Canon printer (over $300) is a now a useless paperweight in the basement, joining other dead or unused peripherals and appliances, in the appliance grave. :-( It's simply not worth it to mess with fake inks, I talk from experience. Plus when the fake inks did work, they often got clogged or I wasted valuable paper trying to get them to look right. I often got horribly banded prints that meant my print head was dead, probably the result of bad fake inks....

Aside from the ink, I wanted to mention that I find it very, very odd that Amazon will give me free shipping for ALL my ink tanks except the "3eBK" (it's not the standard slim tank like the others). So I have to buy the 3eBK in the store and buy the rest here on Amazon. Shipping would have been over $6 for that unqualified ink tank. I emailed Amazon about it and got the standard run-around, "that's the way it is". They offer a 2 pack of "3ebk" with free shipping, but the 1 pack doesn't have free shipping (and yes it's shipped directly from Amazon like the others). This is a gigantic tank that lasts me somewhere around 6 months, I don't need 2 right now. It's just upsetting.

That's my only dissapointment with Amazon thus far. Hopefully you can find ALL your inks here and they ALL qualify for free shipping.

Good luck, happy printing!!!!

After ordering non-OEM inks from several different places on the web (and having some problems with them), I discovered that Amazon sold OEM at great prices.

I went to my local office supply store and purchased a complete set of 5 inks for my Canon Pixma iP4000 at a cost of $75. Later that day I found them on Amazon at almost 1/2 the price!

Also, when it comes to OEM inks, I discovered that they seem to last almost 3 times as long as the generic and refilled versions.

It is very refreshing to see a company that does not try to rip you off when they sell you ink cartridges. The ink is made in Japan and seems to last forever.

Coming from a long line of other brands (HP, Epson, Dell) the worst part was runing out of ink and having to spend 50-60 dollars replacing ink. With the Canon ink cartridges, they are clear so you can actually see how much ink is left inside. It makes it very easy to see when the ink is acutally gone.

Unlike companies like Epson and HP who use a chip inside the ink cartridge to "watch" the ink, the printer will decide when the ink is empty. According to consumer reports, reseting the ink cartridges yielded 13% more ink than the the chip reported -- cearly a rip-off.

I am nothing but 100% happy with my canon MP760 printer and the 8 dollar ink cartridges.