Canon Pixma: can I buy generic ink?

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Cynthia

I'm getting ready to buy a Pixma780 (great sale at Office Max, 199.99
shipped, through Saturday) and I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts
are on generic ink, like from 123Inkjets or similar. I've used their ink
in the past and had no problems with it (on my Epson).

Thanks.
 
Cynthia said:
I'm getting ready to buy a Pixma780 (great sale at Office Max, 199.99
shipped, through Saturday) and I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts
are on generic ink, like from 123Inkjets or similar. I've used their ink
in the past and had no problems with it (on my Epson).

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Stay away from "generic" or "universal" inks that claim they can be used by
several makes of printers. There are many aftermarket inks available that
are formulated specifically for your printer, either in prefilled cartridges
or bulk for refilling yourself. The Canon BCI-3 and BCI-6 cartridges are
easy to refill and can be refilled several times before the stop working.
Three bulk inks for refilling that have proven to work well by people on
this NG and on the Nifty-stuff forum are Formulabs, available at
Alotofthings.com, Hobbicolors, available on ebay, and MIS ink from
inksupply.com. If you buy prefilled cartridges you are not assured of the
same consistancy as there have been instances where the vendor has changed
ink manufacturers. Several vendors claim to fill their prefilled cartridges
with Formulabs inks and you can certainly contact them by email or phone to
verify that before ordering.

I use MIS inks and refill my cartridges for my Canon i960 printers.
Excellent color match and no clogs in over a year of use. The printers sat
idle for a month recently while I was out of town, and when I returned I ran
one light cleaning cycle and started printing with no problems at all.

Pay no attention to the one person on this NG who will try to tell you that
aftermarket inks are no good and cause clogs, migraine headaches, cancer of
the fingers, and constipation. He has no experience with any of these
products and is fixated on trying to convince people that they should only
use Canon OEM ink.
 
Burt said:
Stay away from "generic" or "universal" inks that claim they can be used by
several makes of printers. There are many aftermarket inks available that
are formulated specifically for your printer, either in prefilled cartridges
or bulk for refilling yourself. The Canon BCI-3 and BCI-6 cartridges are
easy to refill and can be refilled several times before the stop working.
Three bulk inks for refilling that have proven to work well by people on
this NG and on the Nifty-stuff forum are Formulabs, available at
Alotofthings.com, Hobbicolors, available on ebay, and MIS ink from
inksupply.com. If you buy prefilled cartridges you are not assured of the
same consistancy as there have been instances where the vendor has changed
ink manufacturers. Several vendors claim to fill their prefilled cartridges
with Formulabs inks and you can certainly contact them by email or phone to
verify that before ordering.

I use MIS inks and refill my cartridges for my Canon i960 printers.
Excellent color match and no clogs in over a year of use. The printers sat
idle for a month recently while I was out of town, and when I returned I ran
one light cleaning cycle and started printing with no problems at all.

Pay no attention to the one person on this NG who will try to tell you that
aftermarket inks are no good and cause clogs, migraine headaches, cancer of
the fingers, and constipation. He has no experience with any of these
products and is fixated on trying to convince people that they should only
use Canon OEM ink.
Click to expand...

Darn, I was hoping that aftermarket inks could CURE my constipation and
migraine headaches.

Thank you for the info. :)
 
Burt said:
Don't forget cancer of the fingers!
Click to expand...

Have no fear of good compatible inks. THEY WILL NOT CLOG YOUR PRINTHEAD.
What actually clogs a printhead is lack of use as inks are quick drying
- they have to be. Official Canon ink will clog just as readily as
compatible inks if you neglect your printer too long. What is neglect?
Try to print something at least once or twice a week. I run 3 printers
on compatible inks - some on bulk inks, some on compatible cartridges. I
have no clogging problems to speak of and my printing load is generally
light.

If you buy compatible cartridges instead of refilling them yourself,
insist that the black text cartridge - I don't know which type would be
in your printer - is pigmented black and not dye. Mine has a BCI-3e
Black. Some sellers will substitute dye black ink for pigment black ink,
as specified by Canon. This is not ideal; I find it unacceptable. Your
text will be fuzzy, runny-looking, and won't be near water-proof.
Basically, it'll look rather poor. Pigmented black will give you laser
sharp text. A joy to look at :-).

For refilling them yourself, the easiest setup comes from HobbiColors
(sold on eBay). I just ordered a set for myself. They give you all the
CORRECT inks (pigmented black, dye for colors) and lovely, easy to fill
blank cartridges that come with plastic sealing screws and all the
instructions. How much are the savings? Haven't calculated them for
HobbiColors. But previously I had bought larger 8 oz bottles from
another supplier. That cost was about $1.00 per cartridge, or $5 for all
five. Compare that with something like $125 CAD (Canadian) if I had
bought Canon OEM cartridge from an office supply or department store.
And now you know THE REST OF THE STORY - how I afford to run 3 printers!

-Taliesyn
 
I'm getting ready to buy a Pixma780 (great sale at Office Max,
199.99 shipped, through Saturday) and I'm wondering what
everyone's thoughts are on generic ink, like from 123Inkjets or
similar. I've used their ink in the past and had no problems with it
(on > my Epson).
Click to expand...

I have no direct experence with 123inkjets... only with MIS, which is
reported to being "Image Specalists".

www.inksupply.com - what I use
http://www.inkjetgoodies.com/ - mediastreet plug and play inks... also
looks like Image Specalists

The pigmented black I must admit pools a little more than Canon OEM and
the drytime seems liker. One wouldn't be foolish buying the OEM big
black. The cost is reasonable and it's pretty good. But once dry I
can't tell them a part... I just have to ignore it a while longer.

Other's reccomend formulabs ink available from many venders.

$200 for the mp780 is a reasonable price... though a touch immature as
far as fax support goes. Still it has the xp64 drivers downloadable...
so it looks like it'll be supported in the current generation of 64bit
microsoft operating systems... not all of canon's printers are.
 
Cynthia said:
I'm getting ready to buy a Pixma780 (great sale at Office Max, 199.99
shipped, through Saturday) and I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts
are on generic ink, like from 123Inkjets or similar. I've used their ink
in the past and had no problems with it (on my Epson).
Click to expand...

I have had an MP780 for over six months and have used compatible
cartridges in it since the first set of OEM carts ran out. I haven't
had one clog of hiccup the entire time.
 
YOU WILL AND HAPPY FADING

I have had an MP780 for over six months and have used compatible
cartridges in it since the first set of OEM carts ran out. I haven't
had one clog of hiccup the entire time.
Click to expand...
 
zakezuke said:
I have no direct experence with 123inkjets... only with MIS, which is
reported to being "Image Specalists".
Click to expand...
THE VENDOR DOES NOT DISCLOSE WHAT THEY ARE SELLING. SO REPORTING MEANS
NADA.
 
CLAIMS ARE CLAIMS BUT LOOK ON THE VENDORS WEBSITE AND SEE IF YOU FIND A
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT NEXT TO THE INK DESCRIPTION THAT SAYS THE INK IN
THIS CART IS MFG/FORMULATED BY ???????. YOU WILL ALMOST NEVER FIND IT.
IT IS A MESS AND A PAIN
THIS IS THE AFTERMARKET CLUB. THEIR VIEWS ARE SLANTED
SNIP
AND THEY WILL NOT DISCLOSE WHAT THEY ARE SELLING YOU. GOTO THEIR
WEBISTE AND SEE FOR YOUR SELF
HE PRINTS NUMEROUS PHOTOS EVERYDAY SO HE IS LOWERING HIS RISK OF A CLOG
BUT CANON DOES PRODUCE BETTER AND MORE CONSISTENT RESULTS.





*
READ THE FOLLOWING:*
*THE ABOVE STATEMENT IS TRUTH*

SNIP
 
Burt said:
Stay away from "generic" or "universal" inks that claim they can be used by
several makes of printers.
Click to expand...
AFTERMARKET GENERALLY IS AFTERMARKET OR GENERIC IF YOU LIKE. THE
VENDORS DO NOT DISCLOSE WHAT THEY ARE SELLING. THEY USE THE WORD
COMPATIBLE AND THAT MEANS BORCHT
There are many aftermarket inks available that
are formulated specifically for your printer,
Click to expand...
GO FIND THEM
either in prefilled cartridges
or bulk for refilling yourself. The Canon BCI-3 and BCI-6 cartridges are
easy to refill and can be refilled several times before the stop working.


SNIP

I use MIS inks and
Click to expand...
THEY WILL NOT DISCLOSE WHAT THEY ARE SELLING. GOTO THEIR WEBSITE AND
FIND THE INK SKU FOR YOUR PRINTER AND SEE IF THEY SAY
THE INK IN THE CARTS IS MFG/FORMULATED BY XXXXXX COMPANY

SNIP
 
Dan said:
Ignore the trolls. Yes you can and the results are excellent with quality
inks. Look here:
Click to expand...
SNIP

YES YOU CAN GET RESULTS THAT ARE EXCELLENT WITH QUALITY CANON OEM INKS
AND THE PRICE IS LESS AT COSTCO. YOU CAN ALSO BUY THEM AT WWW.COSTCO.COM
 
WHILE I USUALLY DO NOT RECOMMEND MULTIFUNCTION PRINTERS FOR A VARIETY OF
RREASONS I DID HAVE SOME FAMILY MEMBERS INSIST ON A MULTI FUNCTION
PRINTER MPF.

I RECOMMENDED THE MP PIXMA 780. I ALSO RECOMMENDED FOR THEM NOT TO USE
ANY AFTERMARKET INK UNLESS THEIR PRINT LOAD IS VERY HIGH. IT JUST IS
NOT WORTH THE RISK. AND WITH THE MP780 YOU ARE NOT ONLY RISKING A
PRINTER BUT YOU ARE RISKING A SCANNER AND A FAX MACHINE. THINK ABOUT IT
AND DETERMINE HOW MUCH YOU ARE GOING TO PRINT. YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU
CANON OEM INKS COSTS AT COSTCO ARE UNDER $50 A YEAR SO WHY TAKE A RISK.
I'm getting ready to buy a Pixma780 (great sale at Office Max, 199.99
shipped, through Saturday) and I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts
are on generic ink, like from 123Inkjets
Click to expand...
THERE PRICE IS $5.00 A CART AND AT COSTCO YOU CAN BUY CANON OEM FOR
$4.00 MORE.

THIS IS THE TYPICAL CRAP YOU GET ON THE PRINTER INK VENDORS WEBSITES.

This is a new cartridge compatible with the Canon BCI-3eBK. It is not
made by Canon, but by a respected manufacturer which guarantees that it
meets or exceeds all specifications for the Canon BCI-3eBK. We guarantee
your satisfaction 100%.



THE ONE LONE EXCEPTION IS 88INKJETS.COM. FROM THEIR WEBSITE THEY AT
LEAST SAY:

Only use individual formula of ink for each model from *Formulabs,
Inc.*, the

*FORMULABS IS A COMPANY THAT MAKES AND FORMULATES INK IN THE USA. I
REALLY DO NOT KNOW HOW IT IS BUT I DO KNOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE RECENTLY HAD
PROBLEMS WITH THEIR MAGENTA BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE FORMULA WITHOUT
PROPERLY TESTING IT. AT LEAST IF CANON CHANGES A FORMULA THEY WILL RUN
IT THROUGHT THEIR STRINGENT QUALITY CONTROL.

BE THAT AS IT MAY I WOULD NOT RISK 3 DEVICES TO AFTERMARKET INK UNLESS
YOUR PRINT LOAD IS VERY HIGH.*
 
I'm getting ready to buy a Pixma780 (great sale at Office Max,
199.99 shipped, through Saturday) and I'm wondering what
everyone's thoughts are on generic ink, like from 123Inkjets or
similar. I've used their ink in the past and had no problems with it
(on > my Epson).
Click to expand...

I have no direct experence with 123inkjets... only with MIS, which is
reported to being "Image Specalists".

www.inksupply.com - what I use
http://www.inkjetgoodies.com/ - mediastreet plug and play inks... also
looks like Image Specalists

The pigmented black I must admit pools a little more than Canon OEM and
the drytime seems liker. One wouldn't be foolish buying the OEM big
black. The cost is reasonable and it's pretty good. But once dry I
can't tell them a part... I just have to ignore it a while longer.

Other's reccomend formulabs ink available from many venders.

$200 for the mp780 is a reasonable price... though a touch immature as
far as fax support goes. Still it has the xp64 drivers downloadable...
so it looks like it'll be supported in the current generation of 64bit
microsoft operating systems... not all of canon's printers are.[/QUOTE]

Two points I might mention...one, I use Mac and two, I've heard the fax
software isn't that great (no clue how it is for Mac, though). I only
fax about once every five years, so it's not really something I need. I
would have bought the 750 (no fax), but they've discontinued it and the
remaining models are way overpriced.

I'm mostly interested in the printing and the scanning (excited to be
getting ADF...this is something that will be handy for me as I scan a
lot of documents)

I'm not an expert on printer inks. 123Inkjets was just who I started
using (used to buy from Amazon until I found 123) for my old Epson. I
liked the Epson just fine, except that the printheads clogged up a lot,
so I was forever having to clean the heads. I'm hoping the Canon won't
be so bad at that. I could get the Epson cartridges for a few bucks, and
that included shipping.

I've never tried filling my own before...it scares me.
 
Two points I might mention...one, I use Mac and two, I've heard the fax
software isn't that great (no clue how it is for Mac, though). I only
fax about once every five years, so it's not really something I need. I
would have bought the 750 (no fax), but they've discontinued it and the
remaining models are way overpriced.
Click to expand...

I lack direct experence with the mac software... but talking PC the
only real feature the fax has is the ability to send from your pc but
not receive incomming faxes.. always to paper from my understanding. I
would suspect the same thing would be true for the mac but if this is
feature you desire you should ask canon first. Mac or PC if your
sending digital documents you might be better off with a fax modem,
both OSX and win2k/xp support print to faxmodem out of the box. But if
you inbound faxes to go to paper and the ability to paper copy outbound
your set.

I've never tried filling my own before...it scares me.
Click to expand...

I buy cartridges with rubber caps and the foam. It's a simple two
chamber design that is very painless ot refill. Put clip on the exit
port like you get on cartridges new, remove rubber stopper, extract
ink, add ink, replace stopper, remove exit port cap when needed. But
if this isn't your bag don't worry.
liked the Epson just fine, except that the printheads clogged up a lot,
so I was forever having to clean the heads. I'm hoping the Canon won't
be so bad at that.
Click to expand...

They do that... it's in part due to the technology used, vs canons and
HPs which employ heat... thermal might have a shorter head life but it
is less prone to clog.
 
Cynthia said:
Two points I might mention...one, I use Mac and two, I've heard the fax
software isn't that great (no clue how it is for Mac, though).
Click to expand...
IT MAY NOT BE THAT GREAT BUT HOW GOOD DOES IT HAVE TO BE TO SEND A FAX.
I only
fax about once every five years, so it's not really something I need. I
would have bought the 750 (no fax), but they've discontinued it and the
remaining models are way overpriced.

I'm mostly interested in the printing and the scanning (excited to be
getting ADF...this is something that will be handy for me as I scan a
lot of documents)

I'm not an expert on printer inks.
Click to expand...
CANON OEM INK IS WHAT IS RECOMMENDED FOR THE PRINTER
123Inkjets was just who I started
using (used to buy from Amazon until I found 123) for my old Epson. I
liked the Epson just fine, except that the printheads clogged up a lot,
so I was forever having to clean the heads. I'm hoping the Canon won't
be so bad at that.
Click to expand...
I HAVE BEEN USING A CANON IP4000 (SAME ENGINE AS THE MP780) AND HAVE
NEVER USED A CLEANING CYCLE/. I USE CANON OEM INK ALL OF THE TIME. THE
ONLY REASON I WOULD EVER CONSIDER CHANGING IS I HAD EXTREMELY HIGH USAGE.
I could get the Epson cartridges for a few bucks, and
that included shipping.

I've never tried filling my own before...it scares me.
Click to expand...
I DO NOT BLAME YOU. IT IS A MESS PRINTHEAD CLOGGING PAIN THAT ONE
REALLY DOES NOT NEED.
 
Cynthia said:
.....
I've never tried filling my own before...it scares me.
Click to expand...

Just finished refilling the 4 color carts on my i860. Took about 5
mins and no ink mess.

Using same ink as Burt

Mickey
 
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