replacement tanks Canon i960...

[watchman09]

Hi,
First time poster, but have been reading a LOT of posts over the past few weeks. I have a Canon i960 printer that works well, but I would like to get away from the high cost of the Canon ink tanks (BCI-6). I'm not interested in refilling my tanks, rather I want to purchase prefilled tanks. I have read through hundreds of posts here, all great information, but I am still very unsure what brand to get. After reading some of the posts some are over a year old and I am sure that brands, ink formulas, service, etc. change over time. Can anyone make a recommendation as to what they are using and if they are having good luck with it ( not leaking, nozzle clogging etc.). Thanks for a VERY informative forum!

Thanks,
Joe B.

 

[ghwellsjr]

The best cartridges to use for refill purposes are Canon originals. I use Inktec ink because it has been shown to have the best fade resistance. See this link:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1003&message=12198835

I vacuum fill my cartridges which means they are just as good as new Canon cartridges with regard to leaking.

Look down at the bottom line for more info.

 

[Trigger 37]

Watchman09,.. I read your post very close and it is clear you are NOT interested in refilling ink carts. If you ever change yoiur mind, ghwellsjr is correct, Canon original ink carts are the best to use.

However if you just want to purchase new low cost ink carts, go to inkforsale.net. You won't find any lower cost ink carts than these and they work fine. I have used them on many of my printers and I still use them on some that I sell to people that do not want to refill their own ink carts. As far as the INK that is used in these carts it is perfectly fine for everyday printing, including basic photos. If you are REALLY serious about printing Digital Photos, then I would suggest you refill only Canon ink carts and use the best inks you can get.

In reading this forum you will find many EXCELLENT sugggestions for high quality ink and I have tried many of them myself. I have settled on one source of ink that I use and I get it at PrecisionColors.com. They provide "Image Specialist" ink for my Epson wide format 1280, my Canon high res iP6600D, and even my everyday printing on my Canon MP730. I also use that ink for all the 50+ printers (Hewlett Packard, Epson, Canon) I have repaired.

Going back to the low cost ink carts,.. the important thing to know in using any ink cart, especially the low cost units, it to really take care of your printer. Your i960 is one of the best printers that Canon has put out and if you take care of it, it will last a long time. To take care of it you really have to use it often and not let ink dry up anywhere. Print a nozzle check each day and when you change ink carts, clean the bottom of the printhead very carefully. Ink accumulates there and dries up and builds a barrier on the bottom on the nozzles and then ink can't get out. Never EVER let you ink carts run dry or even get that low. Printing anything when the printhead is almost dry will overheat the head and "BAKE" the ink that is left inside the nozzles. I don't remember the exact number but I think the temperature of each nozzle is raised to 600-700 degrees to create a "Bubble" of ink for each drop. When the ink is almost gone and you print any page with 100,000's of dots, imaging what the nozzles are going through.

The second most important part of your printer is the Purge unit that sucks the ink out of the ink carts and "Primes" the printhead. If this unit get clogged it can cause all kinds of problems. Keep it as clean as you can.

I have created printer Repair Manuals that teach all of this and much more for all kinds of printers. From time to time I sell these on eBay.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Watchman09,.. I read your post very close and it is clear you are NOT interested in refilling ink carts. If you ever change yoiur mind, ghwellsjr is correct, Canon original ink carts are the best to use.

Actually, I was offering a way to get refilled Canon cartridges without having to do it yourself. Please see the bottom line.

 

[watchman09]

Hi guys,
Thank you for your suggestions and input.
ghwellsjr, you wrote about vacuum filling your tanks, do you have a special procedure or equipment for doing this. Is there a post on the board that I might read about it?
You guys both seem to be satisfied with the results you are getting from each respective ink(s). I will be trying some of these suggestions soon.

Thank you again,
Joe B.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Yes, there is an article that I wrote on how I vacuum fill my tanks. You can find it by clicking on the Nifty-Stuff.com link at the top of this page, then click on the Printers link on the right side of the next page, then click on the Vacuum Fill Canon Cartridges link.

Let me warn you that my process is only suited for refilling lots of cartridges at the same time because it is messy and wastes a significant amount of ink in the vacuum chamber. When I refill, I use a liter of ink at a time which refills about 75 BCI-6 cartridges. I refill for other people which makes it efficient. I would say that you would want to refill a minimum of ten cartridges at a time. And I recommend Canon original cartridges.

Did you read the bottom line of all my posts?