Help with Canon black ink

[Craig]

I found an old bottle of a third party black ink for Canon printers.
I think that it is about or less than 10 years old.
My question is how to find out whether it belongs to pigmented (3eBK) or
dye-based (6BK) black.
Since one of my Canon printers is ip4000, I hope the old Canon ink can be
used either as 6BK or 3eBK.
Please advise me. TIA. Craig

 

[Ian]

I found an old bottle of a third party black ink for Canon printers.
I think that it is about or less than 10 years old.
My question is how to find out whether it belongs to pigmented (3eBK) or
dye-based (6BK) black.
Since one of my Canon printers is ip4000, I hope the old Canon ink can be
used either as 6BK or 3eBK.
Please advise me. TIA. Craig

A Canon tech said that generic ink is just as good as thier OEM ink.
Now I use brand name aftermarket ink and refill my
cartridges...accourding to this Canon tech aftermarket ink is better
than Canon OEM ink, because generic ink is as good as Canon OEM ink.

I would never buy Canon OEM ink since it cost 90%+ more than the brand
name aftermarket ink I currently buy.

 

[Craig]

I agree with you Ian.
My question is how I should use this ink, i.e., as a 6BK or 3eBK.
Craig

 

[George E. Cawthon]

I agree with you Ian.
My question is how I should use this ink, i.e., as a 6BK or 3eBK.
Craig

So far you haven't got a real answer, so I suggest
you do your own test.

I presume your iP4000 printer now has the correct
inks, so you can do a test. Print just text on
one page set for plain paper-- that will use the
pigmented black. Then print using the duplex
option--according to people here that will use the
dye black. Label each page.

Next, since I don't know the specific test, just
test the sheets with water and with alcohol. You
should get different results. Then wipe a light
swab of your old ink on a sheet and test that.
You should be able to tell which it is more
like--pigmented or dye.

 

[Fenrir Enterprises]

I found an old bottle of a third party black ink for Canon printers.
I think that it is about or less than 10 years old.
My question is how to find out whether it belongs to pigmented (3eBK) or
dye-based (6BK) black.
Since one of my Canon printers is ip4000, I hope the old Canon ink can be
used either as 6BK or 3eBK.
Please advise me. TIA. Craig

Ink usually has an expiration date about 2-5 years from the time you
buy it - I wouldn't use it, it might have unseen mold or other
contaminants in it.

--

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

 

[Burt]

Check back the approximately 10 years to see if Canon used pigmented inks
when that batch may have been purchased. Also, most ink vendors advertise a
shelf life for ink that I think is about two years. Nonetheless, I've read
posts of people who have used ink much older with no problems.

 

[Burt]

So far you haven't got a real answer, so I suggest you do your own test.

I presume your iP4000 printer now has the correct inks, so you can do a
test. Print just text on one page set for plain paper-- that will use
the pigmented black. Then print using the duplex option--according to
people here that will use the dye black. Label each page.

Next, since I don't know the specific test, just test the sheets with
water and with alcohol. You should get different results. Then wipe a
light swab of your old ink on a sheet and test that. You should be able to
tell which it is more like--pigmented or dye.

right, George - the pigment based inks, once dried, are more water restant
than dye based inks.

 

[zakezuke]

I found an old bottle of a third party black ink for Canon printers.
I think that it is about or less than 10 years old.
My question is how to find out whether it belongs to pigmented (3eBK) or
dye-based (6BK) black.
Since one of my Canon printers is ip4000, I hope the old Canon ink can be
used either as 6BK or 3eBK.
Please advise me. TIA. Craig

Given you can get replacement 3rd party ink for about $2.00/ounce, I
personaly would not risk it.

 

[Craig]

I decided to forget the whole thing. It's not worth wasting my time.
Craig

 

[terryt]

To test the ink take a drop and put it on a white saucer and dilute i
with a few drops of water. If it is pigmented the diluted ink wil
have granuals, if its not pigmented you will not see the granuals

I found this out when I filled a BCI-3BK cartrridge with dye ink an
had to purge the the cartridge and refill it with pigmented ink

 

[Bob Headrick]

To test the ink take a drop and put it on a white saucer and dilute it
with a few drops of water. If it is pigmented the diluted ink will
have granuals, if its not pigmented you will not see the granuals.

If you can see the pigment granules you must have very good eyes or very
bad ink. The pigmented inks I am familiar with typically are filtered
to sub-micron particle sizes....

- Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[measekite]

If you can see the pigment granules you must have very good eyes or
very bad ink. The pigmented inks I am familiar with typically are
filtered to sub-micron particle sizes....

- Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Because you are talking about quality OEM ink.

 

[Ian]

Because you are talking about quality OEM ink.

Canon pigment ink you can see the pigment granules...Try a quality
aftermarket ink they are filltered down to the sub-micron particle
sizes.

 

[frank]

Canon pigment ink you can see the pigment granules...Try a quality
aftermarket ink they are filltered down to the sub-micron particle
sizes.

Meashershithead is a moron. The pigment everybody see is called "pigment
grouping or clustering" in the ink manufacturing industry. It's a
problem the ink industry has slowly but surely been overcoming. It
occurs naturally and is the main reason that printers which use
pigmented ink are more prone to clogging than dye ink printers.
It has nothing at all to do with oem ink.
Frank

 

[George E. Cawthon]

If you can see the pigment granules you must have very good eyes or very
bad ink. The pigmented inks I am familiar with typically are filtered
to sub-micron particle sizes....

- Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Also, it should be clear that a printing head that
shoots 5 micron drops could not pass a granule
large enough to see with the naked eye. Average
head hair is around 100 microns across, very tiny
hair (blond or red) might be 60 microns. To see a
5 micron granule, one would need at least a good
20x magnifier.

I think what the OP saw was pieces of dried ink
the wash water.