CANON BCI-3e CANON BCI-6 REFILL BY EXAMPLE with photos

The instructions below are reformatted from our printed instructions that are included with our refill kits for Canon BCI-3e and BCI-6 ink tanks. Since our printed instructions were done on four pages the format here may seem a bit off.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REFILLING CANON BCI-3E / BCI-5 / BCI-6 / BCI-8 STANDARD & PHOTO READ THROUGH THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO REFILL. Please note "cc" and "ml" are used interchangeably in this document. 1cc = 1ml Important: These instructions take into consideration ink tanks not carried by us and OEM (Canon brand name) ink tanks. Since our ink tanks are designed to be refilled the process is somewhat easier than that which is listed directly below and can be seen in a refill instructions with photos
ABOUT THE INK TANKS: The ink tanks shown use a reservoir/sponge combination to retain ink. The refill process allows you to reinject ink into the reservoir portion of the ink tank allowing ink to be slowly absorbed into the sponge as needed. It is strongly recommended that you do not overfill these ink tanks or allow ink tanks to run out of ink. Either situation can result in a poor refill, ink tank bleeding or banding in print. Some after market ink tanks use sponge material different from the OEM sponges. In these cases it is always recommended that you fill the ink tank to capacity below the original capacity. (see back page) Ink tanks considered empty by your printer are empty because of the reservoir being depleted. This means that ink remains in the sponge even though the ink tank is considered "empty". For this reason it is recommended filling the ink tank to a capacity below the original capacity.
	ABOUT THE INKS: Canon printers for which these inks are designed use ahigh viscosity ink. It is very important to protect the ink from extreme temperatures, both high and low. Do not refrigerate inks. Do not expose in to direct sunlight. Do not leave bottles of ink unsealed. Store inks between 59-85 degrees.

	LIFE EXPECTANCY The life expectancy of an ink tank will vary greatly. This is due to environmental conditions, refill conditions & time intervals between refills. Under normal usage, refilling once per month a Canon OEM ink tank should capable of at least 6 refills. Allowing an ink tank to run out of ink can reduce the number of refills greatly. Certain aftermarket ink tanks contain sponges that absorb ink better than the OEM sponges. In these cases the number of refills can be greatly increased.
PREPARING YOUR WORK AREA & FIRST TIME REFILL
Before you get started here are some suggestions for getting the most from the refilling process while maintaining a clean, usable work area. Work close to or over a sink. Wear rubber gloves and place an adequate amount of newspaper over work area. Have prepared for use a cup of clean (filtered or bottled) warm water and several paper towels. Be patient. The first time you refill it will seem awkward. After a few times it will become second nature.
Always hold ink tank from "front" and "back" of ink tank . Do not apply pressure to the sides of the ink tank.
FIRST TIME REFILLING A CARTRIDGE
Turn ink tank upside down so that the ink exit hole is facing up. Place a piece of adhesive tape over the ink exit hole. Electrical tape or duct tape will work fine as this is a temporary seal for preparing the ink tank. Once ink exit hole has been sealed turn ink tank over so that the air vent is facing up. Place a piece of tape over the air vent (shown far right picture) Locate the original fill hole by viewing the clear sides if the ink tank. If you have difficulty locating original fill hole: Using a knife or blunt ended object peel the top label of the ink tank off. This will expose the original fill hole. Once you have located the original fill hole location use the supplied twist tool to recreate the fill hole. Place the twist tool on the top of the ink tank above the original fill hole and turn clockwise. This will "drill" into the ink tank in the original fill hole location Clean the location around the fill hole. Using a knife or other blunt object smooth out any rough edges that may be present from the use of the twist tool. The ink tank must be completely smooth at top.	IMPORTANT: The top of the ink tank must be smooth to the touch. Slide your finger over the top of the ink tank to make sure the location around the fill hole has no rough edges. Ink tank is now prepared for refilling purposes.
THE REFILL PROCESS Attach needle to injector Fill injector to 11cc/ml. For BCI-3eBK fill to 21cc/ml. Insert needle into ink tank. DO NOT push all the way into ink tank. The hub of the needle must not block air from coming out of the ink tank while ink is being injected. Slowly inject ink into the ink tank. Approximately 1cc/ml for every 6 seconds is a good rate of injection. Note: The amount of air that comes out of the ink tank must be equal to the amount of ink going in. If you inject to quickly you may force ink out of the bottom. Remove injector from ink tank and set aside momentarily. (It can be cleaned once ink tank is finished) Clean the top of the ink tank using a paper towel. Make sure the top of the ink tank is completely clean and free from ink, oil from fingertips, and powder from gloves. Seal top of the ink tank using silicon adhesive seal. Apply and press firmly for three seconds. When applying seal hold ink tank the front and back. Do not place pressure on the sides of the ink tank. Wait 10 minutes to allow ink tank to settle. Ink will be absorbed into sponge and pressure, if excessive during refill will be normalized. Slowly remove bottom seal from bottom of ink tank (covering the ink exit hole). Remove seal from air vent. Place ink tank into printer and perform head cleaning routine. Rinse injector with warm water. Using filtered or bottle water is recommended.
REFILLING YOUR INK TANK (After the first refill)
THE REFILL PROCESS Turn ink tank upside down so that the ink exit hole is facing up. Place a piece of adhesive tape over the ink exit hole. Electrical tape or duct tape will work fine as this is a temporary seal for preparing the ink tank. Once ink exit hole has been sealed turn ink tank over so that the air vent is facing up. Place a piece of tape over the air vent (shown far right picture) Remove seal covering fill hole. Attach needle to injector Fill injector to 11cc/ml. For BCI-3eBK fill to 20cc/ml. Insert needle into ink tank. DO NOT push all the way into ink tank. The hub of the needle must not block air from coming out of the ink tank while ink is being injected. Slowly inject ink into the ink tank. Approximately 1cc/ml for every 6 seconds is a good rate of injection. Remove injector from ink tank and set aside momentarily. Clean the top of the ink tank using a paper towel. Make sure the top of the ink tank is completely clean and free from ink, oil from fingertips, and powder from gloves. Seal top of the ink tank using silicon adhesive seal. Apply and press firmly for three seconds. When applying seal hold ink tank from front and back. Do not place pressure on the sides of the ink tank. Wait 5 minutes to allow ink tank to settle. Ink will be absorbed into sponge and pressure, if excessive during refill will be normalized. Slowly remove bottom seal from bottom of ink tank (covering the ink exit hole). Remove seal from air vent. Place ink tank into printer and perform head cleaning routine. Rinse injector with warm water. Using filtered or bottle water is recommended
TECHNICAL NOTES
REFILL QUANTITY AND OVERFILLING
Tests in refilling these ink tanks have shown that overfilling can result in improper ink flow. Improper ink flow can produce misprints, or banding in prints. This is often assumed to be clogged jets because of the out put appearance. If excess ink remains in the reservoir the control flow damming sponge can not properly hold the ink. This forces ink out of the cartridge and the cartridge may bleed until an equalization occurs. In some cases the cartridge may not bleed the extra ink, but does print incorrect until the equalization occurs. Some aftermarket (non Canon Brand Name) ink tanks utilize a more refillable sponge material that retains ink better than the OEM ink tanks. This not only prevents the sponges from drying out, it slightly changes the balance of the ink. If more ink is retained in the sponge and the sponge still has the same resistance for ink flow purposes then less ink should be filled into the reservoir. As an example: Tank operating total capacity is 14 cc/ml. OEM ink tank normally holds 5 cc/ml in the sponge and 9 cc/ml in reservoir = 14 cc/ml Aftermarket with refillable sponge holds 6.5 cc/ml in sponge which would mean that the amount in the reservoir could not exceed 7.5 cc/ml for the cartridge to work properly. A good practice when refilling is to note the location of saturation within the sponge. The ink reservoir portion should not exceed the maximum amount of saturation within the sponge. This may result in having less ink in the cartridge than when it was new. This is acceptable, and preferred compared to overfilling the cartridge.
INFO: SEALS, PLUGS & SEALING INK TANKS
For sealing purposes TrueColor refill kits use a polyester seal with 1.2mil silicon adhesive. These seals are designed for use with ink tanks that are completely smooth at the top, have no damage to the ink tank and are free of dirt, oil and any contaminants which may render the seal "non air-tight". These seals have been tested to 150 degrees, and have been tested to 6 months of continuous use. The seals should not be frozen or subject to extreme cold. Do not store near heat or expose to sunlight. This will make the coating uneven if exposed for any length of time. It is best to place seals in a zip lock bag when not in use. If you feel that your ink tank is not completely smooth at the top you may use an alternative method to seal the ink tank after refilling. The most commonly used method is a glue gun. We recommend only attempting this after you have attempted to use the top seals supplied with the kits. CLEAR RUBBER PLUGS: In addition to the top seals kits also include rubber plugs. The plugs are used to replace plugs that are found in many aftermarket cartridges. If your cartridge originally had a plug that required removal then you can use the supplied plugs to reseal the cartridge. Using the top seal over the plugs is advised.
WHAT TO KNOW
Due to nature of the sponge material, it is common that after six to eight refills that the sponge begin to deteriorate. There are many factors involved in why the sponge will deteriorate. How long it takes is partially up to you. Here are some guidelines to protecting your ink tank and getting the most from it. Refill the ink tank immediately upon running out of ink, or as soon as the ink level becomes low. Do not let ink tank sit out of a printer longer than necessary. Too much air is not beneficial to the sponge material. Expect the inevitable: Ink tanks will eventually cease to work. Have an extra ink tank on hand. All printer manufacturers recommend this as well. It is just good practice to keep a new ink tank available at all times If you are planning on refilling an ink tank and storing it make sure that the ink exit hole is securely covered. Place in a moisture proof bag such as a zip lock. Do not use photo colors in a standard ink tank and vice versa. The results will not damage the printer, but the output will be nothing short of a blotch of disassociated colors.