Counterfeit Canon Inks?

[Manuchau]

Well..this could be a serious problem. I have just purchased what I thought were genuine BCI-6 Canon cartridges from a new supplier in Japan. The Genuine packaging is almost identical, but I noticed some differences which I attributed to possible new packaging..

1) The first cartridge I replaced was a photo cyan, and I noticed a much darker print right off the bat in a photo I had printed 3 times before..

2) The cartridge did not lock into place easily..and kept popping up.

3 When pulling the orange tab on the cartridge, not only did the orange tab come off, but it pulled the paper strip off as well.

4)The cartridge has a slightly different consrtuction. The interior sponge was completely saturated..normally there is some white showing in original Canons
..
5) There are other minor differences in the cartridge consruction as well.

To me, this is a major problem, especially since I want to sell these to customers on eBay and in my shop, but I need to know if they are legit, since I have purchased a large quantity.

I'd be happy to send one to an expert here (Grandad?) for testing.

The supplier claims that they are Genuine....I need help!!!!

Anyone else ever have this problem?

Thanks

 

[Nifty]

This seems very plausible.

Just think of all those "Rolex" watches and "Gucci" handbags for sale on the NY street corner that are 90% off of the retail price. If there are companies out there that can and do make copies of products from these huge names then it almost goes without saying that someone could take Non OEM cartridges and slap a few perfectly matched labels on them and sell them as OEM.

I guess if you are getting carts from an unproven source there needs to be a way to check the validity of the claim that they are OEM.

 

[Grandad35]

Manuchau,

I am not an expert in Canon OEM carts, but here is my $0.02:
1. Canon inks are noted for consistent color that gives a good color match on photos printed with their printer profiles. It is not a good sign that the color changed when you replaced a PC cart. What happens with a full set of the new carts? Any color problem is a bad sign. It is possible to print test sheets and quantify any color differences, but your eyes are very accurate in telling you if the colors are a close match. Printing a gray scale gradient is a good way of checking for color casts.
2. Canon designs and builds the printers, so they certainly know how to make a cart that fits their printers. Some 3rd party carts are slightly shorter than the OEM carts, and you must be very careful when installing them to make sure that they lock in place. Poorly fitting carts are not a good sign.
3. The Canon and "Old InkGrabber" carts (that I have used) have plastic labels that remain securely fastened and undamaged, even after many refills. Most 3rd party carts (that I have used) have paper labels that peel off or disintegrate when they get wet. Paper/peeling labels are not a good sign.
4. I believe that Canon uses two sponges because it gives them better control of how/when air gets into the ink chamber. A single sponge is a cost reduction that only saves a few cents, and is another bad sign.
5. Many 3rd party inks have been shown to be much more prone to fading than Canon inks. This would require some long term testing to verify.

The definitive test would be to send a few of these carts to Canon and ask for their opinion. You purchased OEM Canon carts in good faith, and I'm sure that Canon would be very interested in testing them so that they can pursue any suppliers selling counterfeit carts.

 

[inkman]

I was wondering myself today if i got some phony canon bci-6 carts.

The "push" handle on the cart is different than I've ever seen before.
One cart wouldn't snap in place definitively
The tape with the color label wanted to come off when you remove the tab for the air vent prior to use.

The first two carts I tried stopped working after several prints and I noticed the chamber was still full.

I found my original canon cart has a re-usable, resealable plastic plug on the chamber side!!!
I momentarily removed the plug from the chamber side, the ink rushed into the sponge side, but still would not deliver ink to the printhead.

I wonder if canon would like to examine these?

any suggestions?

 

[Nifty]

As a footnote, I've purchased a few different printers from Canon and out of the box I've received cartridges with VERY different labels for the same BCI-6 cartridges. I have no question regarding the genuine nature of these carts (as they came in a sealed box from Canon) but wanted to point out that they have changed the design of labels from time to time for the same cartridges.

 

[Manuchau]

I think I will take Granddad's's advice and will send some back to Canon for inspection, and won't sell any to my customers in the meantime.
It does seem suspicious to me. The first cartridge I replaced was a Photo Cyan....and the colours were off by so much (very much darker), that I had to make 8 copies of the print before I got a similar look to my previous photos.
I know Canon has new formula inks, but to my knowledge, have not put these new, supposedly longer-lasting inks in the BCI-6 carts.

I will post the results here when I hear back from Canon. In the meantime, let's hope that the market won't be flooded with these.

Thanks to one and all for their opinions.

In the meantime, if others are having similar problems, please take note of the retailer where these were purchased, and post any other problems here or contact me by e-mail. With more than one complaint, Canon will definitely have to do something about this.

 

[Manuchau]

I have talked To Canon yesterday, and have sent samples to them.
If anyone else in Canada thinks they may have counterfeit OEM cartridges, use the conyact info below:

CANON CANADA INC.
Attn: Consumer Product Service Department
1400 Courtneypark Dr E
Mississauga, ON, L5T1H1
Tel.: 905 795-2005

 

[jocko777]

hi
want to know if bubblejet is similar or same as inkjet . also i use aftermarket cartridges from abacus they seem to work well . i dont know for sue not an expert a yet but would like to know what to expect form them they do hold inplace are onyl a couple dollars apiece and i can drive ther to pick up but he oe use ebay . how any sheets should print form a small black cartridge like the i 45 canon has .