Our compatible BCI-3e and BCI-6 blanks are recommended and support for manual refilling using our inks. They offer several features not found in the OEM cartridges sold by Canon:

	A easy to reseal fill port. No drilling is required to access these cartridges for refilling
	A locking exit port cover. No rubber bands or tape is needed to secure the exit port cover, making storage easy and convenient.
	A refill friendly sponge. Absorbs and retains ink over multiple refills with consistency, providing reliable refills for on average 6-12 refills in a 6 month period of use, before replacement is required. We have heard of refill life as high as 30 fills, but have yet to concretely confirm such claims.

As such, we do not provide technical support troubleshooting when a user chooses to attempt to refill OEM cartridges sold by Canon. Neither do we support troubleshooting refills made with 3rd party pre-filled cartridges.

	Use fresh inks with your cartridges. Observe proper storage and care of your bulk inks (see TSN01). Replace you inks if they have suffered any environmental related damages.
	Once you filled your blank the first time, the cartridge has about 6 months of usable refill time before we recommend that you replace them. You can refill as many times as you need during the 6 months, after about 6 months residue left behind when a cartridge empties out can start to affect replenishment efficiency of the cartridge.
	Observe strict fill volumes. BCI-3e black cartridges should never have more than 26 mL total ink volume at any time. BCI-3e color and BCI-6 cartridges should never have more than 13 mL total ink volume at any time. Note that when you perform the second a subsequent fills on a cartridge that you must take into account the residue ink in the sponges of the cartridge. For this reason we recommend a maximum of 24 mL of ink be added on subsequent fills of BCI-3 black cartridges and a maximum of 11.5 mL of ink be added to BCI-3e and BCI-6 cartridges on subsequent fills. DO NOT exceed the maximum volume or your WILL experience print defects, such as center pass dropout banding or splotching of your prints as a result of too much ink in your cartridge. Running cleanings will NOT necessarily remove the excess ink since the overfill prevents the printhead from firing the ink at all in the affect nozzles. In cases where an overfill has occurred, you must manually remove the excess ink the fill port with a syringe. The best visual clue for a properly filled cartridge is when the level of ink in the tank side of a filled cartridge is BELOW the level of the top of the sponge in the sponge side of the cartridge.
	When in doubt, replace. If you suspect that a particular cartridge may be the source of a problem, remove it and replace it with an alternate cartridge of the same color. For this reason we recommend that you have a spare set of pre-filled cartridges on hand, such as set of OEM Canon brand or our Light Fast ready-to-use cartridges, to use as a benchmark in troubleshooting print defects. They are also handy in keeping your printer up and running while you deal with a cartridge fill issue. Always be prepared for Murphy's Law.
	Keep a sufficient number of manually filled cartridges ready to fit your printing demands. If your usage is low, you may just want to have one set filled at a time. Remember that once you put ink in the blank, its recommended use life is only 6 months, while an unfilled blank can store indefinitely.
	If you are experiencing short refill life with your blanks, check the environment around your printer. Sunlight, heat sources, and low humidity can greatly shorten the refill life of a cartridge.