Doing a search online for  ink cartridges for   the Canon Pixma i6000D  i found a few places that sell generic ink.
I cannot believe the price difference  on the brand name to some of the no names.
Canon ink cartridges seem to be around $130 fr the six cartridges I need.

One other place boasts how good thier ink is for $16 for the set.
I find this hard to fathom,  and worry they may destroy the printer.
I have heard Costco has good prices and even refill kits.

Normally when the ink emptied I would take the printer back and get a new one, for the $29 extended warranty fee.This was the advice of the sales manager of the store.
So after my 6th printer I  have one I really want to keep, and now need ink.

Who uses generic?
What about colour properties?
Dry times?
Longevity?
Be nice to hear  your  stories on the subject.

Funny, I just read the results of an elaborate test about alternative ink cartridges. The main conclusion is that if you're primarily printing text, or if you settle for less quality, you can save an average of 27% with the no names. For printing photos however, the brand names are the best of the test... stating that the no names aren't as resistant to light and humidity. For HP printers, there are hardly any alternatives available, and if so, they are practically the same price. For Canon printers, the original ones are far superior for quality photo prints (also better drying time and longevity), but also the priciest; for text, Pelikan is the best alternative at a good price. Epson printers: same thing, originals are superior for photos. Again, Pelikan is the best alternative, but less light and water resistant. This test was made on original photopaper of the corresponding printer brands. Refills were not considered reliable and not included in the test. The test was done in Belgium, so possibly Pelikan isn't available where you live, and Costco wasn't included in the test. Interesting: 81% of the consumers here use the original brandnames; 13% use alternatives (of which only 54% are happy with them); 4% uses refill kits...

a) my preference is usually the normal photo print (wet chemistry) once you've found a good printing service
b) the printer manufacturers live from their ink - that makes the prices - but usually the orginal ink is considered to be better (in various dimensions), as say many tests (btw Pelikan is  a good substitute brand in Germany too...)
c) for the few ink jet prints I do (DIN A3 +) I use matte paper (Lumijet, Hahnemühle) and original Epson pigment ink (on the Photostyle R2400). If I already pay much money for the paper to save it for the ink seems not to be wise....

I read that price for quantity, Original Printer Ink is one of the most expensive substances on the planet..... it's price certainly beats the crap out of any champagne etc.

Anyhoos, the only original ink I use is the stuff in the printer when I first buy it.  In the UK we have a good network of places and companies to feed the demand, so I can get a full set of cartridges for my Epson for 8 GBP (around $16)..... that said, it's rare that I print my pictures on the computer - I often use the Kodak machine in the town.  Even for 8 x 10's it works out cheaper than the equivalent cost of manufacturers ink, and if THAT isn't fade resistant etc, you have them to blame....

As for squirty messy evil little refill packs.... twice bought, two bad experiences, so I don't even consider them an option.  3 days of yellow fingers cause too many questions. Nuff said.

My 2 Penny (3.7 cents) worth.

(",)

I'm in concurrence with gersempa, however your solution would depend on if you want to do text, or color prints.

I have a friend with a very expensive photography style ink-jet printer. He uses a very modestly priced HP for his text printing and his hi-end-baby for photo prints only. The high end printers ink usually lasts much longer than the low end HP's, so cartridge dry-out is hardly an issue like it is with the hundred dollar variety.

Even with that in mind, my own experience tells me that the recycled last half as long as the new manufactured cartridge. The no name cartridges last slightly less time than the OEM with the big name.

Either way, I'd find a less expensive printer for my checks, and letters to save some on the overall printing costs. Office Depot offers two packages of paper for each set of cartridges you turn in. Even though the paper is recycled, the price is right to write letters, give to the kids to color on, or flame your Congress Critter (or equivelent of Lawyers on Welfare in your country) with.

Hi Doug,

Let me try to understand this...when your printer ran out of ink, you exchanged it for a new one?  Six times now?

ROTFLMAO!  I've never heard of that before!  Yes, I guess that will save you money, but does the sales manager still have a job? :)

As far as using 3rd party inks, I'd never do that, at least not in my $850 Epson R2400.  A cheaper printer perhaps one might give it a try.  I've read in different forums the experiences of those who have used third party cheap inks and the results were usually not good, as the paper and ink combination by the original manufacturer are engineered for each other.  Other complaints were the ink screwing up the nozzles, poor color, bleed, and uneven drying.

As suggested above, you might want to consider adding a second printer to your hardware list for everyday printing needs.  I use an HP LaserJet 8150N workgroup printer I snagged for $118.  It was $3,000 new, bought it as an off-lease item from my employer.  I'm not suggesting a monster like that, but just an el-cheapo printer for letters and crap.  You can buy laser printers for a little over $100 if you shop around... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16828117001 and InkJets for even cheaper.

Of course, in Canada you'll pay a little more, but at least you're not using up precious and expensive photo inks.

Doug, if it were me...stick to the original Canon inks and buy a cheap printer for non-photo use.

Warm Regards,

Steve

I made up my mind to stay with the Canon ink.
Today I saw some prints from a friend who has a re-fill kit and am not impressed.
Not to mention the warranty is void.
 Yes Steve...the good people at Staples  had no problem with me returning my printers.
But those were the everyday type all in one print fax scan ones.
I think they make their money off the 29 dollar warranty and could care a less, because they can sell them again as demos or remanufactures.
I still have a good HP copy/fax/scan/print, that actually does photos quite well.I use that for everyday things.
The Canon  does much better on prints, so I want to keep it awhile.
It also allows me to print just from a memory card and view it on the flip up LCD.
Maybe next year I will get  the new generation large format one coming out, because they have made them quite "worth it" now.
You can actually print cheaper in some cases than sending out and get  great results.
Sometimes better than the local drugstore prints.
HP Canon Epson all have them around the $800 mark and some with dedicated greys for fantastic B&W.

Actually I only need the photo magenta cartridge, but  might as well have the others around.

Thanks for all the input  here.