Multipass F30

The Canon MultiPASS F30 is a multifunction all-in-one, and it prints from seven tanks: BCI-3E Black at about 420 pages for text, BCI-3E Cyan, BCI-3E Magenta and BCI-3E Yellow at about 340 pages each for graphics, and photo black, photo cyan and photo magenta tanks, also about 340 pages, for photo jobs. Every tank is individually replaceable, so the machine never sits idle over one empty color.

An all-in-one earns its keep by being ready for whatever the day brings, and that mixed workload is exactly how its ink drains: a week of copied forms leans on the black tank, a week of photo prints leans on the photo shades, and most weeks lean on everything a little. Canon's recipe for this generation splits the work deliberately — pigment black for crisp text, dye colors for graphics — and the per-tank layout means the cost of a busy week is one tank, not a whole set.

Ink Cartridges for Multipass F30

Which cartridge should you buy?

Restock by symptom. Faded text with healthy colors means the black tank alone; washed-out graphics point to one of cyan, magenta or yellow; banded photos implicate the photo tanks. Singles answer each case for the least money. When the whole document row is tired, the Set of 5 refreshes it with two blacks and one of each process color, the Set of 10 is the fuller shelf refill, and the Set of 15 leans toward black for desks that live on paperwork. Keep one spare black in the drawer regardless — on an all-in-one, an empty black slows down every kind of job the machine does.

Ink levels and everyday use

Nothing on these tanks needs programming: the F30 senses its ink optically, so changing a tank is a lift-and-drop job with no chips to reset and no tools to buy. Keep the scanner lid and vents dust-free, print or copy something in color every few weeks so all seven tanks stay exercised, and treat the page ratings as planning figures — they assume standard coverage, and a run of full-page copies will spend a tank well inside its number. Spares store sealed at room temperature, and the compatible tanks carry a 1-year warranty with 1-year returns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which ink does the MultiPASS F30 take?

Seven BCI-3E tanks: black for text, cyan, magenta and yellow for graphics, and photo black, photo cyan and photo magenta for photo printing. Each swaps individually.

Why does an all-in-one need photo tanks?

Because the F30 also prints photos. The three photo tanks are finer, lighter shades that smooth photo gradations in a way the four document tanks cannot; a desk that never prints photos may go years without touching them.

Can I replace just the tank that ran out?

Yes — that is the point of the layout. The printer flags the low tank, you swap that one alone, and the other six keep their remaining ink. There is no combined cartridge to throw away half full.

Will BCI-6 ink work in the F30?

No. The crossover in this family runs one way only: this black tank also serves as the document black in later BCI-6 printers. BCI-6 colors do not fit the F30, and neither does its black.

More printers that use the same cartridges

The F30's ink shelf is shared across Canon's desktop lines of the era: its MultiPASS relatives, MultiPass F50, MultiPass F60, MultiPass F80, MultiPass MP700, MultiPass MP730, Multipass C755; the PIXMA range, PIXMA MP750, PIXMA MP760, PIXMA MP780, PIXMA iP3000, PIXMA iP4000, PIXMA iP4000R, PIXMA iP5000, PIXMA iP6000D, PIXMA iP8500; the i Series, i550, i560, i850, i860, i865, i900D, i950, i960, i9900; the S Series, S400, S450, S500, S520, S530D, S600, S630, S750, S800, S820D, S830D, S900, S9000; and the BJC desktops, BJC-3000, BJC-6000, BJC-6100, BJC-8200