MultiPass F60

One machine, two kinds of work. The MultiPass F60 turns out documents in one run and color graphics in the next, and both jobs draw on the same seven-tank ink system: a pigment BCI-3E Black, rated at about 420 pages, for text; dye BCI-3E Cyan, BCI-3E Magenta and BCI-3E Yellow at about 340 pages each for color; and BCI-3E Photo Black, BCI-3E Photo Cyan and BCI-3E Photo Magenta for photographic output. Each tank is a separate cartridge, replaced by the slot rather than by the set.

The habit that saves F60 owners the most frustration is reading the code on the tank coming out before ordering the one going in. This generation splits its ink by job — pigment black for sharp text, dye colors for anything carrying graphics — and the photo tanks look enough like the standard colors to invite a mix-up at a glance. A photo cyan asked to do everyday color duty, or a document black expected to carry a photograph, gives disappointing pages. Match the slot to the code and the machine does the rest.

Ink Cartridges for MultiPass F60

Which cartridge should you buy?

Buy for the mix of work your F60 actually does. A document-leaning machine empties black first and colors slowly, so singles — above all a spare BCI-3E Black — keep costs down, and the black-weighted BCI-3E Set of 15, with six blacks against three of each core color, matches that pattern when you want a stock box. A graphics-leaning machine eats the dye colors evenly, which is where the BCI-3E Set of 5 earns its place as a balanced top-up. The Set of 10 is the general restock. Photo tanks are a separate decision: order them when photo printing is part of the machine's real workload, not before.

Chip, ink and everyday use

Running this family costs nothing in chips or reset tools, because the F60 watches its ink optically, through the tank wall. Installation is a straight swap of the empty slot. Two habits protect print quality on a machine of this age: print something every few weeks so the heads stay wet, and run the cleaning cycle after a long idle stretch before suspecting a new cartridge. Page yields assume 5% coverage, so graphics-heavy months will always land below the rated figures — that is arithmetic, not a faulty tank.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the two black tanks on the F60?

The BCI-3E Black is a pigment ink built for documents — crisp, dark text on letters and forms. The BCI-3E Photo Black exists for photographs, deepening shadows and dark detail. They sit in different slots and are not substitutes for each other.

Can I use BCI-6 color cartridges in the MultiPass F60?

No — colors do not cross between the two families. The single crossover is the black: this BCI-3E Black tank also works as the document black in later BCI-6 printers.

How does the F60 know a tank is empty with no chip on it?

It reads the ink level optically, through the tank itself. When a tank reports low, that is the one to swap; nothing needs resetting and the other tanks stay put.

Which set fits an F60 used mostly for paperwork?

The BCI-3E Set of 15. Its six black tanks mirror a document workload, with three each of cyan, magenta and yellow for the occasional color page.

More printers that use the same cartridges

Buy a tank for any machine on this list and it also fits the F60 — this ink family ran across Canon's desktops and all-in-ones for a whole generation: the i Series models, 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; the PIXMA range, PIXMA MP750, PIXMA MP760, PIXMA MP780, PIXMA iP3000, PIXMA iP4000, PIXMA iP4000R, PIXMA iP5000, PIXMA iP6000D, PIXMA iP8500; its MultiPASS relatives, MultiPass F50, MultiPass F80, MultiPass MP700, MultiPass MP730, Multipass C755, Multipass F30; and the BJC desktops, BJC-3000, BJC-6000, BJC-6100, BJC-8200.