What to Do If Your Canon Printer Uses a Photo Blue Cartridge But You Ordered Standard Dye Ink

Question:
I recently received my order for the BCH Standard Dye Ink – 100ml x 6 Four-Color for Canon. While refilling my cartridges, I realized my printer has a “PB Photo Blue” cartridge. What should I do with it? Should I leave it empty, fill it with the regular blue dye ink, or something else? The ink in that cartridge appears more purplish in color.

Answer:

What is Photo Blue (PB) Ink?

Canon’s Photo Blue (PB) ink is a specialized formulation used primarily in Canon's photo printing models. It’s designed to extend the color gamut and improve image clarity in lighter tonal areas of photos, particularly in skies, shadows, and skin tones. The color itself is a mix of blue and magenta tones—hence the purplish hue you noticed at the bottom of the cartridge.

Can You Use Standard Dye Ink in the PB Cartridge?

Yes, you technically can. A common workaround is to fill the PB cartridge with regular blue dye ink and then add a small amount of magenta ink to replicate the Photo Blue hue. This mix won’t perfectly match the original Canon PB formulation, but it’s often close enough for casual or everyday photo printing.

To approximate the color:

• Use roughly 80–90% standard blue dye ink.

• Mix in about 10–20% magenta dye ink.

Make sure to blend thoroughly and test print to evaluate color output.

When Should You Use Genuine PB Ink Instead?

If your primary use for the printer is high-quality photo printing—especially professional or archival-grade photos—it's advisable to stick with real Photo Blue ink. Using an improvised mix might result in slight color shifts or diminished sharpness in photographic gradients.

At BCH Technologies, we do sell the PB Photo Blue ink individually, so if maintaining color fidelity is important to you, you may consider ordering a separate PB ink bottle from our catalog.

You can find this on our website under Canon-compatible inks or reach out directly for assistance locating it.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. So, we're not able to provide remote troubleshooting, suggestions, or support for printer repairs. We offer an in-person evaluation and repair service via our local diagnostic facility [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Given the high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis. So, it might take a few weeks before we can get your printer to drop it off. Our services are structured to repair either a whole printer or specific parts, with clear instructions on how to proceed. However, we acknowledge that our rates aren't the most economical. Thus, we highly recommend that you resort to self-help via online research. You can start by checking out YouTube or visiting our YouTube channel's homepage [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. Look for specific videos using the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar. I receive dozens of queries every day asking about videos for specific topics. Having created videos over the past nine years, it's challenging to remember every single one. Therefore, using YouTube's search function would be most efficient. Plus, YouTube might suggest relevant videos from other channels that could assist you.

Thanks again for reaching out to us. We really appreciate your trust in BCH Technologies. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again if you have further questions!