Canon Printer Ink & Toner Cartridges

What ink does my Canon printer use?

Canon printers are either inkjet or laser so the cartridge you'll need will depend on which type you have. Canon inkjet printers use liquid ink that is either dye-based or pigment-based; laser printers use toner powder. 

To identify the exact cartridge your printer uses, do the following: Pull open the front printer cover. For PIXMA printers, you will need to open the paper output tray and then the ink cartridge access door to view the ink tanks. For some printers like the Canon MAXIFY printer line, simply opening the front cover is enough. The name of the ink tank is usually visible without removing the ink tank from its slot.

Most Canon inkjet printers use FINE ink tanks which only mean that the ink tank comes with an integrated printhead.

More affordable aftermarket ink tanks for Canon printers come with an integrated printhead as well even if does not have FINE branding on the cartridge for legal reasons. Aftermarket or remanufactured Canon ink tanks are engineered to be compatible with your printers and are guaranteed to work.

How much does ink cost for a Canon printer?

That depends on what printer you have since Canon printer ink tanks differ in price. A single Canon standard black ink tank can cost between $15 - $19 while single high yield black ink tanks cost between $24 - $30. Canon combo ink packs which include the black and colored tanks can go anywhere between $35.99 to $76, pretty expensive but if you get the price per cartridge it's slightly cheaper than buying them individually.

Original Canon printer cartridges are very expensive especially since you need to keep replacing them to keep using your printer. You can save a ton of money when you use aftermarket ink tanks that are up to 80% cheaper than OEM Canon ink tanks. 

For comparison, an original Canon PGI-280XXL extra high yield ink tank costs $34.99 while an aftermarket Canon PGI-280XXL costs only $11.99--that's 65% cheaper!

Does Canon have an ink program?

Yes, they do, but it's not like how HP's Instant Ink program works. The subscription is a lot more like Amazon's subscribe and save where you choose the cartridges you need and select the frequency by which you want to receive the cartridges. The cartridges are not linked to Canon's network and neither is your printer, so no worries about Canon collecting your data the way that the HP Instant Ink cartridges do.

Is Canon XL ink worth it?

Canon XL ink tanks or high yield ink tanks contain more ink and print more pages than a standard ink tank. If you print a lot regularly, a high yield tank is worth it and will save you more money than buying two standard ink tanks.

It is, however, not advisable to use high yield ink tanks when you don't print as often as ink dries up when left unused for extended periods of time.

Do all Canon Pixma printers use the same ink?

All Canon PIXMA printers use a combination of one black pigment-based ink (PG or PGI) and one tricolor or three or more individual dye-based color dye-based ink tanks (CL or CLI). For example, the Canon PIXMA TS3122 uses one Canon PG-245 black ink tank and one CL-246 tricolor ink tank. The PIXMA TR4522 uses one black PGI-280 and 4 CLI-281 color ink tanks (black, magenta, cyan, and yellow).

The pigment black is intended to be used when printing documents while the dye based color ink is used when printing colored images. Some PIXMA printers have both a pigment black for documents and a dye-based (also called photo) black for images.

PIXMA printers intended for heavy photo printing have all dye-based ink such as the Canon PIXMA Pro 100. This printer model uses 8 CLI ink tanks to achieve a wider gamut of colors.

All Canon PIXMA printers use FINE ink tanks.

How to change ink in a Canon printer

Changing ink tanks in a Canon printer is pretty similar across all models. They all more or less follow the same instructions.

1. Open the front cover of the printer. This would also sometimes open the paper output tray.
2. Open the cartridge access door.
3. Prepare new ink tank. Remove all packaging. Shake gently and then carefully remove plastic tape.
4. Push down on the empty ink tank to release it. Pull out from the slot and set aside for recycling.
5. Slide the new ink tank into the empty slot at a slanted angle.
6. Push into place with a click.
7. Close the cartridge access door.
8. Wait for your printer to recognize the ink tank and you can start printing.

If for any reason you can not find the product you are looking for our dedicated and knowledgeable customer service team is standing by to assist you. Just call 800.465.5387.