Canon Printer Troubleshooting, Ink, and Toner Beginners Guide

What are Canon ink cartridges?

Canon has a lot of printers that use ink cartridges. As mentioned above, some of their inkjets use one black and one tri-color cartridge. Other printer types use individual ink cartridges. This part will tackle vital information regarding the Canon ink cartridges to help you determine what kind of cartridge best works for you.

Canon PG-245XL Black Ink Cartridge (Remanufactured)

Canon CL-246XL Tri-color Ink Cartridge (Remanufactured)

Canon PGI-280XXL Black Ink Cartridge (Compatible)

Canon CLI-281XXL Black Ink Cartridge (Compatible)

When you buy a Canon cartridge, you will see the abbreviations 'PG/PGI' or 'CL/CLI' on the packaging or the cartridge itself. These are not just random letters but are classifications of the Canon ink types. 'PG/PGI' means pigment-based ink. Some ink sets like the Canon 280XXL and 281XXL ink cartridges use one pigment-based black ink and one dye-based black ink. The pigment-based cartridge is usually bigger in size than the dye-based cartridge, just like the photo above.

Pigment ink forms by using powdered colorants in a suspension. If you want to print photos on display, pigment ink is the way to go. It is more resistant to sunlight and can last longer. So if you are after longevity, pigment ink should be your top choice. It is excellent as well for text documents that are required to be kept longer.

As for 'CL/CLI' means "chroma life," which is Canon's term for dye-based inks. It produces vivid colors by dissolving colorants in liquid. It can be cheaper than pigment-based inks but can also be prone to smudging. Are you printing graphs, landscapes, or sceneries? Dye-based inks are made for the job. The colors will be vibrant and accurate.

What are Canon tri-color cartridges?

A Canon tri-color cartridge is basically one cartridge with compartments inside for the different ink colors: cyan, magenta, and yellow. These types of ink cartridges cost less than the individually packed ones. The downside is that you have to replace the whole cartridge even if you run out of only one color to keep producing prints. If you use your Canon printer for many printing jobs, this can be pricey over time. To have more specific knowledge about the tri-color cartridges, let us focus on one type, which is the Canon 241 tri-color printer ink .

Canon PG-240 Black Ink Cartridge

Canon CL-241 Tri-color Ink Cartridge

Canon PG-240 Black & CL-241 Tri-color Ink Cartridges (Remanufactured)

The cartridges above have a built-in printhead, which is considered to be an advantage. Printheads wear out over time, and getting a new one will not hurt. It can help ensure quality printing even if the printer is quite old. If you do not necessarily print in colors, this is a good option. However, if your printing jobs require colors most of the time, you will be better off with individual cartridges.

This type of cartridge is best for home use. It is built for low-volume printing. The whole family can print documents and photos. Take note that the page yield for the standard ones is 180 sheets. As for the high-yield cartridges, they can reach up to 300-400 pages. Let us take a look at the specifications of Canon PGI-240 black ink cartridge and Canon CL-241 tri-color ink cartridge to see if it is the best Canon ink for your printing jobs.

The best way to save if you are using tri-color cartridges is opting for remanufactured ones. CompAndSave’s remanufactured Canon PG-240/240XL black & CL-241/241XL tri-color cartridges work like the original with a lower cost per page.

What are Canon individual ink cartridges?

Canon 280XXL 281XXL Ink Cartridges Combo Pack of 5 (Compatible)

Canon individual ink cartridges are composed of but not limited to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow colors. These printers are best for photo printing, such as the Canon Pixma TS8120, Canon Pixma TS8220, Canon Pixma TS9120, Canon Pixma TS9520, and Canon Pixma TS9521C. The best advantage you can have when using individual ink cartridges is that you will only need to replace the color that runs out, unlike with tri-color cartridges.

The table below shows the specifications of the super high-yield Canon PGI-280XXL and CLI-281XXL cartridges. This cartridge is perfect for home office settings. The super high-yield variants can provide printouts higher than 500 pages. You can study the table to know how much you can save if you opt for a printer that uses individual cartridges in printing.

You can see on the table above how much you can save with CompAndSave’s compatible Canon ink cartridges. Do you want to get the best value for your money? Try our compatible Canon 280XXL 281XXL ink cartridges . You can enjoy quality printing that will not break the bank.

What are Canon MegaTank ink bottles?

Canon GI-21 MegaTank Ink Bottles Combo Pack of 4 (Compatible)

Canon MegaTank printers use refillable ink tanks that will help you save more if you print frequently. These printers are a bit pricey compared to those that use ink cartridges, but you will be able to save more with ink bottles in the longer run. The printers have an ink tank that can be refilled with the bottles. It means it can contain more ink compared to cartridges. Another great advantage is that it is hassle-free. You simply refill the tanks with the ink bottles, and that’s it. You are now ready to continue printing.

If you ask, “what are the disadvantages of ink tank printers?” it is not recommended for those who print once a week only or less than that. The ink tends to dry up. The Canon ink bottles are best for daily print, like in a home office or small business setting. Each Canon GI-21 ink bottle can give you 6,000 pages for black and 7,700 pages for colored ones. It is also highly recommended to use up the ink within six months to avoid clogging. Are you interested in getting the Canon ink bottles? The table below will give you an idea about the cheap running costs if you are leaning more towards using Canon MegaTank ink bottles.

Canon ink bottles are definitely the way to go if you want colored printing at a much lower price. CompAndSave offers Canon GI-21 MegaTank ink bottles combo pack of 4 (), so you get the best value of your money with high-quality prints.

What are Canon toner cartridges?

Canon 117 Black Toner Cartridge (2578B001AA)

Canon 117 Cyan Toner Cartridge (2577B001AA)

Canon 117 Magenta Toner Cartridge (2576B001AA)

Canon 117 Yellow Toner Cartridge (2575B001AA)

to get toner cartridges. Laser printers use toners instead of ink cartridges. Toners are powdered colorants that produce printouts through the use of laser beams. Canon has monochrome laser printers that can only print black and white. They also have color laser printers, which use four toners: black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. There are Canon toners that are only available in standard yields. Some products, such as the Canon 039 toner cartridge, have a standard and high-yield variant.

The best thing to do before deciding what toner to purchase is to observe your printing needs. How many pages do you print in a week or in a month? Do you need a toner cartridge just for family use? Or are you running a small office or business? Toner cartridges are best for high-volume printing of text, documents, and even graphics. The Canon 117 toner cartridges are perfect for home offices that print documents and graphs with a splash of color. The page yield of colored toners can reach up to 4,000 sheets, while the black toner can give you up to 6,000 pages. It is a good choice if you print this much. Get to know more about Canon 117 toner cartridges specifications below.

Get economical with CompAndSave’s remanufactured Canon 117 toner cartridges . It is the lowest running cost you can get without compromising the print quali

Standard Canon 039 Black Toner Cartridge (0287C001)

High-Yield Canon 039H Black Toner Cartridge (0288C001 Black)

Toner cartridges are made for high-volume printing. The following Canon toner we are featuring has a high-yield variant. The standard yield Canon 039 black toner can produce up to 11,000 prints. Do you need more pages than that? You can give the Canon 039H a try as it can print up to 25,000 sheets for this high-yield toner. It is best for black and white printing in loads. The table below will show how low the running cost for the Canon 039 and 039H is, especially for the remanufactured ones.

Toner cartridges have higher page yields compared to ink cartridges. It is high time to enjoy bulk printing at its lowest running cost when choosing CompAndSave’s remanufactured Canon 039 and/or 039H toner cartridges . Your office or small business will get the same print quality as the original ones with unbelievable savings.

How to do Canon printer ink troubleshooting?

There are basic problems we encounter when using ink and toner cartridges. You can resolve some issues with a helpful guide. This time, we aim to give you tips so you can troubleshoot simple problems when using ink and toner cartridges. Read our ink troubleshooting tips that can help you figure out simple cartridge problems.

How to resolve Canon common printer problems?

If you own a printer, you should know simple troubleshooting steps. In this part, we gathered the common printer problems with Canon. The aim is to help you resolve it in simple steps. Having the confidence to do Canon printer troubleshooting can save you time and money. Let us start with connecting your Canon printer to wifi. It is one of the common printer problems most people encounter.

How to connect Canon printer to wifi?

Step 1: Turn on your printer.

Step 2: Place your router near your Canon printer for easy access to the WPS button.

Step 3: Hold the wifi button on the printer until the light turns on.

Step 4: Press the WPS button on the router after two minutes.

Step 5: The wifi light will keep on blinking while it is searching for the network. It will be still once it is finally connected.

Step 6: Do a test print to ensure that your Canon printer is already connected.

How to scan on a Canon printer?

Step 1: Turn on your Canon printer

Step 2: Start the Canon IJ Scan Utility on your computer. You should be able to download it from the CD or DVD that comes with your printer. You can also try to download it from the Canon driver downloads site.

Step 3: Open the scanner lid and place your document to be scanned on the platen/scanner glass and close the lid. Make sure the platen is clean before putting the paper.

Step 4: With the document on the platen glass, press ScanGear on the Canon IJ Scan Utility to start scanning.

Step 5: Click the Preview button to check for any changes and set the desired saving point.

Step 6: Click Scan .

How to connect a Canon printer to an iPhone?

Step 1: Check your iPhone first if it is running on the latest Apple device version of iOS.

Step 2: The Canon printer and the Apple device should be both connected to the same wifi network.

Airprint Printing

Step 3: Make sure that your printer is connected to LAN (Local Area Network)

Step 4: In the Apple device, open the photo or document that you want to print.

Step 5: Click the share icon found on the bottom left .

Step 6: From the Menu options, click Print to proceed.

Step 7: In the Printer options, select the correct Canon printer.

Step 6: Finally, click Print .

How to connect a Canon printer to a laptop?

Step 1: Connect the Canon printer cable to the laptop's USB slot

Step 2: Turn on your Canon printer.

Step 3: Click the Start menu button and go to Settings.

Step 4: From the Settings option, click the Printers and Scanners .

Step 5: : Click the correct Canon printer, and click Manage .

Why is my Canon printer offline?

Step 1: Check if the printer is on.

Step 2: If it is on, check the printer cable if it is connected to your computer's USB port or the device you are using.

Step 3: If it is still offline, change the printer's USB cable to another port. The devices' USB port may be at fault, causing the printer's offline status.

Step 4: Do you need further assistance? Check ‘Why is my printer offline? ’ page to help you with more troubleshooting steps or contact Canon’s customer service.

How to connect a Canon printer to a MAC?

Wired connection

Step 1: Plug the Canon printer USB cable into the MAC device.

Step 2: Turn on your Canon printer.

Step 3: Click on the MAC Menu and choose System Preferences .

Step 4: Click the Printers and Scanners .

Step 5: On the Printers and Scanners option, click on the + sign to add the printer.

Step 6: Try to do a test page print after the installation process.

Wireless Connection

Step 1: Turn on your Canon printer.

Step 2: Make sure that your router has an available WPS button, and your network is using WPA or WPA2 security protocol.

Step 3: Press and hold the wifi button until the light indicator blinks once.

Step 4: Click on the WPS button once the color blue wifi light blinks.

Step 5: Press the button for two minutes to avoid a disrupted connection.

Step 6: When the wifi blinks, it is searching for an available network.

Step 7: When the connection is complete, the power and wifi light will stop blinking.

Step 6: Your printer is ready to use.

How to refill Canon ink cartridges?

Step 1: Remove the cartridge from your Canon printer.

Step 2: Prepare your Canon ink cartridge refill kit. It includes a syringe used to inject the ink into the cartridge. Also, a thin thumb drill to widen the small hole under the label to inject the ink.

Step 3: Strip the label of your cartridge. You will see a tiny hole under the label. There are three small holes on a multicolor cartridge, and each hole indicates a separate ink color chamber.

Step 4: Drill the hole using the thin thumb drill in a circular motion to make the hole bigger enough for the syringe to pass through.

Step 5: Insert a thin object or needle on each hole to determine the color of each chamber for the multicolor cartridge.

Step 6: Draw into the syringe the correct ink color to inject in each chamber. Use an individual syringe for each ink color.

Step 7: Fill the correct ink through the cartridge hole slowly to avoid squirting or overflowing.

Step 8: Wipe the cartridge sensor using a dust cloth or a paper towel with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Ink stains on the sensor may cause it not to be readable.

Step 9: Cover the entire top of the drilled side of the cartridge with tape and poke a hole through it. It provides ventilation for the cartridge

Step 10: Ensure that it is appropriately taped to prevent ink from leaking.

CompAndSave offers a universal ink refill kit compatible with Canon ink cartridges and other major brands like Epson, Brother, HP, Lexmark, Xerox, Compaq, and Okidata. Enjoy economical inks with excellent quality.