Canon PG-245/CL-246 Ink Cartridges

Canon PG-245 / CL-246 Ink Cartridges

The PG-245 / CL-246 family is the budget FINE generation behind the MG2522, TS3122 and TR4520 — among the most widely sold Canon home printers in the US. Its shelf: PG-245 black (up to 180 pages, $27.74); PG-245XL black (up to 300 pages, $28.49); CL-246 tri-color (up to 180 pages, $29.24); CL-246XL tri-color (up to 300 pages, $29.99). It serves 20 printers, and every cartridge on this page is a Clever Supplies compatible covered by our Lifetime Warranty.

Two things define this family in daily use. First, the starter cartridges many of these printers shipped with — PG-243 and CL-244 — are the same slot at a lower fill (up to 100 pages each), so everything on this page is a direct upgrade path. Second, the family is a FINE design: the printhead is inside the cartridge, so each replacement renews the part that wears, and old printers with streaky output usually recover with a cartridge change alone.

Which PG-245 / CL-246 should you buy?

Standard black, one slot: the PG-245 Black Ink Cartridge ($27.74) fills just the black position, rated up to 180 pages.
XL black for longer runs: the PG-245XL Black Ink Cartridge ($28.49) covers the PG-245XL slot alone — the 300-page XL fill for heavier black use.
Standard color, one slot: the CL-246 Tri-Color Ink Cartridge ($29.24) fills just the tri-color position, rated up to 180 pages.
XL color for longer runs: the CL-246XL Tri-Color Ink Cartridge ($29.99) covers the CL-246XL slot alone — the 300-page XL fill for heavier color use.
Refill the color side: the CL-246XL InkPods Refill Set of 3 ($59.99) lowers color cost per page — three refill pods plus a fresh original Canon printhead.
Refill the black side: the PG-245XL InkPods Refill Set of 4 ($59.99) lowers black cost per page — four refill pods plus a fresh original Canon printhead.
Stock up: the PG-245XL CL-246XL Ink Cartridges Set of 5 ($138.75) keeps spares on the shelf in the black-heavy mix these printers actually use.
Both positions at once: the PG-245XL CL-246XL Ink Cartridges Set of 2 ($56.97) replaces black and color together — the right move when both lights are on.

Chip, ink and everyday use

For the budget PG-245 / CL-246 shelf, the cheapest repair is often the cartridge itself: its FINE printhead is built in, so a replacement renews the part that streaks, rather than another round of cleaning cycles on a worn head. That holds across the standard and XL fills. Each cartridge carries a new compatible chip, the printer reads levels normally and warns before one runs dry, pigment black gives sharp, smudge-resistant text, and dye tri-color gives bright photo color. Leave spares sealed until you fit them — an opened FINE cartridge can dry at the nozzle plate.