Canon PG-40/CL-41 Ink Cartridges

Canon PG-40 / CL-41 Ink Cartridges

The PG-40 / CL-41 family is the mainstream FINE generation that powered Canon’s best-known early PIXMA all-in-ones. Its shelf: PG-40 black (up to 327 pages, $25.49); CL-41 tri-color (up to 312 pages, $26.99). It serves 26 printers, and every cartridge on this page is a Clever Supplies compatible covered by our Lifetime Warranty.

This is the FINE generation of the classic home PIXMA era — the MP160s, MP450s and iP-series printers that sold in the millions and are still running. Owners of the printers listed for both generations can step up to the higher-capacity PG-50 / CL-51 pair in the same slots; the codes on this page remain the exact match for the rest.

Which PG-40 / CL-41 should you buy?

Black cartridge empty: the PG-40 Black Ink Cartridge ($25.49) covers the black position alone, at up to 327 pages.
Tri-color cartridge empty: the CL-41 Tri-Color Ink Cartridge ($26.99) covers the tri-color position alone, at up to 312 pages.
Stock up: the PG-40 CL-41 Ink Cartridges Set of 5 ($118.50) keeps spares on the shelf in the black-heavy mix these printers actually use.

Chip, ink and everyday use

Which FINE cartridge runs out first depends on the work: pigment black in the black position gives documents their crisp, highlighter-resistant edge, while dye ink in the tri-color position gives photos their color, so a text-heavy household empties a different cartridge than a photo-heavy one. A new compatible chip in every cartridge keeps the ink monitor honest about that use. And since the printhead is part of the cartridge on every FINE model, swapping the empty cartridge also swaps the printhead, the usual cure for missing lines. Keep the spare sealed in its pack until the day it goes in.