Canon - PIXMA - Canon PGI-220/CLI-221 Ink Cartridges - Clever Supplies Ink & Toner Cartridge

Canon PGI-220/CLI-221 Ink Cartridges

Canon PGI-220 / CLI-221 Ink Cartridges

The PGI-220 / CLI-221 family is a five-tank system — pigment PGI-220 black for documents beside dye CLI-221 black, cyan, magenta and yellow — with a sixth Gray tank on the MP980 and MP990 for black-and-white photo printing. The singles are: PGI-220PGBK pigment black (up to 350 pages), CLI-221BK black (up to 342 pages), CLI-221C cyan (up to 500 pages), CLI-221GY gray (up to 500 pages), CLI-221M magenta (up to 500 pages), CLI-221Y yellow (up to 500 pages). Clever Supplies compatible cartridges start at $8.24, carry new compatible chips and are covered by a lifetime warranty.

A five-tank layout is what lets an older PIXMA stay in service: when one color empties, only that tank is a spent part, and genuine Canon and compatible tanks can be mixed slot by slot across the 10 PIXMA models this family serves. One sourcing note matters — Canon never published an official page-yield table for this family, so the ratings printed here are the cartridge supplier's figures, quoted as supplied.

Which Canon PGI-220 / CLI-221 cartridges should you buy?

PGI-220PGBK Pigment Black Ink Cartridge — $8.24 · up to 350 pages — the document black; start here if you print mostly text
CLI-221BK Black Ink Cartridge — $8.24 · up to 342 pages — the dye-based black that works with the color tanks for photos and graphics
CLI-221C Cyan Ink Cartridge — $8.24 · up to 500 pages — the cyan dye tank, replaced on its own when that color runs low
CLI-221GY Gray Ink Cartridge — $8.24 · up to 500 pages — only for models with a Gray slot
CLI-221M Magenta Ink Cartridge — $8.24 · up to 500 pages — the magenta dye tank, swapped alone when reds begin to run low
CLI-221Y Yellow Ink Cartridge — $8.24 · up to 500 pages — the yellow dye tank, changed by itself when warm tones run low
PGI-220 / CLI-221 Set of 12 BCMY Ink Cartridges — $62.82 · 12 cartridges (BCMY) — the twelve-cartridge stock-up that keeps a busy printer fed the longest
PGI-220 / CLI-221 Set of 14 BCMY + Gray Ink Cartridges — $73.29 · 14 cartridges (BCMY + Gray) — the fourteen-cartridge set that also covers the Gray slot on the MP980 and MP990
PGI-220 / CLI-221 Set of 5 BCMY Ink Cartridges — $26.18 · 5 cartridges (BCMY) — the five-cartridge set with one of every tank for a complete standard change
PGI-220 / CLI-221 Set of 6 BCMY + Gray Ink Cartridges — $31.41 · 6 cartridges (BCMY + Gray) — the six-cartridge set that adds Gray for the photo models that carry that slot

Chip, ink and everyday use

The small part that keeps this family readable to an aging printer is the chip: every cartridge carries a new compatible chip, so ink levels keep reporting to the printer. Roles stay split — pigment black handles documents, while the dye tanks handle color and photos. If a new cartridge is not recognized, reseat it until it clicks and restart the printer; if a message persists, wipe the gold chip contacts with a dry lint-free cloth. Keep spares sealed and upright until installation day.