Canon PIXMA G3200

Canon PIXMA G3200 GI-290 Ink Bottles

The Canon PIXMA G3200 is a MegaTank refill-tank printer that prints with GI-290 Black (135 ml, about 6,000 pages), GI-290 Cyan (70 ml, about 7,000 pages), GI-290 Magenta (70 ml, about 7,000 pages), GI-290 Yellow (70 ml, about 7,000 pages). Clever Supplies compatible versions are filled to the original specification and carry a lifetime warranty.

With a refill-tank printer, cost is measured in bottles and thousands of pages. The black bottle holds 135 ml for about 6,000 pages, and each 70 ml color bottle is rated at about 7,000, so one bottle is a long supply. Topping up only the tank that is running low is how the G3200 keeps its cost per page low.

Judge this family's value by the 7,000-page color figure, not the 7,700 some listings borrow from later families: the G4210's own Canon sheet is the source for 7,000. The split behind that figure matters at refill time, because the black bottle is pigment and holds 135 ml, while each color bottle is dye-based at 70 ml.

Which ink should you buy for the PIXMA G3200?

Compatible Canon GI-290 Black Ink Bottle — $13.49 — usually the first bottle to run low.
Compatible Canon GI-290 Cyan Ink Bottle — $14.99 — a 70 ml cyan-only refill rated at about 7,000 pages, which makes its $14.99 a low cost per page.
Compatible Canon GI-290 Magenta Ink Bottle — $14.99 — a 70 ml magenta-only refill for when reds fade but the other tanks are still holding, also rated at about 7,000 pages.
Compatible Canon GI-290 Yellow Ink Bottle — $14.99 — a yellow-only top-up in the same 70 ml, 7,000-page format, bought when the yellow tank is the one dropping.
Compatible Canon GI-290 Set of 4 BCMY Ink Bottles — $47.94 — all four bottles for $47.94 instead of $58.46 bought singly, the better buy when black and color tanks are low together.

Refilling and everyday use

A refill is inexpensive in time as well as ink: about a minute, no tools, just the right tank cap opened, the keyed bottle seated, and the flow stopping at the full line on its own. Value is lost only by forcing a bottle toward the wrong color tank, so never do that, and wipe any drip before closing the cap. Part-used bottles keep, capped and upright, until the next refill, and a page or two every week or two keeps the nozzles from drying out between jobs.