Frequently Asked Questions

• Why are there two different black cartridges in this printer family?

  Your printer carries two blacks because they do different jobs. This CLI-251XL is the dye black — the photo black — and it lays down the deep, glossy blacks you see on photo paper. Everyday text on plain paper comes from the separate pigment black tank instead. The two sit side by side in the printer at all times, and each one is swapped out on its own schedule as it empties.

• What yield is the black CLI-251XL rated at?

  Canon publishes up to 5,565 pages for this XL tank, and Canon itself labels that number estimated. Ratings come from standard test pages at roughly 5% coverage, and they need care here: this dye black mainly supports photo printing rather than documents, so read the figure as a guide to capacity, not a promise of thousands of text pages. Heavy photo work will drain it far sooner than light document printing would suggest.

• Which printers does this black cartridge fit?

  Verified models include the Canon PIXMA iP7220, Canon PIXMA iP8720, Canon PIXMA iX6820 and Canon PIXMA MG5420, plus 9 more. The full, checked list for this cartridge sits in the Compatible Printers section of this page — match your model against it before you order.

• Will my printer still report ink levels with this tank?

  Yes. A new compatible chip on the cartridge reports ink levels to the printer, so the low-ink warnings keep working as they should. This is not a refilled Canon shell running on a reset chip — the chip is new and made for this compatible cartridge.

• Can I use this black alongside genuine Canon color cartridges?

  You can. The printer reads every slot independently, so this compatible black prints normally next to genuine Canon tanks — and the reverse works too. There is no need to change every cartridge at once; switch them one at a time as each runs out.

• A message came up on the screen right after installation. What clears it?

  First acknowledge the on-screen message. Then take the cartridge out and reseat it until it clicks into place, and restart the printer. Should the message come back, wipe the gold chip contacts with a dry, lint-free cloth and reinstall the tank.

• Is this the standard-capacity cartridge or the XL?

  This is the XL — the high-yield fill. Every single we list in this family is XL. Canon also sold a standard fill under the same family numbers; the XL tanks simply hold more ink, which brings the cost per page down.

• Is this cartridge made by Canon?

  No. Clever Supplies builds this compatible cartridge to the CLI-251XL specification, and our lifetime warranty stands behind it. Canon did not manufacture it; the Canon name is used only to identify the printers this cartridge fits.

• What if the cartridge leaks, is not recognized, or prints badly?

  Stop printing and contact us — pushing on with a faulty cartridge helps nothing. Recognition failures, leaks and print-quality defects are all covered by the lifetime warranty: we replace the cartridge or refund you, and returns are free for the first year.