Frequently Asked Questions

• Why does yellow seem to run out before the others?

  In photo-heavy printing it often does — yellow is usually the first tank to empty. It is one of the three process colors, mixing with cyan and magenta to build the full color range, and photo work draws on it hard.

• What is the yellow CLI-251XL rated to print?

  Up to 715 pages, Canon's published figure for the XL tier. Ratings are measured on standard test pages at around 5% coverage, so your own yield moves with what you print: dense photos use far more ink than text.

• Which printers does this yellow cartridge fit?

  Verified fits include the Canon PIXMA iP8720, Canon PIXMA iP7220, Canon PIXMA MG5420 and Canon PIXMA iX6820, and 9 more. The complete verified list is in the Compatible Printers section on this page — check your model there before ordering.

• Standard or XL — which one is sold here?

  The XL, the high-yield fill; the singles we list for this family are all XL. Canon also sold a standard fill under the same family numbers, but XL tanks hold more ink and cost less per page.

• Will the low-ink warning still work with this tank?

  Yes. Fitted to the cartridge is a brand-new compatible chip that feeds ink-level data to the printer, so low-ink warnings appear as they should. Nothing here is a refilled Canon shell running on a reset chip.

• Can I mix this cartridge with genuine Canon cartridges?

  Mixing is fine. The printer reads each slot independently of the others, so this compatible yellow prints normally beside genuine Canon tanks — and swapping over one color at a time, in either direction, works just as well.

• I put the yellow in and the printer flagged a message — how do I clear it?

  Start by acknowledging the on-screen message. Then pop the cartridge out, seat it again until it clicks, and restart the printer. Still there? Wipe the gold chip contacts with a dry, lint-free cloth and reinstall.

• Is this a genuine Canon CLI-251XL?

  It is not. This is a compatible cartridge from Clever Supplies, built to the CLI-251XL specification and covered by our lifetime warranty rather than made by Canon; the Canon name appears only to show which printers it fits.

• What happens if this yellow cartridge leaks or the print quality drops?

  Stop printing and get in touch with us rather than pushing on with a faulty cartridge. Recognition failures, leaks and print-quality defects fall under the lifetime warranty — we will replace the cartridge or refund you, and returns are free for the first year.

• What should I do with the empty yellow tank once it is out?

  Hold on to it briefly rather than throwing it away at the moment of the swap. The empty CLI-251XL Yellow is the surest record of what to reorder — the full code is printed on it — and it gives you a comparison point while the replacement settles in over its first prints. Once the new tank has printed a few pages cleanly and you have the code noted, send the empty for recycling instead of household trash, and the change is fully closed out.