Frequently Asked Questions

• How many pages does the CLI-8BK print?

  It is rated at up to 280 pages — the cartridge supplier's rating — Canon published no official yield table for this family. Page counts 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 take the CLI-8BK?

  It fits Canon PIXMA Pro9000, Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II, Canon PIXMA iP3300, Canon PIXMA iP3500 and 22 more. The complete verified list is in the Compatible Printers section on this page — check your model there before ordering.

• What is the difference between the two blacks in this family?

  The dye black is the photo black: it produces deep, glossy blacks on photo paper, while text on plain paper comes from the pigment black tank. Both tanks sit in the printer at the same time and each is replaced on its own schedule.

• Does this cartridge have a chip?

  Yes — a new compatible chip that reports ink levels to the printer, so the low-ink warnings keep working. It is not a refilled original shell with a reset chip.

• Can I mix this cartridge with genuine Canon cartridges?

  Yes. Each slot is read independently, so a compatible tank beside genuine Canon tanks (or the other way round) prints normally — you can switch one color at a time.

• My printer shows a message after installing — what do I do?

  Acknowledge the on-screen message, reseat the cartridge until it clicks, and restart the printer. If the message persists, wipe the gold chip contacts with a dry lint-free cloth and reinstall.

• Is this a genuine Canon CLI-8BK?

  No. It is a Clever Supplies compatible cartridge built to the CLI-8BK specification and covered by our lifetime warranty. It is not manufactured by Canon; the Canon name appears only to identify the printers it fits.

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

  Stop and contact us — do not keep printing on a faulty cartridge. The lifetime warranty covers recognition failures, leaks and print-quality defects: we replace the cartridge or refund you, and returns are free for the first year.

• My photos have lost their deep blacks, but text still looks sharp — is this the cartridge?

  Very likely, yes. Text on plain paper comes from the pigment black tank, while the CLI-8BK dye black is what lays down the deep, glossy blacks on photo paper. When photos start looking washed out, or their shadows turn charcoal-gray instead of black, while documents stay crisp, the dye black is the tank running down. Print one photo on photo paper as a check: if the dark areas are weak there but ordinary text pages are fine, it is this tank that needs replacing, not the pigment one.

• How do I make sure I order this black and not the pigment black?

  Read the code on the tank you remove. This one is marked CLI-8BK; the document tank is the PGI-5BK. Both are black, both sit in the same printer, but they are different inks doing different jobs and they are not interchangeable. Ordering by the CLI-8BK code, rather than asking for "the black one," is what guarantees the photo black arrives. Note too that if your printer produces only documents and never photos, this tank may sit nearly untouched for long stretches while the pigment black does all of the work.