Canon Ink Cartridge Types Explained: PG, CL, XL, and MegaTank

PG vs. CL — what the letters actually mean

Canon's cartridge codes tell you the ink type, not just an arbitrary model number:

• PG (or PGI) stands for pigment ink — used for black cartridges. Pigment ink sits on top of the paper rather than soaking in, which makes it sharper for text and considerably more water- and fade-resistant. It's the reason a printed document survives a coffee spill better than a printed photo.
• CL (or CLI) stands for Canon's "ChromaLife" dye-based color ink. Dye ink produces more vibrant, true-to-life color, which is why it's used for the color cartridges — better for photos, more prone to smudging than pigment ink.

Some higher-volume Canon lines (MAXIFY) use pigment-based ink for color cartridges too, trading some vibrancy for better smudge and marker resistance on business documents — the same core tradeoff, applied differently depending on what the printer line is built for.

Standard vs. XL vs. XXL

Same concept as most printer brands: these are yield (ink volume) options, not different physical cartridges. A Standard, XL, and XXL version of the same cartridge number are exactly the same size and install identically — XL and XXL simply hold more ink, at a lower cost per page. Not every cartridge number offers all three tiers; check your specific printer's supported list.

Individual cartridges vs. combined tri-color

Depending on the printer, Canon uses either:

• A single combined color cartridge holding cyan, magenta, and yellow together (labeled CL, like CL-246) — simpler to stock, but you replace the whole cartridge even if only one color ran out.
• Fully separate cartridges per color (labeled CLI, like CLI-281) — more cartridges to keep as spares, but no wasted ink from healthy colors.

If you have only two slots in your printer, you're on the black-plus-combined-color system. Four or more slots means individual cartridges.

Matching your printer to its cartridge series

Canon's cartridge numbers are tied to specific printer generations, not universal:

• PIXMA MG and MX series typically use PG-243/CL-244 or PG-245/CL-246
• PIXMA TS and TR series typically use PG-275/CL-276 or PG-280/CL-281
• PIXMA iP and iX series typically use CLI-36 or CLI-251

These are common examples, not a universal list — always confirm your exact cartridge number against your printer model on Canon's own support site, or check the number printed directly on your current cartridge.

Canon MegaTank — refillable bottles

Canon's MegaTank printers (most of the PIXMA G-series and some MAXIFY GX models) skip cartridges entirely in favor of refillable tanks topped up from ink bottles. Each bottle has a uniquely shaped nozzle that only fits its matching color tank, which prevents accidentally filling the wrong color. The tanks hold enough ink for thousands of pages — meaningfully more than the 150–200 page range typical of cartridge-based printers — making MegaTank the better long-term value for high-volume printing, at the cost of a higher upfront printer price.