Print for less with these third-party ink replacements for Canon printers
Best
third-party ink replacements for Canon printers
Windows Central
2022
As someone who writes and takes photos for a living, I go through a lot of ink and rely on the best third-party ink replacements for Canon printers. My Canon printer was inexpensive, as most inkjet models are these days, but replacing the ink cartridges is not so budget friendly. Enter third-party replacement ink cartridges that sell for a fraction of the cost and do just as good of a job as OEM cartridges. My favorite cartridges come from E-Z Ink, and they’re compatible the Canon PIXMA TS and TR series. The colors are accurate, the cartridges reliable, and the price is nice. If you’re looking for a more affordable option to Canon’s OEM cartridges, check out our list of the best third-party ink replacements for Canon printers.
Best overall: E-Z Ink
Source: Canon
This kit includes one extra-large cartridge of black and small cyan, black, magenta, and yellow cartridges. The XL black cartridge puts out 6,360 pages, and the colors print around 830 pages each. The text is crisp, and the colors in graphics and photos are spot-on. Really, there’s no difference in quality between Canon’s offering and E-Z Ink.
I’m not saying E-Z Ink is lying about having easy-to-install cartridges, but you’ll need to do some magic to get these in your printer without getting inky fingers. Once you remove the sticky tab that holds the ink inside the cartridge, the color ink tends to drip out, so you’ll need to be quick.
Pros:
- 5 cartridges
- Affordable
- High page yield
- Accurate colors
Cons:
- Installation takes practice
Best value: Officewod
Source: Amazon
This bundle has a shelf life of two years, so you can stock up without worrying about the cartridges going bad or losing color before you have a chance to put them to work. The included chip accurately measures the ink level and guarantees your printer will recognize cartridges.
These cartridges are an excellent replacement for Canon’s models. They’re inexpensive and put out more ink than the OEM cartridges. Beware, though, because these cartridges dry out quicker than other options once opened. If you’re not doing bulk printing, this may not be the best budget option for you.
Pros:
- Clear black text
- Colors render properly
- No leakage
- A bargain
Cons:
- Once opened, cartridges dry out quicker than other options
Best for Canon portable printers: Intactech
Source: Canon
The Inactech bundle comes with four black and two color cartridges. The black prints approximately 200 pages, and each color cartridge yields 249 pages. Pricewise, these are a huge money saver over name-brand cartridges, and the quality is on par with what you’d get from Canon.
My only nitpick is that these can take a few tries to install. Occasionally, the printer will show an error message before accepting these non-OEM units. You may need to insert the cartridges, remove them, and then reinsert to get them to take. To be fair, the same thing happens with Canon’s own ink cartridges in their portable printer lineup.
Pros:
- Same quality colors as Canon cartridges
- A bargain
- Text prints clear
- Fast-drying ink
Cons:
- Installation can be tricky
Best environmentally friendly cartridges: ValueToner
Source: George Milton/Pexels
This remanufactured kit includes a large black cartridge and a large tri-color cartridge. You can squeeze out about 400 pages per black cartridge and 300 pages with the tri-color. These are a little more expensive than other options but well worth it.
The colors from ValueToner are accurate and don’t smudge, consistently producing clear text, clean lines, and a consistency page after page that rivals the original replacement cartridges from Canon.
Pros:
- Simple installation
- Vibrant colors
- Prints well on any type of paper
- No bleed-through
Cons:
- Pricier than other options
Best colors: Smart Ink
Source: Malte Bickel/Unsplash
This 12-pack combo kit comes with four large black cartridges, two small blacks, two cyans, two magentas, and two yellows. The cartridges fit like OEM units and are immediately recognized by compatible Canon printers.
Each cartridge comes in vacuum-sealed packaging to ensure freshness, and they have a shelf life of up to two years. The only downside: The ink takes a long time to dry. If you’re patient, this is a stellar deal.
Pros:
- Superb colors
- Good choice for photos and documents
- Vacuum-sealed packaging keeps ink fresh
- 2-year shelf life
Cons:
- Ink is slow to dry
Best high yield: LxTek
Source: Canon
These replacement ink cartridges have smart chips installed to ensure compatibility with your printer. Ink levels are always displayed accurately, and there was no mess with the installation.
We found quality control to be excellent with these cartridges. Each printed consistently across hundreds of pages of paper without running, smearing, or bleeding through paper. Colors are vibrant and true to life, and blacks are dark and easy to read. For documents, charts, and graphs, this is an excellent choice. If you’re printing photos, look elsewhere.
Pros:
- Vibrant colors
- Never leaks
- Super-high yield output
- Consistent quality
Cons:
- Not the best choice for printing photos
Bottom line
If you have one of today’s best cheap printers or a high-end all-in-one printer model, one thing is for certain: You’re going to need ink cartridges. My choice of third-party ink replacements for Canon printers is E-Z Ink. The E-Z Ink bundle comes with five ink cartridges, all of which deliver on quality.
E-Z Ink cartridge installation takes a little practice. You’ll want to be quick about inserting the cartridge as soon as you rip off the tape that prevents ink from leaking. Not doing so will lead to free-flowing ink drops. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a cinch and a non-issue.
If you print lots of text, graphics, and photographs on a PIXMA printer, E-Z Ink is a no-brainer. The colors render beautifully, the text is crisp, and you’ll save some cash over Canon’s offerings.
If you have an older Canon printer and you’re struggling with installation in Windows 10, check out our guide here.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
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