Canon Ink Cartridges for Home, Office & Photo Printing
Canon printers have earned a loyal following across Australian homes, home offices and businesses thanks to their dependable performance, vibrant colour output and excellent photo-printing capabilities.
Whether you're printing school assignments, family photos, business documents or creative projects, genuine Canon ink cartridges are designed to deliver consistent results and reliable printer performance.
CartridgesDirect stocks genuine and compatible Canon ink cartridges for Canon PIXMA, MAXIFY and MegaTank printers, covering both current models and older series still in use across Australian homes and offices. Whether you need genuine Canon ink for photo output or a compatible alternative to manage running costs, both options are available in one place.
Popular Canon Ink Cartridge Ranges
Finding the right Canon printer cartridge starts with knowing which cartridge family your printer uses. Some of the most commonly purchased Canon cartridge ranges include:
These cartridges are used across many popular Canon printers, including the Canon PIXMA TS3360, PIXMA TS5360a, PIXMA TR8660a and selected Canon MAXIFY business printers.
For customers who print regularly, many of these ranges are available in XL capacities, providing more pages between replacements and better long-term value.
Canon PIXMA Ink Cartridges
Canon PIXMA printers remain one of Australia's most popular printer ranges, combining everyday document printing with strong colour and photo-printing performance.
Popular models such as the Canon PIXMA TS3360, TS5360a and TR8660a are commonly found in homes, student households and home offices where versatility matters.
Many PIXMA printers use Canon's PG and CL cartridge system, while others use individual PGI and CLI ink tanks that allow each colour to be replaced separately. This can help reduce waste and improve efficiency, particularly for users who print colour documents and photographs regularly.
CartridgesDirect stocks genuine Canon PIXMA ink cartridges for both current and older PIXMA printer models.
Canon MAXIFY Ink Cartridges
Designed for higher-volume printing, Canon MAXIFY printers are commonly used in home offices and small business environments.
MAXIFY printers are built for invoices, reports, proposals and day-to-day business printing. Many models use high-capacity cartridge systems that help reduce interruptions and keep productivity flowing.
For businesses that print regularly, Canon MAXIFY cartridges offer a practical balance between print quality, efficiency and running costs.
CartridgesDirect stocks genuine Canon MAXIFY cartridges for a wide range of Canon business printers.
Canon MegaTank Ink Bottles
Canon MegaTank printers use refillable ink tank technology instead of traditional cartridge systems.
Designed for higher-volume printing environments, MegaTank printers can produce thousands of pages between refills, making them popular with schools, families and businesses looking to reduce ongoing printing costs.
CartridgesDirect supplies genuine Canon MegaTank ink bottles for a broad range of Canon refillable ink tank printers.
Standard vs XL Canon Ink Cartridges
Many Canon cartridge ranges are available in both standard and XL versions. Standard cartridges are often suitable for occasional home printing, while Canon XL cartridges are designed for users who print more frequently.
Because XL cartridges contain more ink, they typically provide a lower cost per page and require fewer replacements throughout the year. For busy households, home offices and small businesses, XL cartridges are often the more economical choice.
Canon Ink for Photo Printing
Canon has long been recognised as one of the leading names in home photo printing. Many Canon PIXMA printers use dedicated photo-printing technology and individual colour ink systems designed to produce richer colours, smoother gradients and greater image detail.
Whether you're printing family photographs, creative projects, marketing materials or presentation graphics, genuine Canon ink cartridges help deliver consistent colour accuracy and dependable print quality.
For users who value photo quality as much as document printing, Canon continues to be one of the most trusted printer brands available.
Find the Right Canon Cartridge for Your Printer
Canon printers use different cartridge systems depending on the printer model and product family.
For example, a Canon PIXMA TS5360a uses a completely different cartridge range to a Canon MAXIFY GX3060, despite both being multifunction printers.
The easiest way to find the correct cartridge is to use the CartridgesDirect Printer Finder tool. Simply search by printer model to view compatible Canon cartridges and compare available standard and XL options.
Recycle Used Canon Ink Cartridges
CartridgesDirect is a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark partner. A free postage-paid recycling satchel is included with every eligible cartridge order. Collect a minimum of eight empty cartridges, seal the satchel and drop it at any Australia Post roadside mailbox. Cartridges are returned to and processed by Close The Loop, who strip and recycle the materials.
Why Canon Users Shop with CartridgesDirect
CartridgesDirect has supplied genuine printer consumables to Australian homes, schools and businesses since 2006.
Customers choose CartridgesDirect because of the extensive range of genuine Canon cartridges available, including many older cartridge series that can be difficult to source elsewhere. Combined with fast dispatch, Australian-based customer support and an easy-to-use Printer Finder tool, finding the right Canon cartridge is straightforward.
Whether you're replacing a single cartridge for your home printer or ordering supplies for multiple business devices, you'll find genuine Canon consumables backed by trusted local service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most popular Canon ink cartridges?+
The ranges that sell most consistently through CartridgesDirect are Canon PG-640 and CL-641 for older PIXMA models, Canon PG-645 and CL-646 for slightly newer home printers, Canon PGI-680 and CLI-681 for recent PIXMA TS and TR series, and Canon PGI-2600XL for MAXIFY business printers. These four families cover a large proportion of Canon printers currently in use across Australian homes and offices. If you're not sure which range your printer takes, use the
Finder tool to confirm compatible cartridges for your model.
What is the difference between Canon PG and CL cartridges?+
Canon PG cartridges contain black pigment ink, which is used for text documents and anything where sharp, crisp black output matters. Canon CL cartridges hold a three-colour dye ink (cyan, magenta and yellow) mixed in a single cartridge used for colour printing and photos. Most entry-level and mid-range PIXMA printers use one of each. With this system, you only need to swap whichever cartridge is actually empty; replacing both when only one runs out is unnecessary.
Are Canon XL ink cartridges worth buying?+
For most people who print more than occasionally, yes. Canon XL cartridges contain significantly more ink than standard versions, often two to three times the page yield, and the price premium rarely reflects that difference proportionally. The result is a lower cost per page, which adds up quickly if you're printing weekly. The main reason to choose a standard cartridge over XL is if you print very infrequently and want to reduce the risk of the ink drying out before the cartridge is used up. For regular household or office printing, XL is the more economical option by a clear margin. Browse the full
Canon cartridge range to compare standard and XL options.
Which Canon printers use PGI and CLI cartridges?+
The PGI and CLI naming convention is used across Canon's multi-ink PIXMA printers, where black and colour inks are supplied in separate tanks. Printers in the PIXMA TS and TR series, including popular models like the PIXMA TS5360, TS6360 and TR7660, typically use the PGI-680 and CLI-681 range. Older PIXMA models may use PGI-650 and CLI-651 cartridges instead. The specific cartridges for your printer are printed inside the cartridge compartment door, or you can confirm compatibility using the
Finder tool.
Are Canon printers good for photo printing?+
Canon is one of the more respected brands for home photo printing, particularly the PIXMA range. The higher-end PIXMA models use five or six individual ink tanks including a dedicated photo black and sometimes a grey, which allows for smoother tonal gradations and more accurate colour than a standard four-colour system. Combined with Canon's photo paper stocks, genuine ink produces consistent results that hold up well over time. For casual photo printing on a budget, even the more affordable PIXMA printers do a reasonable job. For anything more demanding, such as large prints, portfolio work or product photography, a six-ink PIXMA is worth considering.
Do Canon printers use separate colour cartridges?+
It depends on the printer. Entry-level and many mid-range PIXMA printers use a single CL tri-colour cartridge that combines cyan, magenta and yellow in one unit. If one colour runs out, the whole cartridge needs replacing. Higher-end PIXMA models use individual CLI ink tanks, meaning you can replace just the colour that's depleted, which tends to reduce waste and running costs over time. If separate colour replacement matters to you, it's worth checking the cartridge setup before buying a printer. Use the
Finder tool to confirm the cartridge system for any Canon model.
What is the difference between Canon PIXMA and Canon MAXIFY printers?+
PIXMA printers are aimed primarily at home users and anyone who needs quality photo output alongside everyday document printing. They're compact, competitively priced and well suited to households, students and casual users. MAXIFY printers are built with higher-volume document printing in mind, designed for home offices and small businesses that need to print consistently and at reasonable speed without excessive running costs. MAXIFY cartridges have higher page yields, and the printers themselves are generally built for a heavier duty cycle than PIXMA models. The trade-off is that MAXIFY printers don't have the same photo printing capability as the upper-end PIXMA range.
Are genuine Canon cartridges better for photo printing?+
Genuine Canon cartridges are formulated to work with Canon's print heads and photo paper. This matters most for
photo printing, where colour accuracy and consistency across prints depend on the ink behaving predictably with the paper coating. Compatible or refilled alternatives can work adequately for text documents, but for photo output there's a more noticeable risk of colour shifts, fading over time or print head deposits affecting fine detail. If photo printing is your main use case, genuine cartridges are the lower-risk choice.
Can Canon ink cartridges dry out?+
Yes, though modern cartridges are better sealed than older generations and last a reasonable time even without use. The bigger risk with Canon ink cartridges is the print head drying out if it goes unused for an extended period. Printing a small test page or nozzle check every few weeks helps keep the ink flowing. If you do leave a printer idle for months, most Canon PIXMA printers have a built-in head cleaning function that clears dried ink from the nozzles, though this uses some ink in the process.
How do I find the right Canon cartridge for my printer?+
The most reliable method is to check inside your printer's cartridge compartment, where Canon prints the compatible cartridge numbers on a label. Alternatively, look at the cartridges already in the printer. If you don't have either to hand, use the
CartridgesDirect Finder tool: search for your printer model and it returns a confirmed list of compatible cartridges. This is particularly useful for less common or older models where the cartridge range isn't immediately obvious from the printer name alone.
Does CartridgesDirect stock cartridges for older Canon printers?+
Yes. CartridgesDirect maintains stock of genuine Canon consumables for a wide range of older printer models, including several PIXMA and MAXIFY printers that Canon has discontinued but which are still widely used. If your printer model doesn't appear immediately in a search, the Finder tool is the best place to check. Older cartridge ranges like Canon PG-510, CL-511 and PGI-650 are examples that are still regularly stocked and ordered.
Can Canon ink cartridges be recycled?+
Yes. Used Canon ink cartridges are accepted through the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark recycling program, which CartridgesDirect supports. The process is straightforward: collect a minimum of eight empty cartridges, pack them into a free satchel included with your order, and drop the satchel at any Australia Post mailbox. The program is run via Close The Loop and covers most cartridge brands sold in Australia.
Does CartridgesDirect stock cartridges for Canon subscription-enrolled printers?+
Canon offers ink subscription services on certain models that automatically deliver ink based on usage. As with similar programs from HP and Epson, some subscription-enrolled printers may be configured to function only while an active plan is in place. CartridgesDirect stocks genuine and compatible Canon ink cartridges for standard non-subscription models across the full Canon range. If you want full control over your consumable supply without being tied to a subscription, confirm whether the Canon model you're considering uses standard cartridges before purchasing. Our team can confirm compatibility via live chat.
Does CartridgesDirect stock HP ink cartridges too?+
Service Call
Managed Print
