What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA MG6821 Use?

Correction (October 2026): an earlier version of this guide said Canon publishes page yields only for the pigment black. Canon also rates the CLI-271 color tanks in pages, and we have added those figures.

Quick answer: The Canon PIXMA MG6821 uses a five-tank system: PGI-270 pigment black plus CLI-271 black, cyan, magenta and yellow — or the high-yield PGI-270XL and CLI-271XL. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured XL versions of all five. U.S. shipping is free on orders over $50, and orders placed by 4 PM ET ship the same day.

The MG6821 is a photo-capable home all-in-one from Canon's MG6800 series.

The cartridges, pictured

• PGI-270XL / CLI-271XL 5-packPGBK + BK/C/M/Y
• PGI-270XL Black0319C001 · ~500 pages
• CLI-271XL Cyan0337C001 · ~715 pages
• CLI-271XL Magenta0338C001 · ~645 pages

Our own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.

Canon PIXMA MG6821 Ink Cartridges at a Glance

Two Blacks, and People Buy the Wrong One

This is the thing to get right. PGI-270 is pigment black, used for crisp text on plain paper. CLI-271BK is dye black, used for the dark tones in photos. They are not interchangeable and the printer needs both. If your text is printing but looks washed out, or your photos are printing but documents are not, you have probably replaced the wrong one.

Canon rates the color tanks in pages under ISO/IEC 24711: about 345 cyan, 306 magenta and 347 yellow for standard CLI-271, and about 715, 645 and 715 for CLI-271XL. The dye black gets a separate "estimated supplemental" figure of about 1,795 pages (5,565 for XL), because it prints alongside the pigment black.

It Will Not Print If Any Tank Is Empty

Including black-only documents. This catches a lot of owners, who assume an empty yellow should not stop a text page. There is a temporary workaround (see the FAQ below), but the default is to stop, so keep spares of all five.

Is the PIXMA MG6821 Discontinued?

Yes. Canon USA lists the MG6821 as retired, so there are no further driver updates or product support. Canon names no successor. Note the six-tank sibling, the MG7720, adds a CLI-271 Grey tank — the MG6821 does not use grey.

What MG6821 owners ask

These are the questions that come up most for this printer on retailer Q&A pages, Canon's support community and owner reviews, answered in our words.

Does it print two-sided automatically?

Yes. The MG6800 series prints both sides automatically on letter or A4 plain paper. There is no document feeder, so scanning and copying are one page at a time.

Can I still get drivers and support from Canon?

Canon USA lists the MG6821 as retired, which means no further driver updates or product support. Keep a copy of the driver you have installed.

Can I plug it into my router with a cable?

No. It has no Ethernet port; it connects by Wi-Fi or USB only.

Which other printers take the same tanks?

PGI-270 and CLI-271 also fit the MG5720, MG5721, MG5722, MG6820, MG6822, MG7720, TS5020, TS6020, TS6120, TS8020 and TS9020.

Can it print legal-size pages?

Yes, paper up to 8.5 × 14 in. The front tray holds about 100 sheets of plain paper.

MG6821 quirks worth knowing

• The MG6821 is a color variant of the MG6820. Canon's spec pages for the MG6821 refer to the MG6820, and everything about ink and drivers applies to both.
• The print head has 4,096 nozzles: 1,024 for the pigment black and 3,072 for the dye colors.
• Canon gives the dye black an "estimated supplemental" yield (about 1,795 pages, 5,565 for XL) because it works alongside the pigment black rather than on its own.
• Canon rates it at 15.0 images a minute in black and 9.7 in color, and about 41 seconds for a borderless 4×6 photo.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ink does the Canon PIXMA MG6821 use?
Five tanks: PGI-270 pigment black plus CLI-271 black, cyan, magenta and yellow, or the XL versions of each.

What is the difference between PGI-270 and CLI-271BK?
PGI-270 is pigment black for text on plain paper. CLI-271BK is dye black for photos. The printer uses both and they do not substitute for each other.

How many pages does PGI-270XL print?
About 500 pages. Canon rates the CLI-271XL colors at about 715 cyan, 645 magenta and 715 yellow pages.

Why won't it print in black when only the yellow is empty?
By default the MG6821 stops when any tank is empty and shows support code 1688. Canon's documented workaround on PIXMA printers is to hold the Stop button for at least 5 seconds to keep printing, and Canon warns that print quality may suffer. Replace the empty tank as soon as you can.

Does the MG6821 use a grey tank?
No. That is the six-tank MG7720.

Other printers that use PGI-270 and CLI-271

Canon PIXMA TS9020 · Canon PIXMA MG6820 · Canon PIXMA TS5020 · Canon PIXMA TS6020 · Canon PIXMA TS8020

More Canon ink guides: Canon PIXMA TS3722 · Canon PIXMA TR4720 · Canon PIXMA MG3600 · find any printer

Replacing it? Our highest-rated alternatives

• Epson EcoTank ET-2980 (cheapest to run) — CastleScore 90
• Canon PIXMA MegaTank G3290 — CastleScore 88
• Canon imageCLASS MF275dw (laser) — CastleScore 81

Sources

Ratings and prices were checked on October 10, 2026 and will change over time.

• Canon PIXMA MG6821 support page
• Canon Europe MG6800 series specifications (yields)
• Canon support: code 1688 (empty tank)
• PGI-270/CLI-271 part numbers and yields (TonerBuzz)
• Staples CLI-271XL cyan listing (compatible printers)