What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA TS3520 Use?

Quick answer: The Canon PIXMA TS3520 uses a PG-275 pigment black cartridge and a CL-276 dye tri-color cartridge, or the high-yield PG-275XL and CL-276XL. Two cartridges, nothing else — there is no separate photo black or print head to buy.

A lot of listings still tie the TS3520 to PG-245/CL-246. That is the previous generation's ink and it does not fit. When Canon launched the TS3520 in 2021 it moved this line to the 275/276 family.

Canon PIXMA TS3520 ink at a glance

Canon publishes ink volumes for this family but not ISO page yields, so the yields above are the consistent retail-reported figures. Use them for comparison, not as a promise.

The real cost of running a TS3520

The TS3520 launched at $79.99 and can often be found for less. That price makes sense only if you understand the trade: the printer is cheap and the ink is where Canon makes its money. A set of standard cartridges covers barely 180 pages.

Two things reduce the pain. First, always buy XL — the per-page cost is roughly half. Second, buy compatible. A compatible PG-275XL from Castle Ink costs a fraction of Canon's XL and holds the same volume of ink, which is what actually determines how many pages you get.

Castle Ink recommendation

• Canon PG-275XL Black Ink Cartridge (High-Yield Compatible)
• Canon CL-276XL Tri-Color Ink Cartridge (High-Yield Compatible)

More models in the Canon compatible ink collection.

How to replace the ink in a PIXMA TS3520

1. Turn the printer on and leave it on. Open the paper output tray, then the cartridge access cover.
2. Wait for the carriage to move to the center of the machine before touching anything.
3. Press down on the tab of the old cartridge and lift it up and out. Black is on the left, tri-color on the right.
4. Remove the new cartridge from its packaging and peel the orange tape off. Keep your fingers off the gold contacts and the copper nozzle plate.
5. Insert at an angle, then push the tab up until it clicks.
6. Close the cover, wait for initialization, and print the alignment page when the printer asks for it.

Troubleshooting TS3520 ink problems

• Support code 1682 — cartridge not recognized. Canon has a knowledge base article specifically for this code on the TS3520, which tells you how common it is. Wipe the gold contacts with a dry lint-free cloth, reseat firmly until it clicks, and power-cycle the printer.
• Support codes 1686 / 1688 — ink level cannot be detected. Press and hold Stop for at least five seconds to continue printing. Ink-level monitoring for that cartridge stays off afterward, so judge remaining ink by print quality.
• Codes 1401 / 1403. Cartridge missing, seated crooked, or from the wrong family.
• Horizontal white lines through prints. Run Cleaning from the maintenance menu, then a nozzle check. Repeat once. Because the print head is part of the cartridge on a FINE printer, two failed cleanings means the cartridge is the problem.
• Long gaps between print jobs. Dye ink in the tri-color cartridge dries in the nozzles. If the TS3520 sits unused for weeks at a time, print a single color page every couple of weeks — it costs far less ink than the cleaning cycles you would otherwise need.

Which printers use PG-275 and CL-276?

• PIXMA TS3520 and TS3522
• PIXMA TS3720 and TS3722
• PIXMA TR4720 and TR4722

The TS3520 was superseded by the TS3720, so if you are shopping for a replacement printer, staying inside this list means your spare cartridges carry over.

Genuine Canon vs compatible PG-275XL

There is no firmware lockout to worry about here — Canon does not run HP-style dynamic security on entry-level PIXMA models. The ink-level warning (code 1686/1688) is the only difference you will see day to day, and it is dismissed with a five-second press of Stop.

What separates a good compatible from a bad one is whether the black cartridge really contains pigment ink. Pigment sits on top of the paper fibers and gives you dark, smudge-resistant text; dye soaks in and looks washed out. If a seller does not say, assume dye.

About the Canon PIXMA TS3520 itself

The TS3520 is a compact color inkjet all-in-one that prints, copies and scans. It manages roughly 7.7 images per minute in black and 4.0 in color, prints up to 4800 x 1200 dpi from 1,280 nozzles, and feeds from a 60-sheet rear tray. There is no automatic duplexer and no document feeder. Connectivity is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi plus Hi-Speed USB, with AirPrint and Mopria support.

It is a light-duty home machine, best suited to occasional documents, school work and the odd 4x6 photo.

FAQ

What ink does the Canon PIXMA TS3520 use?

PG-275 black and CL-276 tri-color, or the high-yield PG-275XL and CL-276XL.

Does the TS3520 use PG-245 ink?

No. PG-245/CL-246 belong to the older TS3120, TS3320 and MG3020 line. They will not work in a TS3520.

Is TS3520 ink the same as TS3522 ink?

Yes, identical. The TS3522 is the same machine sold through a different retail channel.

Can I use only the black cartridge?

Yes. Single-cartridge mode lets the TS3520 keep printing with one cartridge installed, at reduced quality.

How many photos will a CL-276XL print?

Far fewer than its document rating — borderless 4x6 photos typically consume ten to twenty times the ink of a text page. Expect a few dozen photos from an XL, not hundreds.

My TS3520 says the ink is empty but the cartridge feels full. What now?

That is the ink-level estimator, not a measurement. Hold Stop for five seconds to override and keep printing until quality actually drops.

Shop PG-275XL and CL-276XL now

Pick up the PG-275XL black and CL-276XL tri-color, or find your printer on our Find Ink by Printer page.