What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA TS3722 Use?

Last updated: August 21, 2026.

Quick answer: The Canon PIXMA TS3722 uses Canon PG-245 (black) and CL-246 (tri-color) standard cartridges, or their high-yield counterparts PG-245XL and CL-246XL. For most users, the XL versions deliver roughly 2× the pages and are the better value.

Canon TS3722 Compatible Cartridges

• PG-245 — Standard Black (~180 pages)
• PG-245XL — High-Yield Black (~300 pages)
• CL-246 — Standard Tri-Color (~180 pages)
• CL-246XL — High-Yield Tri-Color (~300 pages)

Why XL Is (Almost) Always the Right Choice

Standard PG-245 cartridges are barely enough to last through a single school project. Going with compatible PG-245XL high-yield black and compatible CL-246XL tri-color drops your cost per page and saves you trips to the store.

How to Replace Ink in the Canon TS3722

1. Power on the printer and open the front output tray.
2. Lift the inner cover — the cartridge holder will move to the replacement position.
3. Push down on the old cartridge to release the latch and lift it out.
4. Remove the orange protective tape from the new PG-245XL / CL-246XL cartridge.
5. Insert the black cartridge in the left slot, the tri-color in the right.
6. Close the inner cover — a print-head alignment page will print automatically.

Should You Refill or Replace?

Refill kits for PG-245/CL-246 exist, but they void your Canon warranty and often produce inconsistent color. A fresh compatible cartridge from Castle Ink's Canon ink collection is usually cheaper than a refill kit and produces OEM-equivalent results.

Need Canon's Official Specs?

Full cartridge specs, firmware updates, and driver downloads are on the official Canon PIXMA TS3722 support page.

Cartridge Options Compared

Yields are Canon’s ISO figures at roughly 5% page coverage — about what an ordinary text document uses. Photos and dense graphics burn through a tri-colour cartridge far faster than that, which is the usual explanation when real-world yields come in below the rating.

Other Canon Printers That Take the Same Cartridges

PG-245 and CL-246 are not exclusive to the TS3722. The same pair covers a wide slice of Canon’s entry-level PIXMA range, which is useful if there is more than one Canon in the house — you can standardise on a single cartridge instead of stocking several.

Among others: PIXMA iP2820, MG2420, MG2520, MG2522, MG2525, MG2920, MG2922, MG2924, MX490, MX492 and TS3320. If your model is not on that list, the cartridge number is printed on the old cartridge and usually on a label inside the printer.

Canon Error Messages Worth Knowing About

Two messages account for most of the questions we get about this printer, and neither one means the cartridge is faulty.

"The following ink may have run out" (support code 1686). The printer has lost track of the ink level rather than measured an empty cartridge. This is normal with refilled or compatible cartridges, because the level counter is tied to the original chip. Press and hold the printer’s Stop button for about five seconds to acknowledge it and disable ink-level detection for that cartridge. The printer then prints normally — you just judge remaining ink by output quality rather than by the on-screen gauge.

"Ink absorber almost full" (support code 5B00 or 5B01). This one is not about cartridges at all. Every Canon inkjet collects waste ink in an internal absorber pad, and the printer counts how much it has sent there. On an inexpensive model, replacing the pad usually costs more than the printer is worth, which is a genuine consideration before spending much on ink for an older machine.

"Cartridge cannot be recognised." Almost always the contacts. Remove the cartridge, confirm the orange protective tape is completely off, wipe the gold contacts with a dry lint-free cloth, and reseat until it clicks.

Compatible vs Original: The Honest Version

On a printer in this class, plain-paper output from a well-made compatible is difficult to tell apart from Canon’s own. Where original cartridges still hold an edge is photo printing on Canon photo paper, where the dye formulation and the media are tuned together.

The expected trade-off is the ink-level gauge, which stops being reliable — hence the Stop-button step above. What matters more than the brand on the box is whether a failed cartridge gets replaced without an argument, which is why everything we sell carries a full replacement warranty.

FAQ

What ink does the Canon PIXMA TS3722 use?

Canon PG-245 black and CL-246 tri-colour, or the high-yield PG-245XL and CL-246XL versions. All four fit the same printer.

Can I use PG-245XL instead of PG-245?

Yes. The XL is the same physical cartridge with more ink in it. It drops straight in, needs no setting changed, and costs less per page.

Will the TS3722 print with only the black cartridge installed?

No. Both cartridges need to be present, even for a black-and-white document. This catches people out when one cartridge runs dry and they assume the other will carry on alone.

Why does the printer say my new cartridge is empty?

Because ink-level detection is reading the chip, not the ink. Hold the Stop button for five seconds to acknowledge and continue — the cartridge is almost certainly fine.

Is the TS3722 worth buying ink for at all?

If it prints well and the absorber warning has not appeared, yes. If it is throwing 5B00, think carefully — that is a repair that typically costs more than the printer.

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