What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA TS3722 Use?

Quick answer: The Canon PIXMA TS3722 uses two ink cartridges — a PG-275 pigment black and a CL-276 dye tri-color. High-yield versions, the PG-275XL and CL-276XL, drop in exactly the same way and are the only versions worth buying for most people.

If you have been told the TS3722 takes PG-243/CL-244 or PG-245/CL-246, that information is wrong and it is one of the most common ink-buying mistakes online. Those cartridges belong to Canon's previous generation and are physically keyed differently — they will not seat correctly in a TS3722.

Canon PIXMA TS3722 ink at a glance

One note on those page counts: Canon does not publish official ISO yields for the 275/276 family the way it does for its PGI/CLI tanks. The figures above are the numbers retailers and refill specialists consistently report, and they line up with the published ink volumes. Treat them as realistic estimates rather than guarantees — a page of dense black text and a page with a photo on it consume wildly different amounts of ink.

PG-275 vs PG-275XL: is the XL worth it?

Almost always, yes. The XL black holds roughly 50% more ink and prints roughly twice as many pages as the standard, but it does not cost anywhere near twice as much. On a two-cartridge printer like the TS3722, the standard cartridges exist mainly so the printer can ship with something in the box — they are among the least economical consumables sold.

The practical rule: if you print more than a few pages a month, buy XL. If you print so little that a cartridge dries out before you use it up, buy XL anyway and print a test page every couple of weeks to keep the nozzles clear.

Castle Ink recommendation

Castle Ink stocks compatible high-yield replacements for both cartridges:

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

Both carry the same ink volume as the OEM XL cartridges at a fraction of Canon's price. Browse the full Canon compatible ink range if you have more than one Canon printer in the house.

How to replace the ink in a PIXMA TS3722

1. Turn the printer on and leave it on — the carriage will not move to the change position if the printer is off.
2. Open the paper output tray, then open the cartridge access cover. Wait for the carriage to slide to the center.
3. Push down gently on the tab of the cartridge you are replacing and lift it out at an angle. Black sits on the left, tri-color on the right.
4. Unwrap the new cartridge and pull the orange protective tape straight off. Do not touch the gold contacts or the copper-colored nozzle plate on the underside — skin oils there are the number one cause of "cartridge not recognized" errors.
5. Insert the new cartridge at a slight angle, then press up on the tab until it clicks firmly into place.
6. Close the cover. The printer will run a short initialization, then prompt you to print an alignment page. Print it — skipping alignment is why some people think a new cartridge is faulty.

Troubleshooting TS3722 ink problems

• Support code 1682 — "The FINE cartridge cannot be recognized." Remove the cartridge, wipe the gold contacts with a dry lint-free cloth, reseat it firmly, and power-cycle the printer. If it persists on a brand-new cartridge, the chip is not being read and the cartridge should be exchanged.
• Support codes 1686 / 1688 — ink level cannot be detected. These are advisory, not fatal. Hold the Stop button for at least five seconds to acknowledge and continue printing. Doing so permanently disables ink-level monitoring for that cartridge, so keep an eye on print quality instead of the on-screen gauge.
• Support codes 1401 / 1403 — cartridge not installed or not the right type. Usually means a cartridge is seated at an angle, or that a PG-243/PG-245-generation cartridge has been forced into the slot.
• Streaky or missing colors. Run Cleaning from the printer's maintenance menu, print a nozzle check, and repeat once. If two cleanings do not fix it, the print head is inside the cartridge on this model — a new cartridge is the fix, not a service call.
• Black prints but color does not (or vice versa). The TS3722 supports single-cartridge mode, so it will keep printing with one cartridge installed. That is a useful stopgap, but it also means the printer will not warn you loudly that the other cartridge is empty.

Which printers use PG-275 and CL-276 ink?

The 275/276 family is Canon's current entry-level standard, so the same cartridges cover a whole group of recent PIXMA models:

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

If you own two of these, you can buy in multiples and share stock across both printers. What you cannot do is move cartridges between a 275/276 model and an older PG-243, PG-245, PGI-250 or PGI-280 model — those are all different families.

Genuine Canon vs compatible PG-275XL: what actually differs

Canon does not use HP-style dynamic security firmware on this class of printer, so there is no cartridge-blocking mechanism to work around. What you may see with any non-Canon cartridge is the ink-level warning described above (codes 1686/1688), which is dismissed by holding Stop for five seconds.

The meaningful differences are ink formulation and chip quality. A good compatible matches the pigment black / dye color split that gives the TS3722 crisp text and reasonable photo output. A poor one uses dye for both, which is why bargain-bin cartridges produce text that smudges when it gets damp. That is the thing to check when comparing sellers — not the price alone.

About the Canon PIXMA TS3722 itself

The TS3722 is a compact color inkjet all-in-one that prints, copies and scans. It runs at roughly 7.7 images per minute in black and 4.0 in color, prints up to 4800 x 1200 dpi, and feeds from a 60-sheet rear tray. There is no automatic duplexer and no document feeder — scanning and copying are flatbed only. Connectivity is Wi-Fi plus USB, with AirPrint and Mopria support.

It is a light-duty home printer, and its economics reflect that: the hardware is inexpensive and the ink is not. Buying XL cartridges is the single biggest thing you can do to make it cheaper to run.

FAQ

What ink does the Canon PIXMA TS3722 use?

PG-275 black and CL-276 tri-color, or the high-yield PG-275XL and CL-276XL. Both sizes fit the same slots.

Does the TS3722 use PG-245 or PG-243 ink?

No. Those cartridges belong to the older TS3120 / TS3320 / MG3020 generation. They are keyed differently and will not work in a TS3722, no matter what a listing says.

Can I use just the black cartridge?

Yes. The TS3722 supports single-cartridge mode, so it will print with only the black or only the tri-color installed. Quality drops and color output is simulated, so treat it as a stopgap.

How many pages does a PG-275XL print?

Roughly 400 pages of typical text at 5% coverage, against about 180 for the standard PG-275. Photo printing will burn through both far faster.

Why does my TS3722 say the cartridge is not recognized?

Most often the gold contacts are dirty, the cartridge is not clicked fully into place, or the orange tape was not removed. Clean the contacts with a dry cloth, reseat firmly, and power-cycle. See support code 1682 above.

Is the TS3722 the same as the TS3720?

The hardware is essentially the same — the TS3722 is the retail-channel variant. They take identical ink.

Shop PG-275XL and CL-276XL now

Ready to restock? Grab the PG-275XL black and the CL-276XL tri-color, or find your model on our Find Ink by Printer page.