What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA TS8220 Use?

by William Elward Last Updated: October 12, 2026

Quick answer: The Canon PIXMA TS8220 uses six ink tanks: PGI-280 pigment black, plus CLI-281 black, cyan, magenta, yellow and photo blue. Each comes in standard, XL and XXL sizes, and XXL gives the lowest cost per page. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured PGI-280XXL, CLI-281XXL Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Photo Blue, or all six in a 6-pack.

The photo blue tank is what trips people up. Most PGI-280/CLI-281 printers, such as the TS6220 and TS702, take five tanks. The TS8220 takes six, and Canon's manual says it won't print unless all of them are installed, even if you never print photos.

CastleScore · October 2026

83/100 — Highly Recommended

Canon PIXMA TS8220

Pillar (weight)	Score	What it is based on
Owner ratings (28%)	78	4.0★ average across 74 ratings at Adorama
Expert reviews (18%)	—	No published numeric expert score we could verify.
Cost per page (24%)	96	About 1.1¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured PGI-280XXL (600 pages) and CLI-281XXL colors (about 820 pages each).
Reliability (13%)	70	Most-reported problems: pigment black stops printing; support code 1700 ink absorber almost full; 5B00 service lockups
Features (12%)	82	Print, copy, scan, auto two-sided printing, 4.3-inch touchscreen, front cassette plus rear tray, SD card slot, Bluetooth. No document feeder or fax; 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only.
Value (5%)	85	Very low running cost with XXL tanks and six-ink photo quality

Limited data: No expert site has published a numeric score for the TS8220 that we could verify, so the expert weight is spread across the other five pillars.

Discontinued. Canon has replaced the TS8220 with the PIXMA TS8320. This score rates it for current owners.

CastleScore is Castle Ink’s own editorial rating, built from retailer star ratings, expert reviews, real cost per page and owner complaint patterns, checked October 12, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.

The cartridges, pictured

Our own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.

What Ink Cartridges Does the Canon PIXMA TS8220 Take?

Tank	Canon part no. (standard / XL / XXL)	What it prints	Castle Ink option
PGI-280 PGBK Pigment Black	2075C001 / 2021C001 / 1967C001	Text on plain paper (~200 / ~400 / ~600 pages)	Remanufactured PGI-280XXL
CLI-281 BK Black	2091C001 / 2037C001 / 1983C001	Photos and graphics (dye black)	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Black
CLI-281 C Cyan	2088C001 / 2034C001 / 1980C001	Color (~820 pages XXL)	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Cyan
CLI-281 M Magenta	2089C001 / 2035C001 / 1981C001	Color (~820 pages XXL)	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Magenta
CLI-281 Y Yellow	2090C001 / 2036C001 / 1982C001	Color (~820 pages XXL)	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Yellow
CLI-281 PB Photo Blue	2092C001 / 2038C001 / 1984C001	Smoother skies and skin tones in photos	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Photo Blue

Page yields are approximate. Canon's TS8220 page lists ink volumes rather than page counts, so the figures above come from retailer yield sheets. The two blacks are not interchangeable: PGI-280 is pigment ink for crisp text, and CLI-281 BK is dye ink used in photos.

Is XXL Worth It?

Yes. XXL tanks fit the same slots and hold roughly three times the ink of standard tanks. Canon-brand PGI-280XL was $40.99 at Quill on October 12, 2026, about 10¢ a page. Our remanufactured PGI-280XXL is $6.99 and each CLI-281XXL color is $8.99, about 1¢ a page each. Photo blue drains slowly if you mostly print documents, so you will replace it far less often than the others.

How Do I Replace the Ink in the Canon TS8220?

With the printer on, open the scanning unit/cover. The print head holder moves to the replacement position.
Push the tab on the empty tank and lift it out. Replace one tank at a time.
Remove the orange tape and film from the new tank, then twist off the orange cap without blocking the Y-shaped air hole.
Insert the front of the tank at an angle into the slot that matches its label, then press the top until it snaps into place.
Lower the scanning unit gently. The printer cleans the print head automatically before the next job.

Which Other Printers Use PGI-280 and CLI-281?

The six-ink TS8120, TS9120 and TS8320 share the full set. Five-ink models without photo blue include the TS6220, TS6120, TS702, TR8520 and TS9520.

What TS8220 owners ask

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

Do I need the photo blue tank?

Yes. The TS8220 has six slots and won't print with any of them empty or missing, including photo blue.

Why does black text print blank when the PGBK tank is full?

Usually a clogged pigment black nozzle. Run a print head cleaning, then a deep cleaning if the nozzle check still shows gaps. Canon's community moderators say that if deep cleaning doesn't bring it back, the print head needs service. More in our guide to cleaning print heads.

What does support code 1688 mean?

The tank has run out. Replace it. Holding Stop for 5 seconds or more turns off ink-level detection so you can keep printing, but Canon warns that printing with an empty tank can damage the printer.

What does support code 1700 mean?

The ink absorber, the pad that collects ink from cleanings, is almost full. Pressing OK lets you keep printing for a while, but the printer will eventually lock with a 5B00 code and need service.

Can I use European Canon ink in a U.S. TS8220?

No. Canon says it can't guarantee tanks sold for other regions. The European version of this printer, the TS8250, uses the 580/581 series instead.

TS8220 quirks worth knowing

Color ink is used even when you print in black and white, and every tank is used during cleaning cycles.
It has two paper paths: a 100-sheet front cassette for plain paper and a rear tray for photo paper.
The output tray opens automatically, and the front panel must be open to print.
Wi-Fi is 2.4 GHz only. It also has Bluetooth, an SD card slot and AirPrint.

Frequently Asked Questions