What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA TS9521C Use?

by William Elward Last Updated: November 2, 2026

Shopping for this printer? See all Canon PGI-280 & CLI-281 Ink Cartridges – 280XL, 281XL & XXL → Ships same day by 4 PM ET, 1-year guarantee.

Quick answer: The Canon PIXMA TS9521C crafting printer uses Canon PGI-280 ink — five ink tanks: PGI-280 pigment black plus CLI-281 black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Each comes in standard, XL and XXL sizes, and you replace only the color that runs out. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured 280/281 XXL tanks individually and as a 5-pack.

It does not use CLI-281 Photo Blue. That sixth color is for the TS8x20, TS9120 and TS9520, so a six-tank 280/281 multipack leaves one tank you can't use.

CastleScore · November 2026

87/100 — Highly Recommended

Canon PIXMA TS9521C

Pillar (weight)	Score	What it is based on
Owner ratings (28%)	86	4.40★ average across 711 ratings at Best Buy (4.4) and Walmart (4.4)
Expert reviews (18%)	80	PCMag 4.0/5 (80/100, via ReviewFinder)
Cost per page (24%)	92	About 2.2¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured PGI-280XXL (600 pages) and CLI-281XXL (820 pages).
Reliability (13%)	85	Most-reported problems: fast ink use across five tanks; 12x12 media settings; thick card feeding; 2.4 GHz-only Wi-Fi setup
Features (12%)	90	Print, copy, scan, 20-sheet document feeder, 12x12 borderless, disc printing, auto two-sided printing, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 4.3-inch touchscreen. No fax.
Value (5%)	84	Running cost and owner satisfaction

Hard to find new. Best Buy no longer stocks the original TS9521C; the refreshed TS9521Ca takes the same ink.

CastleScore is Castle Ink’s own editorial rating, built from retailer star ratings, expert reviews, real cost per page and owner complaint patterns, checked November 1, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.

The ink tanks, pictured

Our own remanufactured tanks, photographed in-house.

What Ink Does the Canon PIXMA TS9521C Take?

Tank	Canon part no. (std / XL / XXL)	Approx. yield (XXL)	Castle Ink option
PGI-280 Pigment Black	2075C001 / 2021C001 / 1967C001	~600 pages	Remanufactured PGI-280XXL
CLI-281 Black (dye)	2091C001 / 2037C001 / 1983C001	photo-rated	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Black
CLI-281 Cyan	2088C001 / 2034C001 / 1980C001	~820 pages	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Cyan
CLI-281 Magenta	2089C001 / 2035C001 / 1981C001	~820 pages	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Magenta
CLI-281 Yellow	2090C001 / 2036C001 / 1982C001	~820 pages	Remanufactured CLI-281XXL Yellow

The PGI-280 pigment black does the text on plain paper. The small CLI-281 dye black is used for photos and mixed color, so Canon rates it in photos rather than pages. Standard PGI-280 is rated for about 250 pages and XL for about 400; standard CLI-281 colors for about 230-260 pages and XL for about 515.

Which Size Should I Buy?

XXL. The tanks are the same shape in every size, so XXL simply holds more ink. Our remanufactured PGI-280XXL is $15.95 and each CLI-281XXL is $11.95, roughly 1.5¢ to 2.7¢ a page per tank, which makes this one of the cheaper cartridge printers to run. That matters on a crafting printer that spends a lot of time on full-coverage 12x12 pages.

Can I Use Remanufactured 280/281 Tanks?

Yes. Canon doesn't lock these tanks, and chipped third-party 280/281 tanks are widely used. The chip estimates ink from nozzle counts, so a tank may read empty early. Support code 1686 or 1688: the printer can't track the ink level (1686) or thinks the cartridge is empty (1688). Canon's manual says to hold Stop for at least 5 seconds to switch off ink-level detection and keep printing; you lose the gauge for that cartridge.

How Do I Replace the Ink in the Canon TS9521C?

With the printer on, open the scanning unit/cover and wait for the print head holder to stop.
Push the tab on the empty tank and lift it out. Replace one tank at a time.
Unpack the new tank and remove the orange tape and protective film completely.
Twist off the orange cap without squeezing the tank, then insert the front of the tank at a slant into the slot with its color label.
Press the top of the tank until it snaps in, then close the cover gently. The printer runs a short head cleaning.

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

The five-color PIXMA TS6120, TS6220, TS6320, TR7520, TR8520 and TS702 use the same tanks. The six-color TS8320, TS9120 and TS9520 use them plus Photo Blue.

What TS9521C 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.

How do I print a 12x12 scrapbook page?

Load 12x12 paper in the rear tray and pick the 12x12 size in the driver or app. Red River Paper found that choosing 12x12 forces the Card Stock media setting; a custom 12x12 size gives more media choices but leaves about 1/8-inch borders.

Why won't it connect to my 5 GHz Wi-Fi?

Its wireless is 2.4 GHz only. Connect it to your router's 2.4 GHz band, or use the Ethernet port or USB.

Thick card won't feed. What can I do?

Owners report that stock around 300 gsm and up needs help. Set the rear-tray paper guide correctly, and Red River suggests turning on Prevent Paper Abrasion for media 12 mil or thicker.

What does support code 1688 mean?

One or more tanks are empty. Replace the tank, or hold Stop for 5 seconds or more to turn off ink-level detection for it and keep printing.

Do I need to replace all five tanks at once?

No. Each color is separate, so you replace only the one that runs out.

TS9521C quirks worth knowing

It prints borderless 12x12 scrapbook pages, square media and 7x10 cards that fold to 5x7, and it can print on CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs.
Two-sided printing works only on plain Letter, A4, A5 and B5 paper, not card or photo paper.
It has a 4.3-inch touchscreen, a 20-sheet document feeder, an SD card slot, Bluetooth and Ethernet.
Allow about 7 inches of clearance behind it for 12x12 paper to feed from the rear tray.

Frequently Asked Questions