Can You Use Pigment Ink in Canon CL-246 and CL-244 Color Cartridges? Compatibility, Risks, and Expected Cartridge Life

Question

Regarding the video DIY Refillable Canon Ink Cartridges: Sponge Mod for PG-245, CL-246, PG-243, CL-244, and XL [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfeZ7GssnuI&lc=UgzWqYMiUxt7cPHU65l4AaABAg]:

Can I refill the Canon color cartridge with pigment-based cyan, magenta, and yellow inks instead of dye-based inks? I would like to use pigment ink in every cartridge. Would this work, and approximately how long might the cartridge last?

Answer

The direct answer is that we do not recommend filling a Canon CL-246, CL-246XL, CL-244, or similar tri-color cartridge with pigment-based cyan, magenta, and yellow inks.

Canon designed these cartridges as a hybrid ink system:

• The PG-243, PG-245, and PG-245XL black cartridges use pigment-based black ink.

• The CL-244, CL-246, and CL-246XL color cartridges use dye-based cyan, magenta, and yellow inks.

Canon officially identifies the PG cartridges as pigment-black cartridges and the CL cartridges as dye-based color cartridges. In other words, the black and color cartridges were intentionally designed to use different ink technologies. (Canon U.S.A.)

Could Pigment Color Ink Work Temporarily?

It is possible that a specially formulated pigment ink could print through the color cartridge for a limited period. However, this should be treated as an experiment rather than a dependable conversion.

"Pigment ink" is a broad category. Two bottles may both be labeled pigment ink while having completely different:

• Particle sizes

• Viscosity

• Surface tension

• Drying characteristics

• Dispersants

• Humectants

• Thermal stability

• Nozzle compatibility

The PG-245 and CL-246 are integrated thermal printhead cartridges. The cartridge contains both the ink reservoir and the microscopic nozzles that eject the ink. Thermal inkjet printing depends on rapidly heating a small quantity of ink to create a bubble that pushes a droplet through the nozzle.

For reliable operation, the ink must have the correct physical and chemical properties. Research and thermal-inkjet formulations show that viscosity, surface tension, wetting behavior, particle dispersion, and nozzle dimensions all affect whether an ink can form and eject droplets consistently. Suspended particles can also increase the possibility of sedimentation, unstable firing, and nozzle blockage when the ink is not specifically formulated for the printhead. (Google Patents)

Therefore, pigment ink made for another printer is not automatically safe for this cartridge. In particular, you should not assume that pigment ink formulated for an Epson piezoelectric printhead will work properly in a Canon thermal printhead. Generic art pigment, fountain-pen pigment, or pigment intended for non-inkjet applications should never be placed in the cartridge.

Why Canon Uses Dye Ink in the Color Cartridge

Dye ink contains colorant dissolved into the liquid carrier. Pigment ink contains extremely small solid colorant particles suspended in the liquid. This difference affects how the ink moves through the sponge, enters the firing chamber, passes through the nozzles, and interacts with the paper.

The CL-244 and CL-246 cartridges were designed around the flow and firing characteristics of dye-based color ink. Dye color ink normally provides:

• Smooth color transitions

• Bright, saturated colors

• Better gloss uniformity on photo paper

• Easier movement through the cartridge sponge

• Lower risk of pigment particles settling inside the cartridge

Putting pigment ink into the color cartridge may cause one or more of the following symptoms:

• Missing cyan, magenta, or yellow nozzles

• Horizontal banding

• Weak or inconsistent colors

• Incorrect color balance

• Slow ink flow through the sponge

• Ink starvation during large print jobs

• Sediment inside the cartridge

• Nozzle clogging

• Poor nozzle-check patterns

• Dull-looking photographs

• Reduced gloss on coated photo paper

• Permanent failure of part of the integrated printhead

Pigmented ink can also form deposits around the firing chamber or nozzle area if the formulation is unsuitable. Thermal printheads are especially dependent on stable ink delivery because the ink also helps control conditions around the firing resistors. Poor ink flow can result in weak firing and may eventually damage nozzles that repeatedly operate without a sufficient ink supply. (Google Patents)

Would Pigment Color Ink Produce Better Prints?

Not necessarily.

Pigment ink may provide better water resistance or fade resistance in certain combinations of ink and paper. However, simply putting pigment ink into a dye cartridge does not guarantee waterproof or archival prints.

The final durability depends on:

• The pigment formulation

• The quality of the pigment dispersion

• The paper coating

• Exposure to ultraviolet light

• Humidity

• Ozone and airborne contaminants

• Whether the ink chemically bonds with the paper coating

• Whether the selected paper was designed for pigment ink

The printer driver and color profiles also assume that the CL cartridge contains the expected dye-based colors. Substituting pigment colors can create inaccurate skin tones, color casts, reduced saturation, and unexpected differences between the screen image and the printed result.

On plain paper, the results might be acceptable for certain experimental applications. On glossy photo paper, however, pigment ink may remain closer to the surface and produce uneven gloss, dull areas, bronzing, or poor adhesion if the ink and coating are not compatible.

How Long Would the Cartridge Last?

There is no dependable lifespan or page-yield estimate for a CL-244 or CL-246 cartridge converted to pigment ink.

It might:

• Fail to print correctly immediately

• Print several pages before developing missing nozzles

• Work for several weeks and then clog after being left unused

• Work through one refill but fail during a later refill

• Continue working for some time if the ink happens to be exceptionally well matched to the cartridge

Its lifespan would depend heavily on the ink formulation, the condition of the cartridge, the age of the integrated printhead, how thoroughly the previous ink was removed, the frequency of printing, and the environment in which the printer is stored.

The standard and XL designations do not solve the compatibility problem. An XL cartridge provides a higher ink capacity, but the ink still must pass through the same type of sponge, firing chambers, and microscopic nozzle system.

For that reason, no responsible estimate such as a certain number of pages, months, or refills can be provided. Even if the cartridge prints successfully at first, that does not confirm long-term compatibility.

Do Not Mix Dye and Pigment Ink Directly

We would also avoid injecting pigment ink directly into a color cartridge that still contains a meaningful amount of dye ink.

Different ink formulations may contain incompatible surfactants, resins, preservatives, salts, and dispersants. Mixing them can potentially cause:

• Pigment agglomeration

• Thickened ink

• Sediment formation

• Unstable flow

• Color contamination

• Nozzle blockage

A cartridge that appears empty can still hold ink inside the sponge and internal channels. Fully washing and drying an integrated printhead cartridge is also difficult and can introduce air, damage the sponge structure, contaminate the electrical contacts, or leave cleaning fluid inside the firing chambers.

The Safest Recommendation

For the most reliable results, continue using:

• Pigment black ink in the PG-243, PG-245, or PG-245XL black cartridge

• Dye-based cyan, magenta, and yellow ink in the CL-244, CL-246, or CL-246XL color cartridge

Choose refill ink that is specifically formulated for the exact Canon cartridge family and for Canon thermal inkjet technology.

If your application truly requires pigment ink in black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, the better solution is to use a printer whose manufacturer specifies pigment ink for every channel. A print system engineered for an all-pigment ink set will have suitable printheads, ink-delivery components, maintenance procedures, driver settings, and color profiles.

If you still decide to experiment, use a separate cartridge that you can afford to lose rather than modifying your only working cartridge. Begin with a nozzle check, use the printer regularly, and stop immediately if you notice missing colors, severe banding, or inconsistent ink flow. Avoid performing numerous cleaning cycles when ink is not flowing correctly, since repeated firing and cleaning cannot correct a fundamentally incompatible ink formulation.

Addressing printer problems can be complicated because most failures require hands-on inspection and testing. For that reason, we are unable to provide individualized remote troubleshooting, repair suggestions, or technical support for printer repairs. We do offer in-person evaluation and repair through our local printer diagnostic and repair facility [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Because demand is high, service is handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and it may take several weeks before a drop-off appointment becomes available. Our repair options cover either complete printers or specific components, with instructions explaining how to proceed. However, we recognize that professional repair may not always be the most economical option. Therefore, we strongly encourage self-help through online research whenever practical. You can begin with YouTube or visit the homepage of our BCH Technologies YouTube channel [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. Use the search icon near the "About" section on the right side of the channel menu to look for videos about your particular cartridge or symptom. We receive dozens of questions every day asking whether we have covered specific subjects. After producing videos for more than nine years, it is difficult to remember every individual video, so the YouTube search function is generally the most efficient method. YouTube may also recommend helpful videos from other repair channels.

Thank you again for watching our video, supporting BCH Technologies, and submitting such a thoughtful question. We genuinely appreciate your participation and hope this explanation helps you avoid sacrificing a working color cartridge to an incompatible ink conversion.