Which cartridge fits the Canon PIXMA TS3340?

XL or standard: the sums, figures in hand

Canon claims up to 30% saving per page with the XL versions. The yield ratio bears that out, and it is not the same on both sides:

• black: 180 pages standard, 400 in XL — that is 2.2 times more pages;
• colour: 180 pages standard, 300 in XL — only 1.7 times more.

The gain is therefore far clearer on black. If you are to move only one of the two to high capacity, that is the one: it is also the one that runs out fastest, since every text document draws on it alone.

The case where XL is not the right choice

An inkjet cartridge does not keep indefinitely once fitted: the ink slowly evaporates through the nozzles, and the printhead — built into the cartridge on this range — ends up clogging if it goes unused. On a machine that prints five pages a month, an XL can dry out before it is finished. You would then have paid 2.2 times more for a yield you will never reach.

The simple rule: beyond twenty or so pages a month, XL pays off; below that, standard is safer. And in every case, print at least one colour page a week — that is what keeps the nozzles open.

Not to be confused with the PG-545 and CL-546

Canon uses two very similar naming schemes on neighbouring machines. The PIXMA TS3440 takes PG-545 / CL-546; the TS3340 and the TS3640 take PG-445 / CL-446. One digit apart, two incompatible families — it is the most common mix-up across the whole PIXMA range.