Refill Instructions Canon PG-540-BK Black Ink Cartridges PG540 PG540BK

Refill Instructions for Refilling the Canon PG540 BK / XL Black Ink Cartridge used in the Canon Pixma MG-2150 MG-2200 MG-2250 MG-3150 MG-3200 MG-3250 MG-3255 MG-3550 MG-3650 MG-4150 MG-4250 MX-375 MX-395 MX-435 MX-455 MX-475 MX-515 MX-525 MX-535 Printers.

These instructions use ink and refill tools from our Eco-Fill brand Professional Ink Refill Kits. Please support our work by buying our products.


Before you begin, cover all valuable surfaces and wear protective gloves.

With your finger, feel for an indentation underneath the label on the top of the PG540 cartridge. Use a screw tool to make a hole near the bar code to expose the internal sponge area.

Now push and click the PG540 black cartridge into the refill clip.
Push the syringe needle down through the hole, and into the sponge. Very slowly squeeze the ink bottle to inject a small amount of ink into the sponge. Now withdraw the needle, then push it back into the sponge at a different angle, then inject another small amount of ink into the black cartridge. Repeat this exercise until you are satisfied that the cartridge is full. Important: Avoid overfilling the cartridge as this can cause ink to leak out of the print head nozzle, and also spill out of the top of the cartridge. As a guide, the standard capacity PG-540BK cartridge holds 8ml of Black Ink, and the PG540BK XL holds 21ml. When refilling we recommend you only inject 5ml or 14ml.

Remove the cartridge from the refill clip and wipe the print head nozzles with a paper towel. Now dab the print head on the paper towel.  You will see from the picture below that only a trace of ink is coming through on to the tissue. This can happen sometimes, particular if the cartridge has been left to stand for a few months.  
In these instances you will need to use a suction tool to prime the cartridge and draw the Black ink through the print head.

Push and click the PG540BK Black cartridge into the refill clip, then attach the syringe. Now slowly pull back on the syringe lever until you see ink and air bubbles.

Remove the cartridge from the clip and wipe the print head. Dab the print head on a clean paper towel to test for a black line.

Re-install the cartridge into the printer. The printer will display a warning, "ink cartridge is empty". Press the Stop/Reset button for 5 seconds. This will disable the ink monitor / ink level indicator on the printer and allow you to continue printing.

Canon printers usually only remember the last 4 ink cartridges. So if you put four different empty cartridges into the printer, followed by a fifth refilled one, then hopefully it will read as full!

Refill instructions for guidance only. We do not accept responsibility for any loss incurred by using them. Consult a professional technician if you are unsure.


All brand names and trademarks are the property of their owners and are used for descriptive purposes only. The above products are Non-OEM. Not made by Canon.