Canon PIXMA G3260: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Canon PIXMA G3260 right for you?

The G3260 was the wireless MegaTank all-in-one that convinced many North American households to abandon cartridges, with bundled ink rated for thousands of pages and a very low price per page. It prints documents well and photos adequately, and it is quiet enough for a bedroom office. Its weak points are slow speed, a segment display that shows only codes, and printheads that can clog if the printer sits unused for weeks.

Best for: Families wanting wireless printing with almost no ink cost

Setting up the Canon PIXMA G3260

Charge the tanks and heads before any network setup, then hold the Wi-Fi button and use Canon PRINT on a 2.4 GHz network. Install the G3060 series driver from ij.start.canon on Windows for scanning; Chromebooks add it natively. Run a nozzle check monthly and refill when ink drops below the lower line, then reset the level counter from the panel.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink bottles (fill each tank to the upper line), and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Canon's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Canon PIXMA G3260 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• GI-21 Black
• GI-21 C / M / Y
• MC-G02 maintenance cartridge

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications