Canon PIXMA MG5520: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Canon PIXMA MG5520 right for you?

The MG5520 was a 2013 five-ink all-in-one with a color LCD and duplexing, a step above the two-cartridge MG3000 models and a popular choice for home photo printing at the time. Its PGI-250 / CLI-251 tanks are still manufactured, so ink is easy to find. A decade on, the printhead and the ink absorber are the two components most likely to end its life, and B200 on this generation is usually a dead printhead rather than the logic board.

Best for: Legacy five-ink home printing with a color screen

Setting up the Canon PIXMA MG5520

Use the 2.5-inch screen to join a 2.4 GHz network; WPA3 routers must allow WPA2 fallback. Download the MG5500 series driver from Canon's archive for Windows 11, since the in-box driver lacks scanning. Replace the printhead (QY6-0082) if B200 persists after a full clean and cartridge reseat.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, 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 MG5520 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• PGI-250 PGBK
• CLI-251 BK/C/M/Y
• PGI-250XL / CLI-251XL
• UK: PGI-550 / CLI-551

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