Pending Update: This article is 6+ years out of date.
This question gets asked a lot so hopefully this FAQ will help provide a useful reference.
Most chip resetters will only guarantee to reset the Canon original chips of the type that they are designed for.. ie: a CLI-526/PGI-525 resetter will definitely reset any of the following Original/OEM cartridge chips:
- CLI-526 C – cyan
- CLI-526 M – magenta
- CLI-526 Y – yellow
- CLI-526 BK – black
- CLI-526 GY – grey
- PGI-525 BK – black
It may reset third party chips installed on compatible cartridges but I cannot guarantee that the resetter will reset the chip nor that it may cause damage the chip for the following reasons:
- The chip may simply not be compatible
- The cartridge manufacturer may have changed chip type/manufacturer/design between batches
So it may have worked in the past on brand X, but not on later versions - The chip may be an Auto Reset Chip already (Never use a chip resetter on one of these!)
- The chip contacts may not be located in a way that makes resetting possible
You are welcome to send in a set of compatible cartridges for testing (to be returned with an order) but as per 2. above you may find that the resetter fails to work on other cartridge batches.
Other Third Party Chip Resetters – Watch Out!
Some unbranded chip resetters are known to have problems with some of the rarer cartridge chips so be careful if you’re tempted to use the cheaper option, particularly when using the following cartridges:
- CLI-8R – red
- CLI-8G – green
- CLI-8PM – photo magenta
- CLI-8PC – photo cyan
- CLI-521G – grey
- CLI-221G – grey
- CLI-526G – grey
- CLI-226G – grey
I have confirmed instances where some chip resetters can stop the chip functioning when used with anything other than the standard five cartridges (ie: PGI-BK, CLI-C/M/Y/BK )
Note: All chip resetters sold through OctoInkjet do not exhibit this problem.