Free calculator

Printer Cost Per Page Calculator: Inkjet vs Laser vs Tank

The sticker price of a printer tells you almost nothing. What matters is what each page costs you over time. Enter cartridge prices and stated page yields below to compare inkjet, laser, and ink tank printers side by side and see your true monthly and annual printing cost.

Side by side cost comparator

Type in your numbers and the results update live. All example values are editable illustrations, not real printer specs. Replace them with the cartridge price and yield printed on your own cartridge box.

Pages you print per month

Lowest cost

Inkjet

Cartridge printer

Example values. Edit freely with your own numbers.

Cartridge price ($) Stated page yield (pages)

Cost per page—

Monthly cost—

Annual cost—

Cartridges per year—

Lowest cost

Laser

Toner printer

Example values. Edit freely with your own numbers.

Toner price ($) Stated page yield (pages)

Cost per page—

Monthly cost—

Annual cost—

Toners per year—

Lowest cost

Ink tank

Refillable bottle printer

Example values. Edit freely with your own numbers.

Ink bottle set price ($) Stated page yield (pages)

Cost per page—

Monthly cost—

Annual cost—

Bottle sets per year—

What page yield numbers really mean: ISO/IEC 24711

The page yield printed on a cartridge box is not a guess. For inkjet printers it comes from ISO/IEC 24711, an international standard test method for measuring ink cartridge yield. Laser printers use the equivalent standards ISO/IEC 19752 (black toner) and ISO/IEC 19798 (color toner).

Under the standard, cartridges are tested in a lab by printing a fixed set of standard documents (defined in ISO/IEC 24712) continuously, at default settings, until the cartridge is judged empty by defined fade criteria. Because every manufacturer uses the same method, yields are comparable across brands.

Your real world results will usually differ, and almost always on the low side:

Cleaning cycles use ink. The lab test prints continuously. Real printers run cleaning and purge cycles, especially after sitting idle, and that ink never reaches paper.
Coverage varies. The standard test pages average roughly 5 percent ink coverage. Photos, presentations, and web pages can use several times more ink per page.
Print modes matter. Draft mode stretches a cartridge; best quality and photo modes drain it far faster than the default settings used in testing.
Idle time costs ink. Ink dries in nozzles between uses. Infrequent printers waste more ink on maintenance than printers used daily.

A practical rule: treat the stated yield as a best case for light, text heavy printing, and expect 60 to 80 percent of it for mixed everyday use. The calculator above uses whatever yield you enter, so adjust it to match your experience for a more honest comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate cost per page?

Divide the cartridge price by its stated page yield. A $35 cartridge rated for 300 pages costs about 11.7 cents per page. Multiply that by your monthly page count for monthly cost, and by 12 for annual cost. That is exactly what the comparator above does.

Which is cheaper per page: inkjet, laser, or ink tank?

In general, ink tank printers have the lowest cost per page, laser sits in the middle, and cartridge inkjets cost the most per page. But the gap depends on your prices and volume. At very low volumes the difference may not justify a pricier printer, which is why comparing your own numbers matters more than rules of thumb.

What is ISO/IEC 24711?

It is the international standard method manufacturers use to measure and report ink cartridge page yield for inkjet printers. Laser toner yields follow ISO/IEC 19752 for black and ISO/IEC 19798 for color. The standards make yields comparable between brands, but they are lab results, so real world yields are usually lower.

Why does my cartridge run out faster than the stated yield?

Stated yields assume continuous printing of light coverage documents at default settings. In real life, cleaning cycles, photo printing, high coverage documents, best quality mode, and long idle periods all consume extra ink that the lab test never sees.

Should I include the printer purchase price in the calculation?

For a full picture, yes. Divide the printer price by the number of years you expect to keep it, then add that yearly amount to the annual ink or toner cost. A cheap printer with expensive cartridges often loses to a pricier printer with cheap ink once you do this math over 3 to 5 years.

Does printing in color change the math?

Yes. Color cartridges have their own price and yield, separate from black. If you print mostly in color, enter the color cartridge numbers for a fair comparison. Composite black (mixing colors to make black) is one of the fastest ways to drain color cartridges.

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