Running costs
Printer Cost Per Page Comparison: How to Calculate It
Written by Printer.business Editorial Team · Updated
A printer cost per page comparison is the most useful number you can work out before buying an office printer. Two printers with the same purchase price can differ several-fold in what each page costs, and over a few years that difference dwarfs the price tag. This hub explains the method, shows a worked example and links to our deeper guides on toner, total cost of ownership and leasing.
We do not publish current prices: they change weekly and differ by country and supplier. Instead, this page shows you how to calculate cost per page from the prices you are quoted today.
The formula
For each consumable a page uses:
consumable cost per page = price of the consumable / rated yield in pages
Then:
cost per page = sum of all consumable costs per page + cost of one sheet of paper
For a mono laser, consumables usually mean toner and, on many models, a separate drum unit. Some printers also list a fuser, transfer belt or maintenance kit with a rated life. For an inkjet, consumables mean each ink cartridge or bottle and sometimes a maintenance box.
Where yields come from
Page yields are measured under ISO/IEC standards so that cartridges can be compared fairly:
- ISO/IEC 19752 for monochrome toner cartridges.
- ISO/IEC 19798 for colour toner cartridges.
- ISO/IEC 24711 (with the ISO/IEC 24712 test pages) for inkjet cartridges.
ISO/IEC 19752 itself notes that it measures yield only; it is not a cost-per-page method and it says nothing about print quality. That is why you need to do the arithmetic yourself. Look for the phrase “ISO yield” or “declared yield in accordance with ISO/IEC” on the cartridge specification. If a yield is quoted at “5% coverage” without an ISO reference, treat it with more caution.
Worked example: mono laser
The figures below are illustrative numbers chosen to show the arithmetic. They are not market prices. Replace them with your own quotes.
| Item | Price (your currency) | Rated yield (pages) | Cost per page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toner cartridge | 90 | 6,000 | 0.0150 |
| Drum unit | 60 | 30,000 | 0.0020 |
| Paper (ream of 500) | 5 | 500 | 0.0100 |
| Total | 0.0270 |
So in this example each printed page costs about 0.027 in your currency, and paper is more than a third of it. Printing duplex halves the paper part for two-page documents.
Worked example: colour page
A colour page uses black plus cyan, magenta and yellow. With illustrative figures:
| Consumable | Price | Yield | Cost per page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black toner | 90 | 6,000 | 0.0150 |
| Cyan toner | 110 | 4,000 | 0.0275 |
| Magenta toner | 110 | 4,000 | 0.0275 |
| Yellow toner | 110 | 4,000 | 0.0275 |
| Imaging and other parts | 120 | 40,000 | 0.0030 |
| Paper | 5 | 500 | 0.0100 |
| Total | 0.1105 |
Even with these made-up figures, a colour page costs around four times a mono page. That is why a print policy that sets mono as the default saves real money.
Adjust for your coverage
ISO test pages represent typical office documents. If your documents carry logos, photos or large solid areas, you will get fewer pages per cartridge. A rough adjustment: track how many pages your current cartridges actually deliver (the printer’s supplies page often shows this) and compare with their rated yield. If you get 70% of the rated yield, divide yields by 0.7 when you calculate costs for a similar printer.
Comparing printers fairly
- List every consumable for each printer, with replacement (not starter) prices.
- Use high-yield versions if you will actually buy them.
- Calculate mono and colour cost per page separately.
- Multiply by your monthly mono and colour volumes.
- Multiply by the months you expect to keep the printer.
- Add purchase price, service and energy to get total cost of ownership.
Our cost per page mistakes article lists the errors that most often skew this comparison.
What about contracts priced per click?
Leases and managed print services often charge a cost per click: a fixed price per mono or colour page that includes toner, parts and service. To compare a click price with buying, take the per-page consumable cost you calculated above, add the expected service and parts cost per page, and compare. Check whether the contract has a minimum volume, an annual price increase or different rates above a threshold. Our lease vs buy guide covers the contract terms in detail.
Toner choices: OEM, compatible, remanufactured
Original manufacturer toner, compatible toner and remanufactured cartridges all have different prices and yields. The office printer toner costs guide explains the trade-offs, including warranty and recycling.
Energy is part of the running cost
Electricity is usually a small share of cost per page, but it is not zero, especially for large copiers left on overnight. ENERGY STAR publishes certified imaging equipment and typical electricity consumption figures you can use to compare models.
Inkjet cost per page
The same method works for inkjets. Each colour cartridge or ink bottle has its own price and ISO/IEC 24711 yield. Divide each one, then add them: black only for mono pages, all four (or more, on printers with extra colours) for colour pages. Two inkjet-specific points:
- Cleaning cycles use ink. A printer that sits idle for days and then cleans its heads will deliver fewer pages than its rated yield. If the printer will be used rarely, factor that in or choose a laser.
- Maintenance boxes that collect waste ink are a consumable on many business inkjets. Add their price divided by the expected life.
Refillable tank systems often list yields per bottle set; the arithmetic is identical.
Quick checklist
- Replacement consumable prices from at least two suppliers.
- ISO-rated yields for every cartridge.
- Drums, fusers and maintenance kits included where they are separate.
- Paper counted, and duplex share applied.
- Mono and colour calculated separately, weighted by your volumes.
- Real coverage adjustment if your documents are graphic-heavy.
Once you have cost per page for each option, combine it with the advice in our office printer buying guide and laser vs inkjet comparison to choose.
When the cheapest page is not printed in the office
Cost per page compares office printers with each other. For long runs, heavy paper and professionally finished pieces, the right comparison is with a print shop, using the full cost of each finished piece rather than toner alone. Our guide to outsourcing printing vs in-house shows how to set the two side by side.
Paper is a cost per page too
Cost per page formulas usually count toner and parts only. Paper adds a fixed amount to every sheet, and heavier or special paper adds more. Our office printer paper guide explains how to choose a standard grade and order it sensibly.
Using cost per page in decisions
A cost per page figure is most useful when you apply it to real volume. Multiply each device’s mono and colour cost per page by its measured monthly pages to see where money goes, then use the steps in how to reduce printing costs to act on it. The same figures help when deciding between colour and black and white devices, and when sizing a fleet in how many printers does an office need.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate printer cost per page?
Divide the price of each consumable by its rated page yield, add the results for every consumable the page uses (toner or ink, plus drum, fuser or other parts), then add the cost of one sheet of paper.
What is a good cost per page for an office printer?
It depends on the class of printer and your country's prices, so we do not quote a single figure. Compare two or three shortlisted printers using the same method and current prices; the differences between them are what matter.
Why is colour cost per page so much higher?
A colour page draws on black, cyan, magenta and yellow consumables, and colour pages usually have much higher coverage than text. Both effects push the cost up.
Are ISO page yields realistic?
They are measured on a standard test suite so results are comparable between brands. Real documents with heavy graphics or large solid areas will produce fewer pages; plain text often produces close to the rated figure.
Does cost per page include the printer price?
Not usually. Cost per page covers consumables and paper. Add the hardware, service and electricity to get total cost of ownership.
Sources
Printer.business Editorial Team
Editorial team
The Printer.business editorial team writes independent guides on choosing, costing and managing office printers, using primary sources such as ISO/IEC standards, ENERGY STAR, NIST and the UK NCSC.
