Printer Cost Per Page

True cost of printing including ink, paper, and printer.

Ink/toner cartridge ($)

Pages per cartridge

Paper ream ($)

Pages per ream

Printer cost ($)

Printer life (pages)

Pages per month

Cost per page

$0.061

$9.15/mo · $110/yr at 150 pages

Breakdown

Ink/toner$0.0400/pg

Paper$0.0160/pg

Printer (amortized)$0.0050/pg

Inkjet B&W: $0.05–$0.10/page. Laser B&W: $0.02–$0.05. Color inkjet: $0.10–$0.30. Photo printing: $0.50+. The "ink subscription" services (Instant Ink, ReadyRefresh) sometimes beat retail by 50%, sometimes worse, depending on volume. The library is free for 30 pages a month.

About

Add up cartridge cost, page yield, paper cost, and printer amortization. Get cost per page and what it costs you per month and year at your typical print volume. Useful for picking a printer or comparing print services.

How to use

Enter cartridge cost and yield.
Enter paper, printer cost.
See cost per page.

FAQ

Inkjet or laser?+

If you print less than 50 pages a month, inkjet wins on upfront cost but loses to ink that dries out. Laser pays back at 100+ pages a month and is much cheaper per page once it's earning.