Printer Ink Coverage Calculator
Printer pages and cost per page from rated yield, real coverage, and price.
What it does
Ink and toner yields quote pages at 5% coverage, a light office memo, while real pages with logos and photos run 10 to 20%. That gap explains why a 2,000 page cartridge dies near page 666.
The tool above takes the rated yield with real coverage and price. It returns estimated real pages, the 5% baseline, and cost per page.
The default 2,000 page cartridge at 15% gives 666 pages at $0.23 each from $149.99. At 5% the same cartridge would give 2,000 pages near $0.07.
Methods follow ISO/IEC 24711 and 19752 scopes with university IT yield tables behind them. All three anchor the 5% coverage basis scaled here.
How to use
- Enter the rated ISO yield.
- Estimate your real coverage percent.
- Add the cartridge price, or 0.
- Read real pages first.
- Read cost per page beside it.
- Compare against the 5% baseline row.
Formula
- rated
- Maker ISO yield at 5% coverage.
- coverage
- Your real average coverage percent.
- price
- Cartridge street price, 0 hides cost.
- 5%
- ISO test coverage baseline.
Pages round down and money rounds to cents. Rated yields come from ISO/IEC 24711 ink and 19752/19798 toner methods at 5% coverage. Leave price at 0 to hide cost per page.
Worked example
Example: 2,000 page cartridge at 15%
Defaults: 2,000 page rating, 15% coverage, $149.99 cartridge.
- Rating: 2,000 pages at 5% coverage.
- Real coverage: 15%.
- Pages: 2,000 x 5 / 15 = 666.67, down to 666.
- Cartridge: $149.99.
- Per page: 149.99 / 666 = $0.23.
- At 5% the same cartridge gives $0.07 a page.
- Tool shows 666 pages, 2,000 pages at 5%, $0.23 per page.
Reference table
| Coverage | Pages | Share of rating |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 2,000 | Full rating |
| 10% | 1,000 | Half |
| 15% | 666 | One third |
| 20% | 500 | One quarter |
Limits
- Scaling estimates, never exact counts.
- One cartridge per run; sets need per color math.
- Fade and clogging sit outside yield.
- Prices move; math does not.
Common mistakes
- Comparing ratings across coverage levels.
- Forgetting cleaning cycle waste.
- Pricing color as one cartridge.
- Trusting cup style volume gauges.
- Ignoring duplex savings.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
5,000 rating at 8%, $89.99?
Pages floor(5,000 x 5 / 8) = 3,125 at $0.03 each.
2,000 rating at 5%, no price?
Full 2,000 pages with cost hidden as add a price.
2,000 rating at 10% and 20%?
1,000 pages at 10%, 500 at 20% from the same rating.
Questions
What does 5% coverage mean?
The ISO test suite prints near 5% black coverage per color. University IT tables label yields exactly that way.
Is scaling exact?
No. Cleaning cycles, graphics, duplex, and short jobs all cut real yield below scaling.
What about color pages?
About 5% per color across 4 separations, near 20% total page coverage.
How do I find cost per page?
Divide price by real pages: $149.99 over 666 pages is $0.23 each.
Which settings stretch ink?
Draft and duplex stretch cartridges; photo paper and full page graphics drain them.
Do ISO ratings promise quality?
Tests define yield only. Fade, clogging, and expiry sit outside page counts.