Printer Ink Cost Calculator
Calculate your true printing cost per page and monthly/yearly ink expenses.
Compare inkjet vs. laser costs for better budgeting.
Cost per page is the single most important metric for evaluating a printer’s true long-term cost — yet most buyers focus only on the upfront printer price, which is almost always misleading.
Core formulas:
Cost per Page = Cartridge Price / Cartridge Page Yield
Monthly Ink Cost = Pages Printed per Month × Cost per Page
Annual Ink Cost = Monthly Cost × 12
Total Annual Cost = Annual Ink + Annual Paper + Printer Amortization
Page yield: The number of pages a cartridge is rated to print, measured by the ISO/IEC 24711/24712 standard (5% page coverage — a lightly printed business letter). Heavy graphics or full-page photos can reduce actual yield by 50–70%.
Cost per page benchmarks by printer technology (2025):
| Printer Type | B&W CPP | Color CPP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget inkjet | $0.05–0.08 | $0.15–0.25 | High CPP, low upfront cost |
| Mid-range inkjet | $0.03–0.05 | $0.08–0.14 | Balanced |
| EcoTank / ink tank | $0.003–0.008 | $0.01–0.03 | Very low CPP, higher upfront |
| Laser (mono) | $0.02–0.04 | — | Best for high-volume B&W |
| Color laser | $0.04–0.07 | $0.12–0.20 | Fast, high volume |
| Photo inkjet | $0.05–0.10 | $0.25–0.50 | Optimized for photos |
Worked example: Your printer’s black cartridge costs $28.99 and yields 450 pages. Color cartridge set costs $42.99 and yields 300 pages. You print 60 pages/month (80% black, 20% color).
- B&W CPP = $28.99 / 450 = $0.064/page
- Color CPP = $42.99 / 300 = $0.143/page
- Monthly cost = (48 × $0.064) + (12 × $0.143) = $3.07 + $1.72 = $4.79/month
- Annual ink cost = $57.48/year
Money-saving strategies:
- Draft mode reduces ink use by 30–50% for internal documents
- Third-party cartridges can cost 40–70% less — quality varies by brand
- Remanufactured cartridges are a middle ground option
- Ink subscription services (HP Instant Ink, Epson ReadyPrint) make sense for moderate printers — check your CPP carefully
- Print duplex (both sides) cuts paper costs in half
- For 200+ pages/month: ink tank printers pay back their higher cost within 6–12 months
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
SuperGlobalCalculator is independently built and maintained. See how we build and verify our calculators.