How to Calculate Printing Costs?

Printing is one of those things you don’t really think about… until you start replacing cartridges more often than expected.

At some point you realise it’s probably costing more than you thought, but figuring out exactly how much feels like a hassle. It doesn’t have to be.

The easiest place to start

If you want a quick answer, focus on one thing: cost per page.

That’s really all you’re trying to figure out, how much a single page costs you to print.

Every cartridge (toner or ink) comes with a page yield. That’s just an estimate of how many pages it can handle before it runs out.

So if you paid, say, $100 for a cartridge and it’s rated for around 2,500 pages, you’re looking at roughly 4 cents per page.

It’s not exact, but it’s close enough to be useful.

The CPP Formula:
(Price of Cartridge ÷ Page Yield) + Price of 1 Sheet of Paper = Total Cost Per Page

Paper still counts

Most people ignore paper because it doesn’t seem like a big expense.

But if you’re printing regularly, it adds up over time.

A standard pack might cost a few dollars for 500 sheets. When you break that down, it’s only about a cent per page, but that cent is there every single time you print.

So whatever your toner cost is, you can safely add a little more on top.

Why your numbers might not match reality

Page yield numbers are based on pretty light printing, mostly plain text, not much else. A lot of documents aren’t always that simple. If you’re printing reports with bold headings, or anything with images, you’ll burn through toner faster than expected.

So while your calculation might say one thing, your actual cost could be a bit higher. That’s normal.

Colour printing is a different story

If you’re using a colour printer, the cost jumps pretty quickly.

Instead of one cartridge, you’ve got multiple working together. Depending on what you’re printing, some colours run out faster than others.

That’s usually why colour printing feels expensive, even if you’re not printing a huge volume.

Small things that make a difference

You don’t need to overthink this, but a few settings can change your costs more than people realise.

For example, draft mode uses less toner. It won’t look as sharp, but for internal documents it’s usually fine.

Also, higher-yield cartridges tend to last longer and work out cheaper per page, even though they cost more upfront.

So what’s a “normal” cost?

• Black and white (laser): usually around 3 to 6 cents per page
• Black and white (inkjet): closer to 5 to 10 cents per page
• Colour printing: often anywhere from 12 to 25+ cents per page, depending on how much colour is used

That range can shift quite a bit.

A simple text document will sit at the lower end, while anything with images or solid colour will push costs up quickly, especially on inkjet printers.

So if your printing costs are landing somewhere around those numbers, you’re in a fairly normal range. If they’re noticeably higher, it’s usually a sign that something could be optimised, like switching cartridges, adjusting settings, or even reconsidering the printer itself.

Why it’s worth knowing this

Most people focus on the price of the printer when they buy one.

But that’s not where the long-term cost is. It’s the cartridges, over and over again.

Once you’ve worked out your cost per page, even roughly, you start to see things differently. You notice which cartridges are worth it, and which ones aren’t.

Final thought

You don’t need to calculate everything perfectly.

Even a rough estimate gives you a better handle on what printing is actually costing you and whether there’s an easy way to bring that down.

Once you’ve done it, you won’t really need to think about it again.