One of the more expensive annoyances for printer owners is printer toner, which may cost between $10 and $70 per ounce. Every drop the cartridge is pushed to release costs you money. You can budget for the cost of operating your machine or select the less expensive of two compatible toner cartridges for your printer by knowing how much toner is used on each printed page.
- The Formula
The cost of the toner cartridge and the manufacturer’s anticipated page yield are the two inputs needed to calculate the cost per page for a toner cartridge. Typically, the yield figure is printed on the toner’s container someplace. Take the cost of the cartridge and divide it by the claimed yield to find the printing cost per page. For instance, the cost of toner is 1.2 cents per page if your toner cartridge costs $60 and has a yield of 5,000 pages. Remember to total the price of each toner cartridge used in your printer: If you use 4 cartridges, each of which costs 1.2 cents per page, you will pay a total of 4.8 cents for each printed page.
- The 5 Percent Rule
These advertised statistics can be deceptive even if the manufacturer page yield number is obtained after extensive testing through the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO examines many cartridges in a printer to obtain an accurate average, however only 5% of the page is used in the calculation. For context, that equates to plain text on around half of a standard-sized page. This average won’t apply to you if you print complete pages with a lot of strong text or full-color images.
- Hidden Toner Loss
You can still be losing money each time you use your machine, even if you buy the most effective printer on the market and utilise the most cost-effective cartridges. Many printers utilise toner throughout their cleaning processes or after they have been idle for some time, they run it through their heads to prime the machine.
- Getting the Most from Your Toner
You don’t want to use toner needlessly because it can cost more per ounce than good Champagne. Printing should only be done when absolutely required, and if feasible, digital data should be used instead of paper. Choose carefully to prevent your printer from using more toner than required. Printers usually let you choose the kind of paper and print mode for each task. For instance, while printing, your printer could include a Draft option that consumes less ink than Normal. Certain paper varieties, including glossy or picture papers, demand a thicker toner coating than uncoated material that is lower in weight.
