Understanding Printer Page Yield

Lawrence Bonk Avatar

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Updated Jun 27, 2022 11:11 PM

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Printers can be a significant investment, as can their associated ink cartridges and toner cartridges. To that end, consumers may be wondering about page yield for different types of top-rated printers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Printer page yield refers to how many pages a printer can print before its ink or toner cartridge will need to be replaced.
  • Inkjet printers tend to feature page yields of around 220 pages while laser printers boast page yields of 2,500 or more pages per cartridge.
  • You can choose to purchase a high-yield cartridge for both inkjet or laser printers.

What is Page Yield?

When you are talking about a printer’s page yield, you are actually referring to how many pages a printer can print before the ink or toner will need to be replaced.** The page yield of a cartridge is based upon the ISO standard for measuring ink cartridge yields when it comes to printing out pages with the standard 5% page coverage until the cartridge runs empty. Do you know that a hacker can access your gadgets using your printer? A printer is one of the easiest electronic that can be hacked. To avoid all these, you should know all about your printer’s security features.

Insider Tip

The page yield of a cartridge is based upon the ISO standard for measuring ink cartridge yields when it comes to printing out pages with the standard 5% page coverage until the cartridge runs empty.

Learn How Yield Changes by Type

The different types of printers each have their own average page yields. Knowing these figures can help you make a decision about what kind of printer to buy.

Inkjet Printers

Impressive page yields are not one of the strong suits of inkjet printers. Generally speaking, ink cartridges can print around 220 pages before needing to be replaced. This will depend on its usage, obviously, as reproducing high-resolution color images will deplete the cartridges much faster. You can help ease the financial burden of consistent ink cartridge replacement by going with third-party or generic ink cartridges and by manually refilling the cartridges themselves. Also, many big-box retail stores will refill ink cartridges at the store location. We advise calling ahead before bringing in some nearly depleted ink cartridges.

Insider Tip

Generally speaking, ink cartridges can print around 220 pages before needing to be replaced.

Laser Printers

Laser printers use toner cartridges, which are highly efficient when it comes to page yields. The average page yield of a laser printer is many times more than what is found with an inkjet printer, at around 2,500 to 4,000 pages per cartridge. It is for this reason that laser printers are the defacto standard in highly trafficked office environments. The downside with laser printers is the initial buy-in cost, as the printers themselves tend to be much more expensive than inkjet printers.

High-yield Cartridges

If you are really looking to maximize your page yield, you should consider high-yield cartridges. High-capacity cartridges are available for both inkjet printers and laser printers. When it comes to inkjet printers, choosing a high-yield cartridge can up the average yield to around 300 pages per cartridge. For laser printers, opting for a high-capacity cartridge can up the average yield to 8,000 or more pages. If you are experiencing issues when trying to connect your Mac with a wireless printer, this article will show you how to solve that.

Warning

The downside with laser printers is the initial buy-in cost, as the printers themselves tend to be much more expensive than inkjet printers.

F.A.Q.

How many pages will my cartridge print?

This depends entirely on your printer, the size of your cartridge, and the types of print jobs you typically complete.


What can affect your page yield/duty cycle?

A number of factors can impact your overall page yield or duty cycle, including the efficiency of your printer, your printer type, the size of your cartridge, and the kinds of print jobs you normally complete.


Is it cheaper to print at home or at a store?

This depends on the number of prints you need. It can be cost-effective to conduct print jobs at a retail location if it is something you do rarely. If you find yourself needing to regularly print documents, it may be time to buy a printer.



STAT: For the purpose of cartridge yield measure, almost all printer manufacturers base their black ink/toner cartridge yields on 5% coverage. (source)

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