The cheapest printer to buy is often the most expensive to own. The price on the box hides the real number that matters: cost per page. This guide shows you how to calculate true cost per page, including consumables most people forget, so you choose an office printer that fits your actual print volume instead of quietly draining your supplies budget.
Why the sticker price lies
Printer makers use the razor-and-blade model. They sell the hardware cheap and make their margin on cartridges. A budget inkjet can cost a fraction of a laser printer up front, then charge you several times more per page in ink. Over a year of steady office printing, the consumables dwarf the hardware cost. So the question is never ‘what does the printer cost’ but ‘what does each printed page cost over its life’.
How to calculate cost per page
The core formula is simple: cartridge price divided by its page yield. Yield is the number of pages a cartridge prints, usually quoted at 5% page coverage (a standard text-page assumption). If a toner cartridge costs 80 and yields 2,000 pages, that is 0.04 per page for toner.
Include everything, not just ink
Toner or ink is the biggest cost but not the only one. For a complete figure, add:
- Toner or ink per page (cartridge price divided by yield).
- Drum or maintenance units on many laser printers, which wear out and get replaced every tens of thousands of pages.
- Paper, a small but real per-page cost.
- Hardware, spread across the printer’s expected lifetime page count.
Watch the coverage assumption
Quoted yields assume 5% coverage. If you print dense reports, tables, or anything with color blocks, real coverage is higher and your true cost per page rises. Treat quoted yields as a best case, not a guarantee.
Inkjet versus laser, honestly
Neither is universally better. The right choice depends on volume and what you print.
| Factor | Inkjet | Mono laser |
| Upfront cost | Lower | Higher |
| Cost per text page | Higher (usually) | Lower |
| Best for | Low volume, color, photos | High volume text |
| Idle-clog risk | Higher if unused | Low |
High-yield or tank-based inkjets have narrowed this gap for some offices, so compare the actual cost per page rather than assuming laser always wins.
A real scenario
A small accounting office printed roughly 3,000 mono pages a month. They almost bought a 60 inkjet because it was cheap. Running the numbers, that inkjet’s ink worked out to about 0.10 per page, meaning 300 a month in ink. A mono laser priced higher up front ran near 0.03 per page, or about 90 a month. The laser’s extra hardware cost was recovered in roughly one month, and it kept saving after that. The ‘expensive’ printer was the cheaper decision by a wide margin.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Buying on sticker price. Fix: calculate cost per page across your expected annual volume before choosing.
- Forgetting the drum and maintenance kit. Fix: add these consumables to your laser cost-per-page math.
- Trusting quoted yield blindly. Fix: remember yields assume 5% coverage; add margin if you print dense pages.
- Ignoring color you do not need. Fix: if most printing is text, a mono laser is usually cheaper to run.
- Overlooking high-yield cartridges. Fix: XL or high-capacity cartridges often lower cost per page for steady volume.
Action steps
- Estimate your monthly print volume and the color-versus-mono split.
- For each printer you consider, find the cartridge price and page yield.
- Divide price by yield to get toner or ink cost per page.
- Add drum, maintenance, and paper costs.
- Multiply total cost per page by your monthly volume to see the real running cost.
- Compare that running cost, not the sticker price, across models.
Conclusion
Cost per page turns a confusing purchase into a clear one. Before you buy your next office printer, do the five-minute math on cartridge price divided by yield, add the extras, and multiply by your volume. Your next step is to gather cartridge prices for two or three candidates and compare their real running cost.
FAQ
What is a good cost per page?
It varies by printer type and what you print, so there is no single benchmark. The useful comparison is between the specific models you are considering, using your own volume. Lower is better only if print quality and reliability meet your needs.
Are third-party or refilled cartridges worth it?
They can lower cost per page noticeably, but quality varies and some may affect print consistency or warranty terms. Test them on non-critical printing first before switching your main office printer.
Should I lease a printer instead of buying?
Managed print or lease deals often bundle consumables and service into a per-page fee, which simplifies budgeting for high-volume offices. Compare the all-in per-page cost against buying and supplying it yourself before deciding.
Does printing rarely change the math?
Yes. For very low volume, a laser’s savings per page may never repay its higher upfront cost, and inkjets risk dried, clogged heads when idle. Match the printer to how often you actually print.