Ink Cartridge Yield Calculator

The number of pages depends on your cartridge's rated yield, your actual page coverage, and your print quality mode. A cartridge rated for 300 pages at 5% coverage will print far fewer pages if you regularly print photo-heavy documents at 30% coverage. Use this calculator to get a personalized estimate based on your real printing habits.

Page yield (sometimes called duty cycle) is the number of pages a cartridge is rated to print under standard test conditions. Manufacturers typically test at 5% page coverage — a page with a small amount of black text. If your documents are denser, your actual yield will be lower than the rated figure on the box.

Page coverage is the percentage of a page that is covered in ink. A standard business letter might use around 5%, while a page full of text and graphics could use 20–40% or more. The higher your coverage, the more ink consumed per page, which directly reduces how many pages your cartridge will produce.

Cartridge life depends on how many pages you print per day and your actual page yield. If your cartridge yields 150 pages at your coverage level and you print 10 pages per day, it will last about 15 days. Printing less frequently stretches the physical lifespan, but note that ink can also dry out if left unused for extended periods.

Several factors can reduce your cartridge yield below the manufacturer's rated figure: high page coverage (heavy text or images), using high-quality print mode, printing on absorbent uncoated paper, frequent printer head cleaning cycles, leaving the printer idle for long periods, and environmental conditions like low humidity. Switching to draft mode and reducing coverage can meaningfully extend cartridge life.

Yes, significantly. High-quality or photo print modes instruct your printer to lay down more ink per pass to produce richer, more detailed output — often using 20–30% more ink than normal mode. Draft mode does the opposite, reducing ink usage by 20–30%, which is ideal for internal documents or proofing copies.

Divide the cost of your cartridge by the number of pages it will actually yield at your coverage level. For example, if your cartridge costs $25 and yields 125 pages at your typical coverage, your cost per page is $0.20. This calculator does this automatically when you enter your cartridge price.

Yes. Use draft or economy print mode for everyday documents, reduce image resolution where full quality isn't needed, choose fonts and layouts that use less ink, avoid unnecessary colour printing, and keep your printer in regular use to prevent ink from drying in the nozzles. Replacing individual colour cartridges rather than combined units also helps you use each colour fully.