What Does Cartridge Yield Mean?
Cartridge yield or capacity is often an estimation of a potential life of a cartridge. This term is the estimated number of pages that will be printed per cartridge. Most manufacturers’ cited page yields are determined at an average 5% page coverage, which is roughly a normal page of simple text or short memo excluding items like detailed graphs, images and logos.
Why didn’t my cartridge print the full amount of pages?
Customers concerned about the number of pages their cartridges produce will mistakenly try to track a cartridge’s yield by time. The amount of time it takes for a cartridge to become empty is an inaccurate indicator of its page yield. Taking into account that the manufacturer’s cited page yield for ink and toner cartridges is given at 5% coverage, the quoted page yield is based upon printed pages where only 5% of the page has been imprinted with ink or toner. When you are printing letters, using legal size paper, printing photos, web pages or any type of graphics, your coverage will vary greatly and your page yield will drop significantly.
There are two more accurate ways to check for page yield. First would be to utilize any page counter your printer offers. Many current printers track your estimated page yield by counting the number of pages you printer with a previous cartridge and can often estimate the average number of pages you will get from each future cartridge. Refer to your printer’s user manual for instructions on how to print a count or supplies report. The second way to estimate your page yield is to count reams or boxes of paper you have used with each cartridge. Both of these methods will tell you approximately how many pages per cartridge you are actually using.
It is important to keep in mind that although both methods provide you with an approximation, your cartridge’s yield will ultimately depend on your printing practices. It is important to take into consideration the typical print coverage on the pages that you are producing. If you only print short memos you will reach or, come close to the manufacturer’s stated page yield. However, if you print full page letters or print graphics, your page yield will be considerably less. Even smaller details like not printing in “draft” mode or the type of font you use can have a significant impact on the amount of ink or toner each page you print will use. Using more economic fonts like Century Gothic, Ecofont and Times New Roman and not using bold accents can reduce your overall toner and ink usage and stretch your cartridge further.
How can I calculate my cost per page?
To calculate your cost per page, simply divide the cartridge yield by the cost of the cartridge. For example, if you are purchasing one cartridge for $60 and the yield is 2000 pages at 5% coverage. Take $60.00 and divide that by 2000 pages and you get a cost of .03 cents per page.
How many pages will a compatible toner cartridge print?
Like genuine cartridges, the number of pages you can print will depend on the cartridge type and the amount of toner or ink used for each page printed. In regards to yield, compatible cartridges are made to the same specifications as genuine cartridges. If your business could use another simple way to save money on printing, consider switching from genuine toner and ink to compatible cartridges. Additionally, consider using high-yield or high-capacity toner cartridges, which is an option available for most printers. These cartridges contain more toner, so they last longer and print more pages reducing your cost per page printed.