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There is no single cost per inkjet page. For a useful ink estimate, divide the current price of the exact compatible ink supply by its published page yield. That gives a standardized ink-only estimate—not a guarantee of what a page will cost in your home. Your page mix, printer setup, paper, and printer purchase price all affect the amount you actually spend.
How to calculate ink cost per page
Use this basic formula for one cartridge or ink supply:
Current price of compatible supply ÷ published yield = estimated ink cost per standardized page.
For example, if a cartridge costs P and its stated yield is Y pages, the calculation is P ÷ Y. The result is expressed in the same currency as the price, per page. This is a way to compare supplies using a common basis; it is not a prediction that every printed page will consume exactly that fraction of a cartridge.
#1 Best Overall
- Automatic
- These cartridges work with: HP OfficeJet Pro 8020, 8020e, 8025, 8028, 8030e, 8035
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 825 pages black, 315 pages per color
- Up to 2x more prints with Original HP Ink vs. non-Original HP Ink
- 82% of HP ink cartridges are manufactured with recycled plastic
Both inputs must match the printer and supply you are evaluating. Check that the cartridge or bottle is compatible with the specific printer model, use its current local price, and find the manufacturer’s yield for that supply. A yield from another printer, a different cartridge size, or a different ink-tank model cannot safely be substituted. The HP page-yield methodology likewise describes standardized yield as a comparison starting point, not a promise of actual output.
Calculate black and color separately when needed
If your printer uses separate black and color supplies, begin with a separate estimate for each one. A black-text estimate is most useful for a mostly black-and-white workload. A color estimate may be more relevant for pages with graphics or photos, but the manufacturer’s test basis matters: a cartridge’s published document yield does not necessarily describe photo output.
Do not automatically add the black and color estimates and call the result the cost of every page. That assumes each page consumes a predictable share of both supplies. A printer’s actual use depends on what is printed and how the manufacturer measured yield. If you cannot establish a meaningful per-page allocation for your own mix, report black and color estimates separately and explain their yield bases rather than presenting a falsely precise combined number.
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What a published page yield does—and does not—tell you
A page yield is a standardized estimate under specified conditions. It helps compare compatible supplies, but it is not the number every owner should expect to get. HP explains that its ISO/IEC 24711 method uses a standard suite of five pages, printed consecutively until the cartridge reaches end-of-life. The company cautions that actual yield can vary considerably with content, printing frequency, setup ink, and other factors. See HP’s explanation of inkjet page-yield testing.
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- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: DeskJet 1255, 2710e, 2720e, 2721e, 2722, 2722e, 2723e, 2724, 2725, 2732, 2742e, 2752e, 2755, 2755e, 4110e, 4120e, 4121e, 4122e, 4123e, 4130e, 4132e, 4152e, 4155e, 4158e; DeskJet Plus 4122, 4132, 4155
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6050e, 6052e, 6055, 6055e, 6075, 6075e, 6420e, 6422e, 6430e, 6432e, 6450e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e; ENVY Pro 6455, 6458, 6475
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 120 pages
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 67 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
This distinction matters because “pages” are not all equivalent. A page of light text is different from a page with substantial color graphics or a photograph. Even when a printer uses the same cartridge, the amount of ink consumed can vary with the printed content, software, print mode, and paper. Standardized test figures let you compare on a shared basis; they do not remove those differences in use.
Document yields and photo yields can differ
Canon’s model-specific PIXMA MX492 yield document illustrates why you should check the test type. For mixed text and graphics, it lists 300 pages for the PG-245XL black cartridge and 300 for the CL-246XL color cartridge. The standard-capacity PG-245 and CL-246 cartridges are each listed at 180 pages for mixed documents. For photo sets, the document lists different yields from those mixed-document figures. These are examples for that particular legacy printer and its listed supplies, not general inkjet benchmarks or current buying recommendations. See Canon’s PIXMA MX492 yield document.
The practical lesson is to compare like with like: the same printer, supply type, and test basis. If one figure describes mixed text and graphics while another describes a photo set, the two numbers do not measure identical workloads. A higher stated yield can still be informative, but only if the supply and conditions match the comparison you are making.
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Some ink is used before ordinary printing begins. Canon says that initial filling of the printhead nozzles consumes ink, so the ink tanks supplied with a printer produce fewer sheets than succeeding tanks. In its yield calculation for the MAXIFY GX6020, the stated yield basis is succeeding tanks rather than the initial set used for setup. That makes the published figure useful for understanding ongoing supply use, but it may not describe what you get from the first included ink.
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- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: DeskJet 1255, 2710e, 2720e, 2721e, 2722, 2722e, 2723e, 2724, 2725, 2732, 2742e, 2752e, 2755, 2755e, 4110e, 4120e, 4121e, 4122e, 4123e, 4130e, 4132e, 4152e, 4155e, 4158e; DeskJet Plus 4122, 4132, 4155
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6050e, 6052e, 6055, 6055e, 6075, 6075e, 6420e, 6422e, 6430e, 6432e, 6450e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e; ENVY Pro 6455, 6458, 6475
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 240 pages
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 67XL Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
HP also identifies setup ink as a factor that can affect the yield of a first cartridge. The specifics depend on the printer and its setup, so do not assume that the included ink will match the yield figure for a normal replacement supply. For a realistic ownership estimate, separate any setup-related difference from the expected yield of later compatible supplies when the manufacturer provides that distinction.
What ink-tank yields look like in a model-specific example
Ink tanks do not eliminate the need to check the supply, printer, and yield basis. Canon’s U.S. MAXIFY GX6020 yield document gives estimated yields of 6,000 black pages and a 14,000-page CMY composite for mixed text and graphics. Canon says the figures are estimates and that yield may vary with the text or photos printed, software, print mode, ink tank or cartridge size and type, and paper. Its published figures are based on succeeding tanks, accounting for ink consumed when the printhead is initially filled. See Canon’s MAXIFY GX6020 page-yield document.
Those numbers are not a direct measure of savings. Yield alone does not tell you the supply’s current price, the printer’s purchase price, how many color or photo pages you print, or how long it takes you to use the ink. An ink-tank printer may be worth comparing when recurring supplies matter to your workload, but the cited yield figures do not establish that ink tanks always cost less overall.
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How to estimate the cost of your own printing
- Identify the exact printer and supplies. Confirm the printer model and the compatible black, color, or tank supplies it uses. If the printer supports standard- and high-capacity cartridges, keep their prices and yields separate.
- Find the manufacturer’s yield for each supply. Note whether the figure applies to black, color, mixed documents, photos, or a specified page set. Confirm that the yield is for the supply and printer you identified.
- Record a current local price. Use the price available in your market for the exact compatible supply. Prices and availability vary, and no single local price can be treated as universal.
- Divide price by yield. Calculate each supply’s estimated cost per standardized page. Keep the result labeled as an ink-only estimate and preserve the yield’s stated basis.
- Match the estimate to your workload. Consider how much you print in black, color, or photo form. If a documented test yield does not reflect your page mix, treat the number as a comparison measure, not as a forecast of your household’s actual consumption.
- Add non-ink costs for a broader estimate. If you want an ownership-cost estimate, include paper and the printer’s purchase price across a clearly stated number of pages and ownership period. Keep those costs distinct from ink cost per standardized page.
The calculation is only as meaningful as its assumptions. If you are comparing two printers, use the same expected workload and ownership period for both. A lower supply cost per standardized page may not settle the decision if printer prices, paper needs, or the balance of black, color, and photo printing differs.
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- Compatible with TS3520/3522, TR4720/4722, TS3720/3722 inkjet printers.
- Value pack of 2 cartridges: PG-275 Black ink yields up to 100 pages, CL-276 color ink yields up to 100 pages.
- Canon Genuine Inks provide peak performance that is specifically designed for compatible Canon printers. The PG black ink cartridge produces crisp, sharp black text for your documents and the CL color cartridge produces accurate impressive color photos.
- Canon's FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology utilizes 6,000 or more nozzles inside the print heads to provide greater efficiency, higher print precision and reliable accuracy in your photos and documents.
- Don’t be fooled by imposters - look for the Canon logo on all ink packaging to ensure you’re buying Genuine Canon Ink for outstanding quality and performance you can rely on.
Ink cost is not the same as total cost to print
The price-divided-by-yield calculation covers the ink supply only. It does not include paper or the printer itself. To estimate total cost of ownership, decide how many pages you expect to print over a stated period, then account for printer purchase price and paper alongside the ink estimate. The time period and page count matter: spreading a printer’s upfront cost over a short run produces a different per-page contribution than spreading it over a much larger run.
Keep the categories visible rather than blending them into an unexplained figure. You can present an ink-only estimate alongside a separate paper and printer-cost estimate, provided the page volume and period are explicit. That makes it easier to adjust the estimate if your usage changes or you already own the printer.
There is no current universal dollar amount to quote for an inkjet page: local supply prices were not established here, and the available manufacturer examples do not supply a complete, current comparison of printer price, ink price, and paper. For a concrete figure, use the exact model and current local supply prices instead of applying a generic online average.
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Compare the options as a whole, not by the biggest yield number or the cheapest cartridge in isolation. Use the same assumptions for both printers and record the following:
Best Value
- Higher Page Yield: Up to 750 pages for hp ink 63 black, 450 pages for hp 63 ink tri-color (at 5% coverage of A4 paper)
- Package Includes: 1 x 63XL black ink cartridge, 1 x 63XL color ink cartridge, 1 x User Guide
- Compatible for HP OfficeJet 3830, 3831, 3832, 3833, 3834, 3836, 4650, 4652, 4654, 4655, 4656, 4657, 4658, 5255, 5200, 5220, 5222, 5230, 5232, 5252, 5258, 5260, 5264, 5212
- Compatible for HP Envy 4520, 4510, 4511, 4512, 4513, 4516, 4517, 4521, 4522, 4523, 4524, 4525, 4526, 4527, 4528
- Compatible for HP DeskJet 1110, 1111, 1112, 1113, 1114, 2130, 2131, 2132, 2133, 2134, 2136, 2137, 2138, 3630, 3631, 3632, 3633, 3634, 3635, 3636, 3637, 3638, 3639, 3640
- Upfront printer price: the purchase cost in your market.
- Compatible supply price: the current price of the exact standard- or high-capacity cartridge, or tank supply.
- Stated yield: the manufacturer’s figure for that supply, including whether it is standard or high capacity and what kind of pages were tested.
- Page mix: your expected black, color, and photo printing, since these workloads do not necessarily consume ink alike.
- Setup and ongoing use: account for documented setup ink where applicable and consider the printer’s stated yield basis for replacement supplies.
- Paper and output needs: include paper in total cost and choose a comparison that reflects the kind of print quality and output you need.
- Volume and ownership period: estimate pages over the same time span for each option so upfront cost and recurring supplies are considered consistently.
A low ink-only estimate is not automatically the lowest total cost for your needs. Likewise, a high-yield supply is not automatically the best value if you print few pages, use a different mix of color and black, or would need a different printer to use it. The comparison becomes useful when the assumptions are explicit and the supplies, yields, and workload are genuinely comparable.
What subscription-plan comparisons can establish
A plan-based ink comparison depends on the plan’s current price, page allowance, eligibility, and terms in the relevant region, as well as how much you print. A November 2021 HP data sheet compared HP 305XL with standard HP 305 supplies and included an Instant Ink comparison based on a 300-page plan, with assumptions including use of all plan pages without extra page purchases. That dated comparison does not establish current prices, availability, eligibility, or savings. See the November 2021 HP 305 data sheet.
Before relying on a subscription comparison, verify the current offer for your specific printer and location. A plan’s page allowance and rules need to fit your actual printing; a calculation based on using every allotted page cannot be assumed to apply to someone who prints less or more. Without current terms and prices, it is more accurate to leave the plan out of a numerical comparison than to treat an older example as a present-day quote.
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Common cost-per-page mistakes
- Using a yield from a different model or supply. Yields are specific to the printer, supply, and test basis; do not transfer one model’s figure to another.
- Treating a standardized yield as guaranteed output. The HP methodology explicitly frames the figure as a comparison starting point, and actual results vary.
- Comparing document yield with photo yield. Different page sets are different tests; a page count without its basis can mislead.
- Ignoring setup ink. Initial printhead filling can reduce the output from first-supplied tanks compared with succeeding tanks.
- Calling ink-only cost the full cost of printing. Paper and printer purchase price are separate components of ownership cost.
- Using an old plan comparison as a current offer. The 2021 HP example does not establish current pricing or terms.
- Assuming tank printers always save money. A yield figure by itself is not an all-in comparison across printer models.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
