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Neither ink nor toner is always cheaper. Toner cartridges often cost more upfront, but Canon U.S.A. says laser printers can have a lower cost per page for high-volume printing. Your result depends on the specific printer and supplies, how much and how often you print, and whether your pages are mostly text, color graphics, or photos.
Why cartridge price alone is misleading
A cartridge’s purchase price says little about how much it costs to print each page. A higher-priced toner cartridge may produce more pages than a lower-priced ink cartridge. Start by dividing the price of the exact compatible cartridge by its declared yield:
Estimated consumable cost per page = cartridge price ÷ declared page yield
For a fair comparison, match black output with black output, or compare similar color use. Check the printer model and cartridge number, the yield basis, and the date of the price. This gives a first-pass estimate for consumables—not the full cost of owning or operating a printer.
#1 Best Overall
- STANDARD YIELDS, EXCEPTIONAL VALUE – Brother Genuine TN229 4-Pack Toner is formulated to achieve consistent yields up to 1500 pages Black and up to 1200 pages Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow(1)
- SAVE WITH MULTIPACKS – Save time and restock 4 cartridges at once with this convenient and cost-saving multipack. From professional documents to personal paperwork, you can rely on the premium laser quality of Brother Genuine
- TRUST YOUR DOCUMENTS TO BROTHER GENUINE – Developed as part of a complete printing system, Brother Genuine Toner cartridges are expertly engineered to work in tandem with your Brother printer and DR229CL drum unit to achieve crisp, professional prints
- LEAVE THE RECYCLING TO BROTHER – Brother’s complimentary toner cartridge collection and recycling program means you can easily return your used cartridges back to Brother for proper recycling. It’s our way of helping you to help the environment(2)
- FOR USE WITH – Brother Genuine is the only replacement toner engineered by Brother to work with Brother digital color printers: HL-L3220CDW, HL-L3280CDW, HL-L3295CDW, HL-L3300CDW, HL-L8245CDW, MFC-L3720CDW, MFC-L3765CDW, MFC-L3780CDW, and MFC-L8395CDW
What a useful cost comparison includes
Compare the printer and its supplies as a package over the period you expect to own it. A laser printer’s higher purchase price may outweigh its lower running cost if you print only occasionally. For someone who regularly prints a high volume of text, lower per-page expense may matter more. This is a trade-off, not a universal break-even rule.
- Printer price: Include the cost of the specific model, not just its cartridges.
- Required supplies: Add other model-specific consumables where applicable.
- Print volume and consistency: Estimate pages per month and whether you print steadily or in bursts.
- Print mix: Separate mostly-black text from color graphics and photographs.
- Practical needs: Consider print quality, speed, reliability, features, and support for photo paper or other media.
Canon’s general guidance is that high-volume users may get a lower per-page cost with laser printing despite toner’s typically higher cartridge price. It does not establish a current dollar-per-page winner across printer models. Canon’s inkjet-versus-laser overview also notes that inkjet can suit certain photo-paper or fabric-art tasks.
Rank #2
- Cool Toner Compatible TN760 TN730 Toner for Brother Printer and Compatible for Brother Toner TN-730/TN-760
- Package Contents: 2 black high yield TN760 TN-760 Toner Cartridge for Brother Printer MFC-L2710DW MFC L2710DW Toner
- TN760 Toner for Brother Printer: MFC-L2710DW MFC-L2750DW MFC-L2730DW MFC-L2717DW MFC-L2750DWXL MFC-L2690DW MFC-L2690DWXL; HL-L2350DW HL-L2370DW HL-L2370DWXL HL-L2390DW HL-L2395DW HL-L2325DW; DCP-L2550DW DCP-L2551DW
- Page Yield: Up to 3,000 pages per TN760 toner (Letter/A4, at 5% coverage), replacement for TN-760 TN-730 Toner Cartridge for Brother Printer
- High quality: Cool Toner TN-730/TN-760 Toner Cartridges Deliver Superior Printing Results with Clear prints
How to interpret cartridge yield
Declared yield is useful for comparing supplies, but it is not a promise of how many pages you personally will print. Standardized tests use defined conditions; real results can vary with page content and coverage, print settings, paper, print frequency, and environmental conditions.
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What the standards measure
ISO/IEC 19752 covers toner-cartridge yield for monochrome electrophotographic systems within its stated scope. ISO describes yield as one input to cost per page—not a calculation of total cost per page—and says the test does not support claims about print quality or reliability.
Rank #3
- Package Content: Cool Toner Compatible for HP 67 XL Ink Cartridge Combo Pack and Compatible for HP 67 XL Ink Cartridges Black color Combo Pack (1 × 67XL Black, 1 × 67XL Tri-color）
- High Page Yield: It yields up to 750 pages for each 67XL Black Ink and 450 pages for each 67XL Color Ink at 5% coverage (A4e letter)
- Compatible for HP Envy 6000 6400 Series: ENVY 6010e 6020e 6022e 6030e 6032e 6034e 6050e 6052e 6052 6055 6055e 6065 6065e 6000e 6075 6075e 6400e 6420e 6422e 6430e 6432e 6450e 6452e 6455e 6458e 6475e Printer Ink Cartridges
- Compatible for HP DeskJet 2700 4100 Series: 1255 2710e 2720e 2721e 2722 2722e 2723e 2724 2725 2732 2742e 2752e 2700e 2734e 2752 2755 2755e 4110e 4120e 4121e 4122e 4123e 4130e 4132e 4152e 4155e 4100e 4175e 4155 4152 4158e Printer Ink Cartridges
- Compatible for HP DeskJet 2800 4200 Series: 2855e 2800e 2852e 2842e 2827e 4255e 4200e 4252e 4258e 4227e Printer Ink Cartridges
For ink, Canon describes testing with a standard five-page mixed text-and-graphics document under ISO/IEC 24711 guidance. It says yields are measured under controlled, continuous-printing conditions. Canon’s cartridge-yield explanation provides that test context.
Why actual yield can differ
Lexmark identifies page design and coverage, print-job frequency, quality and darkness settings, paper, duplex mode, and environmental conditions as factors that can affect yield. For laser printing, spot color and multifunction copying or faxing can also matter. Lexmark’s yield guidance describes these variables for ink and toner.
Rank #4
- Print Confidently and Print More: Brother Genuine Toner TN830XL High Yield Black Toner Cartridges, expertly engineered for efficient, high-volume printing in Brother Monochrome (Black & White) Laser Printers
- SUPERIOR QUALITY ON EVERY PAGE. With reliable, consistent performance for home office use, Genuine Brother Toner produces premium black & white laser prints in crisp, sharp tones that won't fade or smudge
- EFFICIENCY MEETS CONFIDENT COMPATIBILITY. This high page yield replacement Brother toner cartridge delivers yields up to 3,000 pages(1) with lower per page print costs and the convenience of fewer replacements, compared to standard yield TN830 cartridges
- Comprehensive Product Range: Brother printer toner comes in several options to suit a variety of print volume requirements, including a convenient multipack and high yield toner cartridge selections for high-volume printing needs
- Monitor Toner Levels From Virtually Anywhere: When using a printer with a wireless connection, you can use your mobile device and the Brother Mobile Connect app to monitor toner usage and order replacement printer toner cartridges from almost anywhere(2)
Inkjet printing can also consume ink without putting it on the page. Lexmark gives examples including startup and calibration, nozzle maintenance, evaporation, unused colors in a tri-color cartridge, and ink left in a cartridge that can no longer be used. The company notes that standardized testing is likely to use less ink for non-print purposes than ordinary customer printing.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsEpson likewise says toner yield can vary with images, settings, paper, print frequency, humidity, and temperature. It recommends considering yield alongside image quality, fade resistance, reliability, and printer features. Epson’s inkjet-versus-laser overview explains those trade-offs.
Best Value
- 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 black, 100 pages tri-color
- 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
Which type is more likely to suit your printing?
Mostly text, printed regularly and in volume
Laser is worth comparing when you produce a steady, high volume of text. Canon says high-volume users can see a lower per-page cost with laser, even though toner cartridges tend to cost more than ink cartridges. Use the yield and price for the exact printer and cartridge rather than assuming that claim applies to every model.
Occasional or low-volume printing
Do not choose on cartridge cost alone. With fewer pages, an upfront price difference can carry more weight, and the cost comparison should reflect how long you expect to keep the printer. Inkjet maintenance and non-print ink use are also relevant, especially when printing is infrequent.
Photos, color graphics, or specialty media
Compare output and media support as well as running cost. Canon identifies some photo-paper and fabric-art tasks as cases where inkjet may be a better fit. Epson also advises weighing image quality and fade resistance, rather than treating yield as the only decision point.
A practical way to decide
- Set your use case. Estimate monthly pages, how regularly you print, and the share that is black text, color graphics, or photos.
- Choose the actual printers. Compare models that meet your speed, quality, feature, and media requirements.
- Match the supplies. Record each printer’s compatible cartridge number and declared yield; do not assume cartridges are interchangeable.
- Estimate consumable cost per page. Divide each current compatible cartridge price by its declared yield, using comparable output and noting the price date.
- Compare ownership costs. Add the printer price and other required model-specific supplies over your expected ownership period. Treat the result as an estimate because your print habits may differ from standardized testing.
- Choose the better fit, not just the lower number. Consider whether the printer can produce the quality, media support, reliability, and features you need.
There is no supported universal cents-per-page figure or break-even threshold for ink versus toner: the result depends on the particular printer, supplies, prices, and usage.
Quick Recap
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.
