Printer Cost Per Page Calculator (Ink vs Laser)
Inkjet looks cheap to buy, laser costs less per page. See exactly what each print really costs — ink or toner, paper and electricity — for your monthly volume and colour mix.
~₹5,240/yr
avg yearly printing cost, Indian home at 80 pages / month (30% colour)
1. Your printer
Pick the class closest to your printer. Check the cartridge or toner box for yield and price.
2. Your printing
How much you print each month and how much is colour. Duplex halves paper use.
Typical home: 40–100 pages/mo · Small office: 300–600 pages/mo
Inkjet: colour ₹6.00/page, black ₹4.00/page · Laser: toner ₹1.67/page flat
Halves paper cost per page. Two pages per sheet — paper goes from ₹0.58 to ₹0.29 per side.
3. Your costs
India-first defaults: ₹0.58 per sheet (500-sheet A4 ~₹290) and ₹6.5/kWh electricity. Edit both to match your shop and bill.
Typical: ₹0.70–₹1.10/sheet · 70 GSM A4 500-sheet
Typical: ₹6.5/kWh · printer ~0.001 kWh/page
Cartridges at 5% coverage · Paper is the second largest cost after ink
Why your printer's per-page cost matters
The MRP on the box hides the real bill. An inkjet at ₹7,000 can look half the price of a laser at ₹13,500 — but at 5% ISO coverage the black cartridge costs ₹4.00 per page and colour ₹6.00 per page on that inkjet. The same page on a mono laser's toner (₹2,500 for 1,500 pages) is about ₹1.67 before paper.
Three things decide your true rupee per page: what you print — how much is colour (0–100%), how much you print — 30 pages a month versus 300 completely changes the winner, and paper — every sheet of 70 GSM A4 is ₹0.70–₹1.10, and duplex halves it. Electricity is tiny by comparison: a printer draws roughly 0.001 kWh per page, about a paise at ₹6.5/kWh. This calculator adds ink or toner, paper and electricity together for your volume and colour mix, shows inkjet and laser side by side, and tells you when the pricier laser pays for itself.
Defaults are India-first: ₹0.58 per sheet and ₹6.5 per kWh. Raise the sheet price if you use heavier 80 GSM or photo paper, lower it for bulk 500-sheet reams, and tick duplex if you print both sides by default.
How your estimate is worked out
We take the cartridge or toner price divided by its ISO yield to get ink cost per page, blend inkjet by your colour percentage, add paper (halved if duplex) and a small electricity figure of 0.001 kWh × your ₹/kWh rate per page, then multiply by prints per month to get monthly and yearly totals.
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Inkjet · black cost / page | ₹800 ÷ 200 pages = ₹4.00 |
| Inkjet · colour cost / page | ₹900 ÷ 150 pages = ₹6.00 |
| Inkjet · blended / page | (colour% × ₹6.00 + (100 − colour%) × ₹4.00) ÷ 100 |
| Laser · toner / page | ₹2,500 ÷ 1,500 pages ≈ ₹1.67 |
| Electricity / page | ≈ ₹0.01 |
| Paper / page | ₹/sheet ÷ 1 (single) · Default ₹0.58/sheet |
| Monthly → annual | Monthly ×12 · Daily = monthly ÷30.44 |
| Break-even months | (₹13,500 laser − ₹7,000 inkjet) ÷ (monthly inkjet − monthly laser) |
| Formula | ₹/page = ink or toner/page + paper/page + elec./page |
Estimates only — real yield varies with coverage, cleaning cycles and draft vs normal mode. Paper weight and brand change sheet price. See your cartridge box and paper ream for exact figures.
How do inkjet and laser compare?
Monthly cost below assumes 100 pages/month, 30% colour, single-side, at ₹0.58/sheet and ₹6.5/kWh. Change the sliders to see your exact row highlight.
| Type | Cartridge / Toner | Yield | Ink/toner / page | Paper + elec. / page | Total / page | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inkjet · selected | Black ₹800 · Colour ₹900 | 200 / 150 pg | ₹4.60 | ₹0.59 | ₹5.19 | ₹519 |
| Laser | Toner ₹2,500 | 1,500 pg | ₹1.67 | ₹0.59 | ₹2.25 | ₹225 |
Cut the cost of printing
Print duplex by default
Set double-sided as the default in printer settings. You halve paper cost per page (₹{{ PAPER_COST_PER_SHEET.toFixed(2) }} → ₹{{ (PAPER_COST_PER_SHEET/2).toFixed(2) }}) without touching ink.
Use draft for internals
Draft or economy mode uses ~30% less ink. Keep colour at normal or high for photos and official prints only.
Buy high-yield (XL) cartridges
XL blacks often hold 2–3× more ink for 1.5× the price — effective cost per page can drop from ₹4.00 to ~₹2.50.
Match printer to volume
Below ~80 pages/month inkjet wins on total cost. Above ~150 pages/month the laser's cheaper toner pays back the extra upfront in months.
Don't leave inkjets idle for months
Dried nozzles force cleaning cycles that burn ink. Print a test page every 1–2 weeks or power off properly.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an inkjet page really cost in India?
At 5% coverage a black page is ~₹4.00 (₹800/200) and colour ~₹6.00 (₹900/150) before paper. Add ₹0.58 per A4 sheet and ~₹0.01 electricity and a mixed page at 30% colour is about ₹5.19 all-in, single-side.
How much cheaper is a laser page?
A mono laser toner at ₹2,500 for 1,500 pages is ~₹1.67 per page. Add the same ₹0.58 paper and ₹0.01 electricity and the total is ~₹2.26 per page — roughly half the inkjet mixed cost.
When does a laser pay for itself?
Laser hardware is about ₹6,500 dearer (₹13,500 vs ₹7,000). At 100 pages/month with 30% colour you save ~₹290/month with laser, so break-even is ~22 months. At 300 pages/month it falls to ~7–8 months.
Does duplex really save money?
Yes — it halves paper cost per page (two pages per sheet). At ₹0.58/sheet that is ₹0.29 saved per sheet, both sides. On 100 duplex pages you save ~₹29 per month versus single-side.
Does colour percentage affect laser cost?
This calculator treats the laser as mono (black only) — its cost per page stays flat at ~₹1.67 regardless of colour slider. Colour lasers have separate CMYK toners and are higher; add ~₹5–₹7 per colour page if you use one.
What about paper costs — why are they so high?
Paper is the second largest cost after ink. A 500-sheet 70 GSM A4 ream at ~₹{{ PAPER_COST_PER_500 }} is ₹{{ PAPER_COST_PER_SHEET.toFixed(2) }}/sheet. Premium 80 GSM or photo paper can be ₹1.50–₹3.00/sheet — set your real ₹/sheet above for an accurate ₹/page.
How much electricity does a printer use per page?
Very little. At ~0.001 kWh per page and ₹6.5/kWh it is about a paise — under ₹1 for 100 pages. Laser fusers spike higher during warm-up, inkjets less; both are tiny versus ink and paper.
Should I refill or use compatible cartridges?
They cut cartridge cost 30–60% but yield and page quality vary. If you try them, divide the price you actually paid by the pages you really got to check true ₹/page — the calculator's price/yield boxes are where you enter that.
Is inkjet or laser better for home use?
Low volume (<80 pages/month) or colour photos: inkjet (or ink-tank) wins — the cheap printer outweighs the higher per-page cost. High volume, mostly black text, office or student notes: laser's lower per-page cost wins within months.
Can I reduce per-page cost without buying a new printer?
Yes: duplex by default, draft for internal prints, print fewer colour pages, maintain the printer (nozzle checks beat purge cycles), and buy high-yield XL cartridges for your model.
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