Most consumers get frustrated when their cartridges fail to produce the indicated pages. They feel cheated by the manufacturer. That’s not usually the case. These consumers fail to give meaning to 5% coverage in the context of page yield.
That is what we cover in today’s article.
What is a 5% Page Coverage?
Different pages have different coverage. Estimating the cartridge page yield would be challenging without any criteria. Then the International organization for standardization (ISO) came in to set the standard. It was important for consumers to know the output they could expect from a cartridge. This would provide a basis for decision-making on cartridges to buy.
The ISO committee agreed that content covering 5% would equal one page. This implies that ink or toner should cover 5% of the page. The other 95% should be the white space. This 5% coverage is affected by several factors, such as font type and size. We will review those factors later in this post.
The coverage differs for text, spreadsheets, and photos.
How Does a 5% Page Coverage Look in Text
5% Page Coverage is approximately six lines of text in an A4 paper. The coverage may vary depending on the font size and type. Below is how the 5% coverage looks like on A4 paper.
How Does a 5% Page Coverage Look in Spreadsheets?
When it comes to spreadsheets, nine columns and 45 rows will constitute 5.6% of a page. That equals 405 cells without borders. Adding column and row borders would nearly double the toner or ink consumption. It would translate to 10.9% page coverage.
How Does a 5% Page Coverage Look in Photos ;
Most photo cartridge manufacturers do not state the page yield on their cartridges. It is because there is no recognized standard with photo printing. Printing photos usually depend on the size and kind of the picture.
Even when there is no standard, we can still talk from our 10-year experience in the printing industry. Below is how 5% photo coverage looks like when printed on A4 paper:
Page Coverage and Page Yield
Most manufacturers quote the page yield of their cartridges based on 5% page coverage. Some use 10% coverage, and the logic is the same.
If a cartridge offers 1600 page yields on 5% page coverage, it produces 800 on 10% coverage. Similarly, it will print 400 pages with content covering 20% of the page. That is why you can hardly get the exact number indicated in the cartridge. Your everyday printing comes in different coverage.
If you consistently print 20% page coverage, you will only hit a quarter of the indicated page yield. Consumers with no understanding of these tend to accuse their supplier or manufacturer. They will think they are cheated and that their cartridges do not offer what it promises.
Let’s feature an example:
Which one is better between (A) 3200-page yield on 5% page coverage and (B) 2400 on 10% coverage?
If you rush through it, you might settle with the first option, and you’d be wrong. Cartridge A, which offers a 3200-page yield on a 5% coverage, would give 1600 pages on 10% coverage. This is less than 2400, which cartridge B offers on the same page coverage.
You can easily pick the wrong cartridge if you don’t do the math. You need to continuously tap on the page coverage while assessing the page yield.
Page Coverage, Seitenleistung, and Cost per Page
Page coverage does not stop at giving you the page yield. You can use the same information to calculate the cartridge’s cost per page. This forms the basis for decision-making on the cartridges to buy. You might face some challenging options while shopping for cartridges.
Let’s see some possibilities
- Cartridge A produces 3000 pages at 5% page coverage and costs $40
- Cartridge B yields 1200 pages at 10% page coverage and costs $35
Which one offers a cheaper cost per page?
It would be helpful to do some math before deciding on cartridges to buy. Numbers can lie, sometimes.
Let’s run some calculations and see which one offers lower printing cost:
Step one: convert to same page coverage
- Cartridge A = 3000 pages at 5% page coverage
- Cartridge B = 1200 pages at 10% page coverage = 2400 pages at 5% page coverage
Step two: do the math
This means that cartridge A offers a cheaper printing rate. You would spend $5 more to get the cartridge, but you’d eventually enjoy a more affordable printing. Make it a routine to do your calculation before buying your cartridge. That way, you’d make more profits.
Factors Affecting the 5% Page Coverage
You might be wondering:
My designs seemingly cover 5% of the page, yet my cartridges still do not last as indicated?
That is a common concern. You might stick to the 5% or 10% and still print a relatively low number of page yield. Your cartridge might last longer on other occasions. You might be wondering why your cartridges are generally unpredictable.
Such dynamics may not be occurring based on the manufacturers’ reasons. Let’s review some factors that affect the page coverage:
1. ;Type of Font
Toner consumption differs from font to font. There are those which are toner economical. Others mercilessly use the toner as though it was nobody’s business.
It has been found that Serif fonts tend to consume less toner compared with Sans Serif. This is because Serif fonts have thin lines. Century Gothic font consumes the least. Century Gothic will use up to 30% less toner/ink compared with Arial font. Other fonts that consume less are Calibri, Times New Roman, and Verdani. Arial too uses less compared with many others.
2. ;Font Size
Font size also affects the 5% page coverage and toner consumption. Using bigger font will consume more toner than smaller ones. Your 5% coverage will be less when you use a larger font. Avoid printing unnecessarily huge fonts unless it’s necessary. ;
3. ;Font Weight
Bold characters consume more toner. Your printer will use more toner to make them distinct from the rest. You should minimize bold text if you are printing on budget. Italics may not affect consumption. You can tap on this option and italicize what you want to highlight. The goal is not to eliminate bold completely. It’s more about reducing the use.
Strategies to Getting the Most Out Of Your Toner
Be mindful of your text formatting. Avoid unnecessary bold or underlined texts. Italics may serve you better
Select your fonts with toner consumption in mind. Avoid those fonts with thick lines. Bigger font size may not serve you well, either. ;
Rethink your page content. Make your pictures smaller if you must include them. Make those tables borderless, as long as they are readable.
Research before buying your printer. Toner cartridges for printers with inbuilt drums are cheap. You can invest in those and reduce your cost of printing. ;
Buying compatible cartridges would also help. They are cheaper than the original cartridges.
This is where Ikalor comes in. We are a compatible cartridge manufacturer based in China. We manufacture and supply our products to different parts of the world. You can talk to us and get the opportunity to enjoy factory pricing.