Two cartridges fit your printer. One costs more and prints more pages; the other is cheaper and runs out sooner. Which one actually costs you less? The sticker price cannot tell you — only the cost per page can, and it takes about thirty seconds to work out for any cartridge, any brand.

We built a free cost-per-page calculator that does this math instantly. This guide explains what it is calculating, why the number decides almost every toner purchase, and how to use it to compare standard vs. high-yield, original vs. compatible, in any combination.

The formula (it is genuinely this simple)

Cost per page = cartridge price ÷ page yield

Page yield is the manufacturer’s rated page count for that cartridge, printed on the box and in every listing. An example — the prices below are illustrative, not a specific product’s:

• Cartridge A: $40, rated 1,200 pages → $40 ÷ 1,200 = 3.3¢ per page
• Cartridge B: $70, rated 3,000 pages → $70 ÷ 3,000 = 2.3¢ per page

Cartridge B costs $30 more at the register and about 30% less for every page you print. Over B’s life, those 3,000 pages would cost about $99 with cartridge A ($40 × 2.5 cartridges) versus $70 with B. The “expensive” cartridge saved roughly $29 — and two cartridge changes.

Why yield numbers are comparable (and their one big caveat)

Yields are measured under an industry standard (ISO/IEC 19752 for mono laser, 19798 for color): a defined test page, printed continuously, until the cartridge is exhausted. Because every brand measures the same way, yields are honestly comparable across brands and across original vs. compatible.

The caveat: the test page has about 5% coverage — mostly text, little graphics. Print dense pages, full-color sheets, or photos and your real yield drops, sometimes by half. That does not break the comparison: both cartridges drop together, so the cartridge that wins on paper still wins on your desk. It only means your personal cost per page is higher than the rated one — for both.

Using the calculator

The cost-per-page calculator asks for three things per cartridge — price, yield, and optionally the printer’s other running costs — and returns:

• Cost per page for each cartridge you enter, side by side
• Cost per 1,000 pages, the number that makes office budgeting easy
• A monthly estimate if you tell it your print volume

Enter the cartridges you are choosing between and the cheapest per page wins — regardless of which one has the bigger sticker.

The four comparisons that matter

Standard-yield vs. high-yield. The high-yield version of the same cartridge wins on cost per page in nearly every case, because the cartridge body, chip, and packaging cost roughly the same to make — only the fill differs. If you print regularly, high-yield is the default answer.

Original vs. compatible. Run both through the formula with real prices and real yields. Compatible cartridges commonly land at half the cost per page or less; our cartridge numbers guide helps you match the exact compatible for your printer, and the toner vs. drum guide explains why printers with separate drums change the math (below).

Single cartridges vs. multipacks. A 2-pack or 4-pack usually lowers the per-cartridge price — divide the pack price by the number of cartridges, then by the yield. Watch for packs that mix yields.

Color sets. On a color printer, add the four channels: your blended color cost per page is the black cost plus the three color costs, weighted by how much color you print. A set priced as a bundle often beats four singles.

Do not forget the drum (if your printer has one)

On printers with a separate drum unit, the drum is also a per-page cost — just a small, slow one. Example, again illustrative: a $90 drum rated at 12,000 pages adds $90 ÷ 12,000 = 0.75¢ per page. The calculator has a field for it. Owners of all-in-one cartridges skip this: their drum is inside the cartridge and already inside its price. Our toner vs. drum explainer covers which design your printer uses and which part to replace when quality drops.

What cost per page does not tell you

Honesty section: the formula assumes the cartridge reaches its rated yield and prints acceptably throughout. A cartridge that fails early — leaks, streaks, gets rejected by the printer — has an infinite cost per good page. That is why cost per page is a comparison tool, not the whole decision:

• Warranty matters. Ours cover a full year; a no-name cartridge with no warranty is a different product at the same yield.
• Yield claims on ultra-cheap listings are sometimes fiction. A seller who inflates the yield deflates the cost per page on paper only. If a yield looks far above the original’s rating for the same printer, treat it as unproven.
• Your time counts. A help desk changing cartridges half as often (high-yield) saves labor the formula does not price.

A worked example with a real family

Take a common Brother setup: a standard-yield TN730 (rated 1,200 pages) and a high-yield TN760 (rated 3,000 pages), plus their shared DR730 drum (rated 12,000 pages). Whatever today’s prices are, the method is fixed: divide each price by its yield, add the drum’s small per-page share, and the ranking is settled in under a minute — by the calculator, not by whoever wrote the listing’s headline. When quality problems enter the picture, cost is only half the story; our printing problems guide covers the diagnosis half.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good cost per page for a home laser printer?

For monochrome home/office printing, roughly 1–3¢ per page for toner is the efficient band with high-yield or compatible cartridges; original standard-yield cartridges often land at 4–6¢. Color runs higher — add the three color channels.

Why does my cartridge run out before its rated yield?

Coverage. The rating assumes about 5% of the page is printed. Dense documents, graphics, and color backgrounds use far more toner per page, so real yields fall — for every brand, original and compatible alike.

Is the high-yield cartridge always the better buy?

On cost per page, almost always. The exceptions: you print so little that the cartridge will age before it empties, or the cash difference matters more than the long-run saving. For regular printing, high-yield is the default.

Does cost per page include the printer and paper?

Our calculator’s core number is supplies only (toner, plus drum where separate). Paper adds roughly half a cent to a cent per page at office-paper prices; the printer itself amortizes to very little per page over its life. For supply decisions — the ones you make every few months — the supplies number is the one that matters.

Try it on the two cartridges you are choosing between right now: the cost-per-page calculator takes thirty seconds and settles the question with your prices, not ours.