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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 per-page cost for people who print at high volumes. Your result depends on the exact printer and supplies, how much you print, and whether your pages are mostly text, color graphics, or photos.
Why cartridge price alone is misleading
A cartridge’s shelf price does not tell you what each printed page costs. A less expensive cartridge may have a lower declared yield, while a pricier one may produce more pages. Inkjet printers can also use ink for maintenance rather than printing: Lexmark lists startup and calibration, nozzle maintenance, evaporation, unused color in tri-color cartridges, and ink left behind when a cartridge becomes unusable as examples. Laser supplies have their own model-specific costs to consider.
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Canon’s general comparison is qualified by print volume: it says high-volume users can get more value per page from laser printing despite toner cartridges tending to cost more than ink cartridges. That is not a universal result or a guaranteed break-even point. A higher purchase price for a laser printer may outweigh its lower consumable cost for someone who prints only occasionally.
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For a first-pass estimate, divide the current price of a compatible cartridge by its declared page yield:
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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 black, 100 pages tri-color
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Estimated consumable cost per page = current cartridge price ÷ declared page yield
For a fair comparison, use supplies compatible with the exact printer models, compare black with black or equivalent color output, and record the cartridge number, price date, and yield basis. Treat the result as an estimate for consumables—not the full cost of owning or operating a printer.
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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: OfficeJet 9122e; HP OfficeJet Pro 9110b, 9125e, 9128e, 9130b, 9135e; OfficeJet Pro Wide Format 9730e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 1,450 pages black, 800 pages per color
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP Ink cartridges and other everyday products
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Include the rest of the ownership cost
For a fuller comparison, add the printer purchase price over the period you expect to own it, along with any other required model-specific supplies. The calculation should reflect the amount and type of printing you expect to do. The official sources cited here do not provide a current, comparable retail-price table across representative inkjet and laser printers, so there is no defensible universal cents-per-page winner or break-even volume to give.
What declared page yield does—and does not—tell you
Declared yield is useful for comparing supplies tested on a consistent basis, but it is not a personal guarantee. ISO/IEC 19752 covers toner-cartridge yield for monochrome electrophotographic systems within its stated scope. ISO explains that yield is one input to cost per page; the test does not calculate total cost per page or establish print quality or reliability. ISO/IEC 19752
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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: ENVY Inspire 7955e, 7958e; ENVY Photo 6220, 6222, 6230, 6232, 6252, 6255, 6258, 7134, 7155, 7158, 7164, 7830, 7855, 7858, 7864; Tango; Tango X
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 200 pages black, 165 pages tri-color
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For ink, Canon describes testing with a standard five-page mixed text-and-graphics document under ISO/IEC 24711 guidance. Canon says yields are measured under controlled, continuous-printing conditions. Canon’s explanation of inkjet page yields
Your results can differ because real documents and printing habits differ from standardized tests. Lexmark identifies page design and coverage, print frequency, quality settings, paper, duplex mode, ink-use selection, and environmental conditions as factors for inkjet yield. For laser printing, it lists page design and coverage, job frequency, quality and darkness settings, paper, duplex mode, environment, spot color, and multifunction copy or fax use. Epson also notes that images, settings, paper, frequency, humidity, and temperature can affect toner yield. Lexmark’s explanation of cartridge yield Epson’s toner-yield guidance
Rank #4
- 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
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Lexmark cautions that standardized tests are likely to involve less non-print ink use than ordinary customer printing. That means an inkjet’s practical cost may be higher than a simple cartridge-price-divided-by-yield calculation suggests, especially when printing habits trigger more maintenance.
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Choose based on what and how often you print
- Frequent, high-volume text: A laser printer may have the lower per-page cost, according to Canon’s qualified comparison. Check the specific printer and supply prices rather than assuming every laser setup is cheaper.
- Occasional printing: Compare the purchase price as well as consumables. Lower running costs may not compensate for a more expensive printer if you print very little.
- Photos or specialty media: Canon identifies inkjet as a better choice for some photo-paper or fabric-art tasks. Epson recommends weighing yield alongside image quality, fade resistance, reliability, and printer features.
- Color graphics: Compare the actual color supplies and the kind of output you need. A black-text yield is not a like-for-like measure of color printing.
A practical comparison checklist
- Estimate your volume. Note how many pages you print in a typical month and whether that volume stays consistent.
- Describe your print mix. Separate mostly black text from color graphics and photo output.
- Match supplies to each printer. Record the exact printer model and compatible cartridge number; do not compare unrelated cartridges.
- Check yield and its basis. Compare declared yields cautiously and note the test standard or manufacturer method where stated.
- Calculate consumable cost per page. Divide the current compatible-cartridge price by its declared yield, using prices recorded on the same date.
- Account for ownership costs and needs. Include printer purchase price and other required supplies, then weigh speed, image quality, media support, reliability, and features.
Bottom line on ink versus toner
The cartridge with the lower sticker price is not necessarily the cheaper one to use. Compare model-matched supplies by declared yield, then consider the printer’s purchase price, your real print volume and mix, and the practical limits of yield estimates. High-volume text printing can favor laser on a per-page basis; low-volume printing or photo and specialty-media needs can change which printer makes better sense.
Quick Recap
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- HP Ink Cartridges for HP printers are engineered to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: OfficeJet 8122e; OfficeJet Pro 8135e, 8138e, 8139e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 500 pages black, 400 pages per color
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- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP 923 color ink cartridges for HP printers and other everyday products
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