Reference · Updated June 2026
How PrinterMath calculates
Every calculator shows its formula on the result. This page collects the assumptions behind those formulas in one place: the industry figures we start from, where they come from, and how to replace them with your own. Estimates only, not a quote.
Where the numbers come from
PrinterMath uses three kinds of input. The first is your numbers — whatever you type into a calculator always overrides our defaults. The second is published manufacturer data: cartridge prices and rated page yields come from spec sheets, rated under the ISO/IEC 19752 (mono) and 19798 (color) standards at 5% page coverage. The third is a small set of industry-typical assumptions, listed below, that fill in a figure when you don't have your own. None of these are quotes; they produce a ballpark you can sanity-check and then refine.
Managed print savings
Managed print programs typically cut total print spend 20–30% by consolidating devices, moving to program toner pricing, governing color, and offloading service and supplies. The MPS calculator applies that band to the current annual spend it builds from your inputs.
Print volume & right-sizing
When you don't have meter reads, we estimate volume from headcount using pages per employee per month:
| Usage level | Pages / employee / mo |
|---|---|
| Light | 500 |
| Medium | 1,500 |
| Heavy | 3,000 |
Fleet right-sizing targets about one shared MFP per 12 staff, and the duty-cycle matcher recommends a rated monthly duty cycle of about 3× your volume so a device runs with headroom. Device classes map to monthly volume like this:
| Device class | Monthly pages |
|---|---|
| Desktop printer | up to 2,000 |
| A4 MFP | up to 10,000 |
| A3 MFP | up to 50,000 |
| Production press | 50,000+ |
Energy & carbon
Energy cost uses a default U.S. commercial electricity rate of 16¢/kWh (override it with your own rate). The carbon calculator uses 4.5 g CO₂ per single-sided sheet (covering paper manufacture and printing), then expresses the total in relatable equivalents: about 21 kg absorbed by a mature tree in a year, and 400 g per mile driven by an average car.
Supplies defaults
When a cartridge yield is unknown we assume 2,500 pages for mono and 2,000 for color, and 500 sheets per ream for paper math. Staff time spent managing print is valued at a default loaded wage of $28/hour unless you change it.
These are starting points, not promises. The most accurate number is always your own — type it in, or get a free print assessment that meters your real fleet. See the Print Cost Index for typical published ranges.
Common questions
Are these numbers a quote?
No. Every figure here is a typical industry assumption used to produce a ballpark. Your real cost depends on your devices, volumes, and contracts. A free print assessment meters your actual fleet for exact numbers.
How often are the figures reviewed?
The cost ranges and assumptions are reviewed quarterly. They were last reviewed in June 2026.
Why is toner yield rated at 5% coverage?
Manufacturers rate cartridge page yield under the ISO/IEC test standards (19752 for mono toner, 19798 for color toner), which print a fixed 5%-coverage page. Real documents usually cover more, so real-world yield runs lower than the box figure — the toner coverage calculator adjusts for that.