Ink Usage Calculator
Ink usage calculator
Use this to work out how much ink your printer will drink, how often you will reorder, and whether a bigger ink setup is worth it.
Enter your numbers and the answers update as you type. The math is the same one we use when we quote a machine.
One 54 inch by 150 foot roll is 675 square feet.
sq ft per month
Your numbers
| Ink used per square foot | |
| Ink used per month | |
| Ink used per year | |
| Square feet from one full set of ink | |
| How often you reorder ink | |
| Rolls of media per month | |
| Rolls of media per year |
Includes a 15 percent waste allowance. That covers ink you pay for but do not sell: ink left behind in the cartridge, and ink pushed through the lines by normal maintenance such as head cleans and nozzle flushes. Media rolls are counted as 54 inch by 150 foot, which is 675 square feet.
How the math works
There is no mystery in it. Four steps.
- Coverage gives you ink per square foot. At 30 percent coverage you use about 0.3 ml of ink per square foot.
- Add 15 percent for waste. This is ink you buy but never sell. Some stays behind in the cartridge. The rest gets pushed through the lines by normal maintenance, meaning head cleans and nozzle flushes. So 0.3 becomes 0.345.
- Add up the ink in a full set. Eight colors at 220 ml each is 1,760 ml.
- Divide. 1,760 ml divided by 0.345 ml per square foot is 5,101 square feet of printing per set of ink.
The reference table
These are our planning figures for the Mimaki CJV200 through CJV330 machines. Other eco-solvent printers land close to these.
| Coverage | Ink per sq ft, with waste | 4 colors, 220 ml | 8 colors, 220 ml | 8 colors, 2 liter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 percent | 0.23 ml | 3,826 sq ft | 7,652 sq ft | 69,565 sq ft |
| 30 percent | 0.345 ml | 2,551 sq ft | 5,101 sq ft | 46,377 sq ft |
| 40 percent | 0.46 ml | 1,913 sq ft | 3,826 sq ft | 34,783 sq ft |
| 60 percent | 0.69 ml | 1,275 sq ft | 2,551 sq ft | 23,188 sq ft |
The same table in rolls of media, at 675 square feet per roll:
| Coverage | 4 colors, 220 ml | 8 colors, 220 ml | 8 colors, 2 liter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 percent | 5.7 rolls | 11.3 rolls | 103.1 rolls |
| 30 percent | 3.8 rolls | 7.6 rolls | 68.7 rolls |
| 40 percent | 2.8 rolls | 5.7 rolls | 51.5 rolls |
| 60 percent | 1.9 rolls | 3.8 rolls | 34.4 rolls |
What the numbers tell you
Cartridge size does not change your ink use. Every setup in that table uses the same ink per square foot. What changes is how much you print between orders. Bigger packs mean fewer orders, fewer color swaps in the middle of a job, and a lower price per drop.
Look at the gap between 220 ml and 2 liter. At normal sign work it is about nine times the printing per order. That is the real argument for a bigger ink setup, and it only pays if you are busy enough to use it.
Use it to size a machine honestly. If you print one roll a month, a 2 liter setup is one ink order every five or six years. That tells you the machine is built for a shop busier than yours, and you should not pay for it.
Coverage matters more than people think. Moving from lettering work to full wraps triples your ink bill on the same square footage. If your work is changing, redo this calculation.
A note on maintenance ink
The 15 percent covers routine maintenance on a machine that gets used. It does not cover a machine that sits.
An idle printer still cleans itself, and every one of those cycles spends ink on nothing. Leave a machine standing for weeks and your real waste climbs well past 15 percent, because you are paying for cleaning cycles with no sales against them. That is one more reason to run the machine on a schedule. See bringing an idle printer back and weekly maintenance.
Three things this does not include
This is an ink calculation, not a full cost of ownership. Budget for these separately.
- Media waste. Loading the roll, gaps between shapes, and reprints. Good nesting recovers a lot of this. See true shape nesting.
- Wear parts. Wipers, caps, dampers and the maintenance station are scheduled replacements, not surprises.
- Laminate. Most outdoor work needs it, so it belongs in your cost per square foot. See the laminating guide.
Which EnduraINK size to order
EnduraINK PRO is our own eco-solvent ink, and it runs in PrismJET and Mutoh machines. It comes in three sizes. Use the calculator above to pick one, then match it here.
| Size | Order it if | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 220 ml cartridges | You print a few hundred square feet a month, or you run a lot of colors and do not want ink sitting around. | 220 ml singles or the CMYK set |
| 440 ml cartridges | You are printing a roll or more a month. This is the size most working shops should be on. | 440 ml singles or the CMYK set |
| 1,000 ml bags | You are printing several rolls a month and you want the lowest price per drop. | 1,000 ml bags |
The rule is simple. Buy the biggest size you will actually use up. Bigger containers cost less per millilitre, and you stop in the middle of fewer jobs. But ink does not keep forever, so do not buy a year of it if you print a roll a month.
Going bigger than cartridges
Two things make the large sizes possible.
The high capacity adapter. An adapter plug is what lets some machines run the larger containers instead of cartridges. Ask us whether your exact model takes it. This one question changes your cost per square foot more than anything else on this page.
EnduraINK PRO Plus. PRO Plus is the step up, and there is a one litre CMYK bundle for busy shops. If you are switching from another ink, ask about the PRO Plus conversion kit. Changing ink is not just dropping in a new cartridge, and the kit exists so it gets done properly. Call us before you start that.
Printing dye sublimation instead? See EnduraINK PRO dye sublimation ink and its cleaning solution.
Order ink
EnduraINK PRO · all eco-solvent ink · all ink and toner · PrismJET ink and media combos
Want the ink cost per square foot in dollars for a specific machine? Ask us. We would rather answer it before you buy than after. Call 903-462-7700 or contact us.
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