Laser printers usually win on cost per page for black-and-white text, and tank inkjets beat standard cartridge models for high-volume color.
For the full breakdown, see our best Colour Laser Printer for Small Business guide.
Most people pick a printer by the sticker price, and that’s the most expensive mistake in printing. Compare the laser printer vs inkjet cost per page before you buy, and the gap is usually wider than any difference in purchase prices — so it decides which machine actually saves you money over a year of use.
The honest summary: monochrome laser prints run roughly 1–5 cents per page, color laser sits around 8–20 cents, standard cartridge inkjets usually cost 5–15 cents for black and 10–25 cents for color, and tank inkjets can land under 2 cents. These are range estimates from recent industry comparisons, not one universal spec, and the spread matters more than any average.
Which Printer Is Actually Cheaper Per Page?
Laser printers win plain black-and-white text, tank inkjets win high-volume color, and standard cartridge inkjets are the most expensive per page among mainstream consumer printers. If you print only occasionally, the cartridge inkjet’s low purchase price can still make it the cheapest overall.
| Printer Type | Typical Cost Per Page | Where It Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Monochrome laser | 1–5¢ black text | Mostly-text documents and offices |
| Color laser | 8–20¢ color | Charts, presentations, mixed office pages |
| Standard cartridge inkjet | 5–15¢ black, 10–25¢ color | Low-volume home printing |
| Tank inkjet | Under 2¢ black and color | High-volume printing of any mix |
The exact figure for any model comes from dividing its consumable price by its rated page yield, which is the math the next section walks through. CDW’s breakdown of inkjet versus laser printing gives the same ranges and explains why yields differ between cartridge and toner designs.
How To Calculate Cost Per Page Yourself
Cost per page is the price of the ink or toner cartridge divided by that cartridge’s rated page yield, and the same formula works for inkjet and laser printers alike.
Worked example: a $60 toner cartridge rated for 3,000 pages works out to 2 cents per page, while a $25 ink cartridge rated for 400 pages works out to 6.25 cents. The math only holds when you compare like-for-like consumables, so apply it to the exact cartridge or toner model the printer takes. Rated yields are tied to the cartridge model and the manufacturer’s testing standard, which usually assumes about 5% page coverage. Print dense graphics and your true cost per page climbs above the rating. Manufacturer tools such as HP’s printer comparison chart list rated yields so you can run the numbers before you buy.
Four mistakes turn every comparison upside down:
- Comparing purchase price only and ignoring consumables, which reverses the real ownership cost.
- Mixing standard cartridges with XL, high-yield, or tank refills in one calculation — each has a different yield.
- Judging plain-text printing by photo-printing economics; photo ink is a different product with a different price.
- Assuming “color” works the same on every device — color laser uses multiple toners, while inkjets may use dye or pigment inks.
Where Each Printer Type Wins
Match the printer to your workload: monochrome laser for mostly text, tank inkjet for heavy color, color laser for mixed office documents, and cartridge inkjet only when you print rarely.
Monochrome laser is the cheapest per page for documents, and color laser is usually cost-competitive with cartridge inkjet for charts, text, and presentations. Tank inkjets make the most sense at high page volume because per-page costs stay low even for color. Standard cartridge inkjets are the most expensive to feed at volume, but the low upfront price suits a printer that mostly gathers dust. Photo printing is the exception to every generalization: a photo-capable inkjet can be cheaper or simply better depending on the media and ink set, so never judge it by text-page costs.
If your pages are mostly color charts and mixed documents, a color laser usually beats an inkjet over the long run. Our tested picks for the