Which is cheaper to run, laser or inkjet?
There is no universal winner: running cost depends on the price of the cartridge divided by its page yield. On dated examples from UK retailers, black toner cartridges often work out cheaper per page than standard ink cartridges, but high-yield ink can narrow the gap. Always calculate before buying.
The honest answer is that neither technology wins automatically. What determines running cost is not whether a cartridge holds powder or liquid, but two numbers printed or listed alongside every product: what the cartridge costs, and how many pages it is rated to produce. Divide one by the other and you get a cost per page you can actually compare. Anything else — brand reputation, the size of the box, the word "XL" — is secondary.
[3][2]Why page yield is the number that matters
Page yield is the estimated number of pages a cartridge can print before it runs out. HP, which publishes yield figures for its own cartridges, notes that these are averages based on ISO/IEC test methods and continuous printing, and that actual yield varies considerably depending on what you print and other factors. In other words, yield is a benchmark for comparison, not a guarantee. HP also points out that each manufacturer has its own internal methods for calculating yield, so the figure on the box is a reference point rather than a precise forecast of your own usage.
[2][1]Several things push real-world yield away from the label. HP's guidance for large-format and plotter ink lists print resolution, paper type, and job complexity: graphics-heavy pages and photo work use more ink than plain black-and-white text, and HP states that colour printing uses four times as much ink as black and white. So a cartridge that looks cheap per page on paper may cost you more if your documents are dense with images.
[1]A worked comparison using dated UK prices
To make this concrete, take three products listed on the Ink Compared catalogue with prices recorded on 18 October 2026. These are observations, not live quotes, and delivery may be extra — but they show how the arithmetic works.
[3]| Cartridge (dated listing) | Listed price | Stated yield | Approx. cost per page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon 3020C002/055H black toner | £109.62 | 7,600 pages (ISO/IEC 19752) | about 1.4p |
| Canon PG-585XL black ink, high capacity | £23.55 | 300 pages (ISO/IEC 24711) | about 7.9p |
| Canon CLI-526C cyan ink | £13.00 | 462 pages (ISO/IEC 24711) | about 2.8p |
In this snapshot, the toner cartridge costs more than four times as much upfront as the black ink cartridge, yet each black page costs roughly a fifth as much. That is the classic laser pattern: a bigger initial outlay spread across a much larger yield. But notice the cyan ink example — a colour cartridge can work out cheaper per page than a black one with a smaller yield, which is why comparing within ink types matters as much as comparing between technologies. HP's own published figures show the same spread: a standard HP 364 black cartridge is rated at 250 pages while the 364XL version is rated at 800, so buying the larger capacity can cut cost per page even within the identical product line.
[3][2]What the numbers cannot tell you
Nothing here establishes a fixed rule that laser always beats inkjet, or a threshold of pages per month at which one becomes cheaper. That depends on your printer model, the specific cartridges it takes, current prices, and how much of your printing is colour versus black and white. The decision process, rather than a rule, is: identify the exact cartridge codes your printer accepts, find the current price and the stated yield for each option, and divide. If your printing is mostly plain text, the black-cartridge comparison will dominate; if you print photos or graphics, factor in the colour cartridges too, and remember HP's caution that heavy graphics reduce yield below the ISO estimate.
[1][2]A practical checklist before you buy
- Match the full cartridge code, including colour, yield and pack size — a similar-looking variant is not the same product.
- Note the stated page yield on each candidate cartridge and confirm which ISO test standard it refers to.
- Divide the cartridge price by the stated yield to get an approximate cost per page, and compare like with like.
- Check your printer model on the retailer page before ordering; a brand name alone does not establish compatibility.
- Confirm today's price, stock and final total with the retailer, since recorded prices are dated observations and can change.
One more practical point: if you already own a printer, the cheapest path is usually to seek out high-yield versions of the cartridges it takes, rather than assuming you need to switch technologies. If you are choosing a new printer, run the cost-per-page calculation on its consumables first — some models are cheap to buy and expensive to feed.
[3][2]Next step: look up the exact cartridge code for the printer you own or are considering, note its current dated price and stated yield, and do the division yourself before committing to either technology.
[3]Sources and dates
- https://largeformat.hp.com/gb-en/blog/how-many-pages-will-large-format-ink-cartridges-print · accessed 2026-10-18
- http://www.hp.com/pageyield/uk/en/PSB8500/index.html · accessed 2026-10-18
- https://inkcompared.com/ · accessed 2026-10-18