What is the Page Yield? How is the page yield determined?

What is the Page Yield? How is the page yield determined?

What is Page Yield?

Page yield is the expected number of pages that a cartridge can print when measuring using the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) guidelines. All printer manufacturers use ISO's standardized test to determine the yield of a cartridge.

Research has shown that the industry average for printing is approximately 5% of an A4 page. ISO has used that average to develop their test pages. Since it is unlikely that a customer will replicate the precise conditions of the ISO's controlled testing environment, the individual cartridges can perform above and below the estimated page yield due to multiple factors. This can include, but not limited to, the coverage of the document, font size, number of pages per job, paper type, printer settings, variations in the cartridge manufacturing process and external factors in the environment. 

The declared yield is not intended to be the minimum or exact number of pages that the cartridge will print. Rather, the estimated page yield should be used as a starting point of comparison for different brands and models. It will help you make informed purchase decisions about printer cartridges and printers.

The page yield provided by Ink Station is supplied by the printer manufacturers or our cartridge supplier.

How is the page yield determined?

Monochrome Toners - Under the ISO/IEC 19752 guidelines,
  • a standard page is printed continuously until the cartridge reaches the end-of-life.
  • the test page represents approximately 5% coverage.
  • only intended for the measurement of page yield when printing on plain paper. 

Colour toner & ink jet - Under the ISO/IEC 19798 and ISO/IEC 24711 guidelines respectively 
  • a standard set of 5 pages is printed continuously until the cartridges reaches the end-of-life. 
  • the 5 test pages represents approximately a 20% coverage on aggregate. Which is approximately 5% each for black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
  • only intended for the measurement of page yield when printing on plain paper. 

Currently only toner and ink cartridges are subject to ISO standards. The yields for drums, fuser units, waste toner boxes and other consumables are published based on the manufacturer's own testings methodologies.



    • Related Articles

    • What is the difference between high yield and standard yield?

      Generally manufacturers make cartridges available in different sizes to suit consumer's different needs. Cartridges commonly come in three different sizes. A standard yield is the most common size cartridge and prints a smaller number of pages, when ...

    • How many pages will my cartridge print?

      Since everyone's printing habits are different, the number of pages a cartridge can print will vary. The estimate number of pages is measured using a standardise methodology determined by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). This ...

    • My cartridges / drum / part doesn't fit.

      If you have cartridges that do not fit, please check the following: 1. You're installing the correct cartridge / part for your printer.  Check that you've selected the right one for your machine. You can do this by looking up the printer model number ...

    • I received a card from the delivery service. What do I do now?

      If you have received a card from the courier company, there should be instructions on how to organise re-delivery online or by phone. Please contact the delivery company ASAP. If you do not answer your parcel may be returned back to our warehouse. ...

    • The "replace toner" message on my Brother printer will not go away after installing a new toner?

      For some Brother printers, the error messages such as "Replace Toner" or "Prepare Toner" will continue to appear if the toner is not reset after putting it in the printer. Each Brother printer have different set of instructions so please contact ...