Page Yield Explained

• Established by the OEM – indicates how many pages should be expected to be produced from a given cartridge’s life cycle
• All Page Yields are based upon 5% Page Coverage
• The 5% measurement was created by the International Organization for Standardization or ISO.  In the document, ISO/IEC 19798:2007, they determined that an average business letter printed on A4 paper would be covered by 5% of standard black toner. 
• If Page Coverage averages greater than 5%, then Page Yield is going to be less than stipulated
• If Page Coverage averages less than 5%, then Page Yield is going to be more than stipulated

So, what is 5% Page Coverage?

• Approximately one page of text, double spaced with a 1” border – at normal density (darkness)

• Therefore, if a given cartridge has a Page Yield rating of 10,000 pages, it should be able to produce 10,000 pages if all of those pages average about the same 5% page coverage. 

• Averaging more than 5% Page Coverage will directly lead to actual Page Yield to decrease

The Relationship between Page Yield & Page Coverage

• As one goes up, the other must go down
• The more toner that is used, the less pages the cartridge will Yield and vice versa!

                 Page Yield          Page Coverage

Expected    10,000              5%

Actual       5,000                    If 10%

Actual       2,500                   If 20%

Actual       1,000                    If 50%

What can you do to try to maximize your yield?

• Print using the most simple lay out when possible.
• Cut down on the large print, bold sections, impressive borders and extra graphics.
• Use smaller fonts to reduce the amount of toner used.  Calibri, Arial, Verdana & Century Gothic, are some examples of smaller fonts that can save you toner.