What does 5 percent page coverage mean?

Why is the toner empty again?

When you take a closer look at our online shop for toner, you will notice that we almost always indicate the page yield as a comparison for toner and ink. Unfortunately, this value has limited significance without the corresponding background knowledge.

This specification refers to about 5 percent page coverage of a DIN A4 sheet.
The 5 percent page coverage is largely governed by various ISO standards. To determine the yield, laboratory conditions are created that roughly correspond to average usage behavior. Among other things, the test pages are printed at a specific ambient temperature on multiple devices, sometimes 5 pages in a row, etc. The entire process is so extensive that we cannot fully describe it here.

Is 5% a realistic metric?

If 95% of the page is left unprinted, is 5% a realistic metric? A 5% page coverage may seem small, but it's not a fantasy number intended to obscure potential weaknesses or low cartridge yields. This figure is based on a standard letter, in which the actually colored area is meticulously calculated.

Of course, we understand that the standard letter may not necessarily reflect the practice in every company. Therefore, this indication has less significance depending on the purpose of use.

An example: A 5% coverage is given when 95% of the page is unprinted! In other words, if you buy a toner with a page yield of 2000 pages (based on 5%), and you often print graphics with an average page coverage of around 20%, then the toner will mathematically only last for a quarter of the pages because the consumption per page is four times higher.

ISO 10561 and 2.8% page coverage

Dr. Grauert and the so-called standard page

The Dr. Grauert letter is the template from the ISO/IEC 10561 standard, which was developed to test the yield of ink cartridges and toners. It dates back to 1975 but has been adjusted several times to suit modern business operations. The letter contains about 1,450 characters in a 10 CPI font, comparable to Courier in 12 pt. The name is derived from the fictional addressee, Dr. Grauert, to whom the letter is addressed. The text of the Dr. Grauert letter is copyrighted.

ISO 10561 works with a coverage of only 2.8% and is therefore often criticized. Many manufacturers still like to use this standard. When the capacity of toners and inks is determined using this template, the capacities are 1.8 times higher than those determined with the more practice-oriented 5 percent coverage.