When purchasing printer consumables, we often see how many pages a toner or ink cartridge can print at 5% coverage. What does 5% coverage mean? 5% coverage is a printing test indicator defined in the international standard test method, which is used to measure the consumption efficiency of printer ink or toner. The specific meaning is as follows:

1. ‌Definition and Standard‌

‌Coverage‌ refers to the proportion of printed content to the total area of the paper. For example, 5% coverage means that the area covered by ink after printing only accounts for 5% of the total area. ‌‌‌‌

This standard was established by ISO/IEC 19752 and is used to evaluate the print volume under unified test conditions. For example, when A4 paper is printed at 5% coverage, a specific number of pages can be output continuously.

Taking A4 paper as an example, its area is 623.7cm², and 5% coverage means that the ink covers 31.185cm², which is equivalent to 1/20 of the paper.

The 5% coverage of a printer’s printed page refers to the percentage of the area covered by ink on the paper to the area of the entire printed paper. This indicator does not directly reflect how much text or pictures can be printed, but describes the distribution density of ink on the paper. Take an A4-sized document as an example, its size is 21cm×29.7cm, and the total area is 623.7cm². If the ink coverage of the paper is 5%, then on the A4 paper, the actual area covered by the ink is 623.7cm² multiplied by 0.05, which is equal to 31.185cm². In other words, a 5% coverage rate is approximately equivalent to 1/20 of an A4 paper.

But it is worth noting that in actual use, less ink is used when printing short texts, while the opposite is true when printing pictures, because pictures cover a larger area of the paper, requiring more ink. ‌‌

2.‌ Actual application difference ‌
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Difference between theoretical value and actual value ‌: The nominal print volume of the manufacturer is based on the test results of 5% coverage. However, in actual use, the coverage of document content (such as dense text and pictures) often exceeds 5%, resulting in a reduction in the actual number of printed pages. ‌‌‌‌

‌Test page example‌: Simulate a test scenario with a 5% coverage by printing evenly distributed graphics or characters (such as the letter E). ‌‌‌‌

3.‌ Scope‌

This standard applies to all types of printers (including laser printers, inkjet printers, etc.), but color ink cartridges usually use 15% coverage as the test standard. ‌‌

4.‌ Purchase recommendations‌

Users should choose the printer type according to actual printing needs (such as ink tank type is suitable for high-volume scenarios). ‌‌

Pay attention to the actual coverage of the printed content to avoid rapid depletion of consumables due to high-density content.

5. ISO and IEC related standards

In June 2004, the “International Organization for Standardization” (ISO) and the “International Electrotechnical Commission” (IEC) jointly launched the ISO/IEC 19752 monochrome toner cartridge print volume standard. This standard provides a clear basis for measuring the print volume of monochrome toner cartridges. In December 2006, the two organizations further released the ISO/IEC 24711 color print cartridge yield standard and the ISO/IEC19798 color toner cartridge yield standard, providing corresponding specifications for color printing.

So, how to use these standards for testing? Taking ISO/IEC 19752 as an example, the test procedure requires continuous printing of a set of 5 standard test pages, each with a coverage of about 5%, until the toner in the toner cartridge is exhausted. This test method can help us accurately evaluate the print volume of the toner cartridge, thus providing a strong reference for purchase.

6. Application of standards in testing

When performing color printing tests of ISO/IEC 19798 and ISO/IEC 24711, cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink or toner are used. These 5 standard test pages contain rich mixed text and image content, and the carefully designed coverage ensures that each color on each page can achieve an average coverage of about 5%. Such a test page design provides a reliable basis for accurately evaluating the print yield of color toner cartridges.

These ISO/IEC standards for testing print cartridges/toner cartridges clearly specify how to conduct tests under specific parameters and conditions, and how to calculate the average print yield measurement value.