Office Printing Cost Calculator: Annual Spend UK
Almost no office knows what it spends on printing. The costs are scattered: toner on a credit card, a printer bought in a hurry, a repair invoice, a copier lease paid by direct debit. Each one is small enough to ignore, and together they can add up to a surprising figure.
This calculator estimates your current annual spend and compares it with consolidating onto a single leased copier.
Calculator
If the calculator doesn't load, use the method below.
How it works
Your current spend
monthly pages = staff × pages per person per month
toner cost per page = cartridge price ÷ ISO yield
current monthly cost = monthly pages × toner cost per page + device costs
Device costs cover the purchase price of your printers spread over their life, plus repairs and parts.
Copier spend
copier monthly cost = monthly lease + monthly pages × click rate
The click rate normally includes toner, parts and service.
Saving
saving = current cost − copier cost
Toner yields
The calculator uses ISO yields, because they're measured the same way across brands. ISO/IEC 19752 is the standard for mono toner yields and ISO/IEC 19798 for colour. Look for the ISO yield on the cartridge box or the manufacturer's site.
Worked example
A 15 person office, with each person printing about 250 pages a month, across four desktop printers. Their toner costs £70 a cartridge with an ISO yield of 3,500 pages. Device costs are about £25 a month across all four printers.
- monthly pages: 15 × 250 = 3,750
- toner cost per page: £70 ÷ 3,500 = 2p
- current monthly cost: 3,750 × 2p + £25 = £100
- current annual cost: £1,200
A single leased copier at £49 a month (Midshire's published guide for a new mid sized A3 colour machine, checked October 2026) with a 0.8p mono click rate:
- copier monthly cost: £49 + 3,750 × 0.8p = £79
- copier annual cost: £948
- saving: about £252 a year
These are illustrative figures for mono printing. Add colour separately using your colour toner costs and a colour click rate. Published UK click ranges are roughly 0.35p to 1.5p mono and 3.5p to 10p colour (Digital Office, checked October 2026).
Typical pages per employee
There's no official UK figure for pages per employee, and it varies hugely by sector. A law firm or school prints far more than a design studio or a software company. The best number is your own.
To find it:
- Check the page counter on each printer and copier (usually in the settings menu or on a configuration page).
- Take readings a month apart.
- Add up the difference across all devices.
- Divide by the number of staff.
If you have a mix of copiers and printers, measure them all; the copier's share often turns out bigger or smaller than people assume. If you can't measure it, start with a conservative guess and test a few values in the calculator to see how sensitive the result is.
Saving by consolidating
Consolidation means replacing several small printers with fewer shared devices, typically one or two multifunction copiers. It saves money in a few ways:
- Lower cost per page. A copier's click rate is usually well below desktop toner costs per page.
- Fewer devices to maintain. Fewer repairs, fewer cartridge types, less admin.
- Less waste. With secure print release, forgotten jobs are deleted rather than printed.
- Visibility. Usage reports show who prints what, which tends to reduce volume.
The trade off is convenience. Staff walk a little further to collect printing. For most offices, that's acceptable. Where it isn't, such as reception or a busy finance desk, keep one small printer and make the copier the default for everyone else.
Our office photocopiers guide covers choosing the right machine, and our photocopier vs printer guide compares costs at different volumes.
FAQs
How much does an office spend on printing?
It varies widely with staff numbers, volume and devices. The calculator gives an estimate using your own figures.
How do I calculate my toner cost per page?
Divide the cartridge price by its ISO rated yield.
Will one copier really be cheaper than several printers?
Often, at moderate volumes and above, because the cost per page is lower. At very low volumes, printers can be cheaper.
What if my printers are already paid for?
Then set the device cost to repairs and parts only. Remember that older printers tend to need more repairs, and that you'll eventually replace them. A fair comparison includes a small monthly allowance for replacement, even if nothing is due this year.
Does the calculator include paper?
No. Paper costs about the same either way, so it doesn't change the comparison.
Get a consolidation quote
Use the form on this page to tell us how many staff and devices you have, and we'll put you in touch with suppliers who can quote for a consolidated setup.