San Jose Sharp Copier MFP – Color Coverage Secrets

You might be wondering what coverage is when it comes to your color printer. You have heard of the word, but you think you get the gist of it. However, the vast majority of companies like you do not fully understand what coverage, but they understand how it affects their bottom line. In most cases, the copier representative does not purposely neglect to accurately explain the topic; chances are, they are unaware also.

Coverage, in its simplest form, is the percentage of the page covered in ink or toner. Generally, for cartridges, there are 4 colors: Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, and Black. Each color can cover about 95% of a page. The remaining 5% of the page is the part that cannot be covered. For example, if you printed a page in solid black, that would be 95% coverage. If you used Magenta and Cyan to make Blue and cover the page, that would be about 160% coverage.

If you have a contract stipulating 20% coverage, it is not 20% of the page. It is 5% of each cartridge, which makes an aggregate of 20%. In any case, make sure your contract does not stipulate an upcharge if you exceed 20%.