Are you unaware of how many watts does a printer use and you do not know whether it is affecting your electricity bill or not? If so, then you are in the right place. A printer can consume power that you are unaware of.
Although the amount of power the printer is consuming is not that much, still learning about it may be effective for you later on too.
So, stay tuned to learn more about the power usage of your printer.
How Many Watts Does A Printer Use?
There can be two types of printers that consume energy in different ways. One is known as inkjet printers, others are known as 3D laser printers.
Inkjet Printers
An inkjet printer can produce a hard copy of anything by splashing inks onto them. It is a computer peripheral device.
Figure 2 – Inkjet Printers
On average, an inkjet printer can absorb around 40-50 watts of energy while printing. Also, it can consume 4-5 watts in standby mode. But this does not apply to all criteria. In sleep mode, the printer can consume 1-2 watts.
But does it consume the same amount of energy when it is used in the office?
Think about the office printers, how much power do they consume?. It can be around 300-500 watts, which is almost 10 times more than an average inkjet printer.
Also, during standby mode, it can consume 40-50 watts of power too. So, telling in a whole, office inkjet printers can consume around 10 times more than normal inkjet printers.
Laser Printers
Laser printers are those types of printers that produce hard copy by using a pattern of electrostatically charged dots on a light-sensitive drum. This device is also a computer peripheral device.
Figure 3 – Laser Printer And Watts Usage
The total power draining of a normal laser printer can be a lot higher than an inkjet printer. A laser printer can consume around 350-500 watts of power normally. Also, it consumes 7-10 watts in standby mode and 2-4 watts in sleep mode.
But it can be different for office purposes. You will be surprised to learn that a laser printer in the office can use up to 10,000+ powers in total, which can be a lot more than a normal printer(around 3-4 times more).
Calculation Of How Much Power Does A Printer Use
By learning simple procedures, anyone can calculate the power consumption of a printer. So, here is the trick-
Just think about your printer that can use 5 AMPs of power for 200 volts. So, the total power consumption of a printer can be = 5 AMPs x 200 Volts = 1000 Watts or 1 kW. Also, think that the printer consumes 15 watts (0.015 kW) and in sleep mode, it consumes 5 watts (0.005 kW) per hour.
Now, think that the printer can produce 3000 pages per hour and can produce 150,000 pages per month.
So, the total printing interval of your printer will be = 150,000 pages per month / 3000 per hour = 50 hours.
Now, most of the time, we do not use printers and they can stay in standby mode or sleeping mode.
Just think about whether the printer you are using stays in standby mode for 70% of the time. Also, in sleep mode, it stays 20% of the time.
In standby mode, the printer period = 720 hour (1 month) – 50 hours(Printing) x 70% = 685 hours.
Also, in sleep mode-
720 hours (1 month) – 50(printing) x 20% = 710 hours.
Now, just calculate the power consumption while printing and in standby mode, and you can get the total consumption of power by a printer.
Power consumption while printing = 50 hours x 1 kW = 50 kWh.
Standby mode power consumption = 685 hours x 0.015 kW = 10.275 kWh.
Again, the total power consumption of the printer in sleep mode = 710 hours x 0.005 kW = 3.55 kWh
Adding the above power consumptions of the printer together, you can get the total power consumption of the printer.
So, total power consumption of a printer = (50 + 10.275 + 3.55) kiloWatt hour(kWh).
= 63.825 kWh.
This is how you can calculate your printer’s power consumption in a kilowatts power unit too.
Power Consumption Of Different Printers
Depending on different configurations of printers of different brands, the power consumption of them can be different too. Also, their power consumption can vary too.
Figure 4 – Printer Power Consumption Calculation
So, here is a list below of different printers and their total electricity consumption-
- Inkjet 10/p ppm: 25-27 watts
- Duplex Inkjet 10/6 ppm: 28-30 watts
- Laser 20 ppm (Black and White): 305-310 watts
- Laser 22 ppm (Black and White): 505-510 watts
- Duplex Laser 32 ppm (Black and White): 505-510 watts
- Color Laser 16/4 ppm: 310-320 watts
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do You Reduce Power Draining Of A Printer?
The printer can drain power as soon as it gets turned on. Even in sleep mode, it can consume power little by little. So, to cut the power consumption of the printer to less-
- Turn off the printer as soon as the work is done.
- Limit the color usage, it can reduce the power consumption cost too. Try printing black and white more frequently.
- Cut your paper to a minimal portion to print so that you can save the powers consumed by the printer.
- Keep your device on instant-on mode. If it is in sleep mode, it can take time to turn on and can consume a great portion of power at that moment. So, this tactic can save a lot of power consumption.
2. Why Do Laser Printers Absorb More Power Than Inkjet Printers?
A laser printer needs more power than other printers because they warm up before they start printing. Now, this warming-up process can be a lot of power consumption. The heat energy they gain by consuming the power can be around 150-200 degrees celsius.
To produce that amount of heat, a lot of power is consumed by the laser printer. Hence, laser printers consume a lot more power than inkjet printers.
Final Words
Printers can consume power a lot if you do not know the right way to use them. So, to save money and let printers consume less energy while printing, you can get all the information above.
If you still have any doubts about any part of how many watts does a printer use, you can ask us by sending a message. Let us know your thoughts.
