Ink Consumption Calculation

Ink Consumption Calculation

PrintFactory allows you to calculate ink usage and associated costs per job by completing two key steps:

  1. Defining ink consumption in the PMM

  2. Creating an ink price list in the Cloud

These values will then be visible in the Job Info (RIP and Cloud), and cost data will be included in the Job XML.

Step 1: Define Ink Consumption in the PMM

  1. Open Calibrator and select the desired mode in the PMM.

  2. Click Ink Estimation Configuration in the preview window.

  3. If not already completed, enter the Max Drop Size for the printhead and click OK and then Save the PMM

Ink Estimation Configuration button

4. Once configured, process a job using this PMM.
In the RIP, right-click the job > Job Info > Estimation Tab to view the ink consumption estimate.

Step 2: Create an Ink Price List in the Cloud

  • Go to app.printfactory.cloud
  • Navigate to Accounts > Settings > Price Lists > Ink
  • Click Add Ink Price List, complete the pricing fields, and Save
  • Complete pricing and Save
  • Process a Job and go to app.printfactory.cloud
  • After processing a job, visit Production > Jobs > [Select Job] > Ink to view estimated ink costs

Troubleshooting: No Ink Data Found in Cloud?

Not all printers and cutters support automatic reporting of “Print” or “Cut” status. If ink or cut data doesn’t appear:

  1. Go to Tracking > Manual Job Completion in the Cloud portal.

  2. Manually mark the job as Printed or Cut to trigger data reporting.





    • Related Articles

    • Notify as printed when job is sent

      Overview Some printers don’t send feedback confirming when a job has actually finished printing. The new “Notify as printed when job is send” option ensures that PrintFactory still records your production data accurately, even when printer feedback ...
    • Eco Save Settings in Variant

      The EcoSave option in the Variant allows for a more customer ink saving that lies between Eco Save as a variant and Visual Match. In other words, it allows for a less stringent K replacement than EcoSave as a variant but more than Visual Match. How ...
    • Nested Printing Across Media Width - Using the Transverse Setting

      Overview: One of the most common questions we receive is how to maximize material savings when using a 48x96 sheet, nesting jobs to the left, and preserving a larger, usable portion of media for future cuts. The transverse setting in RIP is a great ...
    • Media compensation caused media size to exceed printer width

      When working with media size compensation in PrintFactory, it’s important to understand how compensation affects the overall media width. If the compensation value increases the media size beyond the "full width" setting, it will cause you to be ...
    • HP Latex 300 and 500 series reported CMYK instead of CMYKcm + Optimizer in the ink calculation

      An ink price list with all the cartridges available can be created only after printing at least one job at the printer.