Which Fonts Use the Least Ink? We Tested 7

Posted by Rob Errera on 08/14/2026

Updated August 2026.

Courier New printed the most pages in our black-ink test: 256 pages before the ink started to run out. That was 111 more pages than Calibri, or a 77% increase in page yield within this test.

That does not mean Courier cuts every printing bill by 77%. Printer settings, font size, page layout, cartridge, and the document itself all affect the result. It does show that typeface choice can materially change how much ink reaches the page.

What We Tested

We compared seven fonts that often appear in lists of economical typefaces:

Calibri
Century Gothic
Ecofont Vera
Times New Roman
Ryman Eco
Garamond
Courier New

The test used black ink and black-and-white text. We printed until the ink started to run out, then recorded the number of pages produced for each font.

The archived test record does not identify the printer, cartridge, point size, exact document, or number of repeated runs. Treat these results as a practical comparison, not a universal font ranking or an ISO page-yield test.

What the Results Show

Courier New and Garamond produced the most pages. Ryman Eco finished third, while Times New Roman sat in the middle of the group.

Ecofont Vera produced 146 pages, essentially tying Calibri and Century Gothic in this comparison. That result applies to the font and setup we tested. It does not show that every ecofont design is ineffective.

A 2025 laser-printing study found that hollowed ecofont variants reduced toner use by amounts ranging from 5.1% to 53.3%, depending on the font design and point size. The researchers also found that different measurement methods produced different estimates, so they did not treat any one percentage as universal.

Does the Same Ranking Apply to Toner?

No. Our seven-font test used ink, not toner, so it does not establish which of these fonts uses the least toner.

What does carry over is the importance of page coverage. HP notes that actual toner yield changes with the content and density of the printed page. A font that places less material on an otherwise identical page can therefore affect toner use, but the exact result depends on the printer, settings, font rendering, and layout.

The defensible conclusion is simple: font design can affect both ink and toner consumption, but this test's page counts are ink results.

Full Test Results

Rank	Font	Pages	Vs. Calibri
1	Courier New	256	+77%
2	Garamond	243	+68%
3	Ryman Eco	216	+49%
4	Times New Roman	166	+14%
5	Ecofont Vera	146	+1%
6	Century Gothic	145	0%
6	Calibri	145	Baseline

Which Font Should You Use?

For long internal documents, Garamond is the most practical place to start from this group. It finished close to Courier New while remaining a conventional proportional font.

Courier New produced the most pages in the cartridge test, but its wide, monospaced letters can make a fixed document run to more sheets. Check print preview before switching a long report. Saving ink per page is less helpful when the layout creates extra pages.

Keep readability first. Test one representative document with the same font size, margins, line spacing, and printer settings you normally use. Compare both the page count and the appearance of the printed text.

Lower the Cost of Every Printed Page

Font choice changes the amount printed on the page. Cartridge yield changes how often the cartridge needs replacing. For frequent printing, a high-yield toner cartridge made for your printer often lowers cost per page even though it costs more upfront.

Match the cartridge to your printer and print volume

See the difference between standard and high-yield toner, then search Toner Buzz by cartridge number or printer model.

Sources and Notes

Rob Errera

Rob Errera is an award-winning journalist embedded in the world of printers and printing supplies. Rob has nearly two decades of experience writing about cutting edge technology, business trends, and the ever-evolving industry of printing.

How long the black ink lasted