How much ink does packaging printing use? Consumption measured on 11 real jobs

It is the first question anyone asks when considering bringing packaging printing in-house: how much does it cost per piece? The honest answer is "it depends on the artwork", but "it depends" doesn't help anyone do the maths. So we took eleven jobs printed in our Demo Center in Sesto San Giovanni, from a corrugated carton with a full-colour pattern to a cutlery pouch with a simple drawing, and measured the ink used for each one.

The result: from 0.01 to 0.06 ml per piece. In euros, with EDM-650X and GreenBox EVO ink: from €0.0012 to €0.0072 per piece, less than one euro cent even for the job with the most coverage. On the ThunderBox the cost per piece ranges from €0.003 to €0.018.

How we measured

To make the numbers comparable, we used the same method for every job:

• Ink consumption per piece, measured by printing each job in our Demo Center.
• Machines: EDM-650X and GreenBox EVO, which use the same amount of ink for the same artwork. On the ThunderBox the consumption in ml is also the same: what changes is the price of the ink, as we will see below.
• Ink only. The cost of the substrate (board, paper, wood) is separate, because it depends on the supplier and the quantity.
• Costs calculated on our September 2026 ink price list, excluding VAT.

The values are indicative: actual consumption varies with the artwork, the substrate and the print settings. At the end of the article you will find how to get the calculation on your own files.

The numbers: consumption and cost per piece

Ink-only cost per piece, excluding VAT, September 2026 price list. Consumption in ml is the same on all three machines. Indicative, non-binding values that do not constitute a commercial offer: actual consumption and costs depend on the artwork, the substrate and the print settings, and prices may change. Contact us for an official quote.

Containers, trays and accessories

Clamshell container (0.01 ml)

Six round illustrations and the logo on the lid.

Paper, tray and cutlery pouch (0.01-0.03 ml)

A cocktail bar menu on the paper, logo and colour scale on the tray, the outline of the cutlery on the pouch: customisations that cost less than half a euro cent of ink per piece and turn an anonymous item into a branded one.

Shops and shopping bags

Two kraft paper shopping bags with a medium-sized logo: 0.03 and 0.04 ml per piece. The typical case of a shop that wants its own branded bags without ordering thousands of them.

Boxes and cartons

Box 32 × 23 × 6 (0.06 ml)

A line drawing across the whole lid, with a few colour elements and the logo: the black line work uses little ink, and the colour is concentrated in a few details.

Oil bottle carton in brown corrugated (0.06 ml)

A geometric pattern in solid colours on a natural substrate, with no white background. The close-up shows how the print follows the flutes of the board.

Small box 16 × 16 × 7 (0.03 ml)

Solid and outlined red hearts on white cardboard: medium coverage and one dominant colour.

Wooden bottle box (0.05 ml)

Direct printing on the raw wood lid: the grain stays visible under the colour and becomes part of the design.

Stationery

A folded card with a frame and a floral composition: 0.03 ml per piece.

What drives the cost per piece up, or down

• Coverage. It is the biggest factor: the carton with the solid-colour pattern uses 0.06 ml, six times the cutlery pouch with just the outline of the cutlery (0.01 ml).
• Solid colours and blacks. A solid area uses more ink than a line drawing, and a "rich" black built from four colours uses more than a pure black.
• The substrate. On a white background colours look brighter; on brown board and wood they blend with the natural colour of the material, which becomes part of the design.
• Print mode. At higher resolution quality goes up, and so does consumption.

With digital printing, consumption can be checked on a test print before production: if needed, you tweak the artwork and try again, with no set-up costs.

EDM-650X, GreenBox EVO or ThunderBox?

For the same artwork, all three machines use the same amount of ink. What changes is the format, the productivity, how the ink is supplied and its price:

• EDM-650X: single-pass inkjet on paper and corrugated board, up to 30 m/min and 1200 dpi, six scalable configurations, water-based inks in 4-litre tanks per colour.
• GreenBox EVO: single-pass CMYK with HP PageWide printhead, 30 m/min, up to 1200 dpi, water-based pigment inks. Prints boxes, board, kraft paper and shopping bags.
• ThunderBox: the entry-level model, single-pass CMYK, 28 m/min, up to 1200 dpi, cartridges from 225 to 498 ml per colour. Prints corrugated boxes and paper shopping bags.

The real difference is the price of the ink. On the ThunderBox, which uses cartridges, the ink costs more than on the EDM-650X and GreenBox EVO: for the same consumption, the cost per piece is about two and a half times higher. It is the trade-off of the entry-level model, which requires a lower initial investment. For those printing large volumes, the cost of ink weighs more over time; for those starting with short runs, the initial investment matters more.

Cost per piece is not everything

Ink is only part of the bill. When you print in-house there are no plates or set-up costs, no minimum orders, and you produce from the very first piece, only when you need it. You can find the full comparison with an outside supplier in Box Maker vs outside supplier: the savings are not just in the cost of the box, while how to reduce packaging costs covers the other items you can work on.

Work out the cost on your own files

Every design uses ink differently, and the most reliable way to know the cost per piece is to measure it on your own files. Send us your artwork: we will tell you how much ink it uses and what it costs per piece. Or come and print it live in our Demo Center in Sesto San Giovanni (Milan), on your own materials: 📞 +39 02 4943 9417. Discover our packaging solutions.