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For large format printers, what is the yield of mL ink to sq-in of paper?

I'm thinking of buying an HP Designjet 10000s to make posters, the machine costs around $1500 with a maximum paper width of 104 in. It occupies 6 ink cartridges, each of which cost around $300 (ouch). So I'm looking at an initial investment of around $4000 with taxes, shipping, installation, and all of the other junk required to maintain it and dry the product and vent, blah blah. Anyway, each of the cartridges hold 1000mL of their color. For general, high-quality prints, how much ink is required per square inch? At LargeFormatPosters.com, a 58x100 poster costs $284.94. 104in x 164ft semi-gloss paper roll costs roughly $900. 104 X 164(12) = 204672 square inches. 900/204672 = $0.004 per square inch. $0.004 X 58x100 = $23.20. For the $284.94 semi-gloss print, where is the other $261.74 (284.94 - 23.2) come from? It costs $300, generally, for 1000mL of ink. Does it really require that much ink to print, or is it severely overpriced? For those who took Microeconomics, regardless of the market price, what is the fixed cost per square inch? -Andrew

Public Comments

1. No such thing as a ficed price per square inch If you print a poster of a snow scene you will use WAY WAY WAY less ink than a night scene !