Ink Consumption and Cost
How much ink a run needs and what it costs: from the run size, coverage, anilox volume (BCM) and ink price. Flexo ink consumption calculator: how much ink a run needs and what the ink costs. An estimate.
Make-ready, waste and the ink left in the delivery system are not included: add the margin your printer usually allows.
How it is calculated
The anilox holds BCM × 1.55 cm³ of ink per m² (at solid coverage). Only a part reaches the substrate (transfer efficiency), and only where there is print (coverage).
Ink volume per m² = BCM × 1.55 × efficiency × coverage. It is also the average wet film in µm (1 cm³/m² = 1 µm).
Mass = volume per m² × area × density. Cost = mass in kg × price per kg. Area = width (m) × length (m).
Worked example
Width 500 mm, length 10,000 m, coverage 30%, anilox 4 BCM, efficiency 45%, density 1.05 g/cm³, price 8 per kg.
Area = 0.5 × 10,000 = 5,000 m². Volume per m² = 4 × 1.55 × 0.45 × 0.30 = 0.837 cm³/m². In total 0.837 × 5,000 = 4,185 cm³, mass = 4,185 × 1.05 = 4,394 g ≈ 4.39 kg. Cost = 4.39 × 8 ≈ 35.15.
A planning estimate: real consumption depends on the ink, anilox, substrate and press settings.
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