Wall printing costs: what does a year with a printer really cost?

Wondering what wall printing will cost you in your first year? We’ve done the maths for you. We’ll show you how much you’ll spend on ink, the printhead and parts. Using an example of 5 m² of printing a week, you’ll also see how much of your revenue goes on running costs. You’ll learn how to plan your spending and how to pay less. See whether the numbers add up for you.

What counts as a wall printer’s running costs?

To print, you need ink. On top of that, some printer parts wear out over time and need replacing. Together, these are your printer’s running costs – what it takes to keep it working. In this article we cover three of them: ink, the printhead and ink system parts (the components the ink flows through).

Each of these costs works a little differently. You use ink on every job, so the more square metres you print, the more you buy. Before you start printing, the software shows you how much ink the job will use. You add that cost to the price you quote the client. The printhead and ink system parts wear out over time, however many jobs you have. The best approach is to set aside a fixed amount for them every month.

This breakdown doesn’t include the costs of running a business, such as tax and social security contributions, fuel, travel, marketing or accounting. These vary from business to business, so add your own to the calculation. Prices are for genuine parts from our shop.

How much does ink cost per m² of wall printing?

Ink for 1 m² of wall printing costs up to €5 – around 4% of the typical market rate of about €120/m² (excl. VAT). That’s the cost at full colour coverage. Most designs have lighter and transparent areas, so they use less ink.

How much does a printhead cost and how often does it need replacing?

The printhead is the most expensive part you’ll replace. It’s the component that jets ink onto the wall, and it wears out over time – just like the brake pads on a car.

There are two models to choose from:

The simplest approach is to treat the printhead like a subscription. Set aside a fixed amount each month and replacing it becomes a planned expense. Over a year, that’s about €960 with the F1080 and about €1,440 with the i3200.

How much do ink system parts cost?

Ink system parts cost about €290 a year if you replace them as the manufacturer recommends. The ink system is the path the ink takes to the printhead: tanks, tubes and dampers. Dampers are small reservoirs next to the printhead that keep the ink flow steady. In practice, these parts often last longer, so treat €290 as an upper limit.

In your first year, some of these costs are already taken care of. Along with your printer, you get a year’s supply of consumable parts and a full set of inks for about 150 m² of jobs. And when it’s time to restock, we ship inks and parts from our warehouse in Poland. Orders placed by 12:00 CET go out the same day.

What does a year with a wall printer cost? The full breakdown

If you print 5 m² a week, the annual running costs of a wall printer (ink, printhead, ink system) come to about €2,190. That’s about 7% of revenue at a rate of €120/m² (excl. VAT). Here’s the example: 5 m² a week works out at 260 m² a year.

To keep things simple, we’ve counted one printhead per year. That’s the optimistic scenario: the F1080 lasts 6–9 months, so you’ll usually get through 1.3–2 printheads a year. Add a second one and your costs rise to about €2,790 – around 9% of revenue.

Running costs are predictable, so you can build them into your pricing. And in your first year, you’ll spend less: inks for about 150 m² (about €750 at €5/m²) and a year’s supply of consumable parts come with the package. Plug your own square metres and rate into the table and you’ll have your own first-year numbers.

How much do you save with the 20% discount in the Premium package?

Ink, printheads and ink system parts are costs you’ll have anyway. With the Premium package, you get 20% off them in the wall printers⁺ shop for a whole year.

What does that mean in practice? You save €360 on a new i3200 printhead (20% of €1,800) and up to €1 on ink for every square metre.

How to cut your wall printer’s running costs

The way you work with your printer also affects running costs. Here are four habits that help bring them down.

Look after the printhead. Flush it regularly. On long print runs, take short breaks to refresh the channels. Every extra month of printhead life lowers your annual replacement cost.

Buy genuine parts. A cheaper substitute wears out faster, so you replace it more often and face more downtime.

Before you buy a new part, message our technical chat. We solve over 99% of issues remotely. On average, we reply in under 3 minutes.

Factor white underprint into your quote. Printing on a coloured wall uses more ink, but you charge the client a higher rate, so the job is even more profitable.

Running costs you can plan for

Once you know what ink costs per m² and how much to set aside for the printhead, replacing parts won’t catch you off guard. You can price every job with a safety margin and base your first-year budget on hard numbers.

Planning to start out with a wall printer? Take a look at the 360° Support add-on – our business launch support. It gives you a technical chat that’s open every day from 8:00 to 22:00 CET, plus access to our printer community. You also get a portfolio of over 25 completed projects and 20% off in our shop (on the Premium package, that includes printheads and inks). Find out more in our article 360° Support – what it is and what’s included.

Until 30 November 2026, the Basic and Standard packages include 360° Support at no extra cost. Premium includes it as standard, so during the promotion the package price is about €1,400 lower (excl. VAT).

Want to start your own wall printing business? Talk to one of our advisors. They’ll answer your questions and help you choose the right package.