Question 1

How does the ink coverage analyzer estimate per-page ink usage?

Accepted Answer

It parses each page's content stream looking for text-showing operators (Tj, TJ, ', "), rectangle paths (re), image references (Do), and fill-color operators (rg, k, g). Each ink emission is attributed to its current fill color, converted to CMYK, and summed per channel. Coverage is reported as a percentage of page area, and ink volume is estimated from coverage × page area × ink thickness (0.01 mm default).

Question 2

What analysis modes are supported?

Accepted Answer

Four modes: per-page (one summary row per page), per-channel-cmyk (C/M/Y/K breakdown for each page), per-color (distinct colors used on each page), and total-document (whole-document aggregates). All four modes can be rendered as text, CSV, or a visual HTML report with bar charts.

Question 3

What extra features does this tool have compared to others?

Accepted Answer

(1) Page-range parser. (2) 4 analysis modes (per-page, per-channel, per-color, total). (3) Ink coverage calculator. (4) CMYK channel separator. (5) Color usage analyzer. (6) Image coverage calculator (separate from text/graphics). (7) Ink volume estimator (coverage × area × thickness). (8) Cost calculator (per-ml CMYK pricing). (9) Heavy-usage detector (threshold-based). (10) Multi-format renderers (text/CSV/HTML). (11) Copy + Download. (12) History (localStorage, last 20). (13) Shareable URL. (14) Summary stats. (15) Heavy ink page list. (16) Cost by page ranking. (17) Coverage distribution histogram (10 buckets). (18) Ink-saving recommendations.

Question 4

How accurate are the ink volume and cost estimates?

Accepted Answer

Estimates are heuristic — they approximate ink coverage from vector operators in the content stream, not by rasterizing the page. Real ink usage depends on printer dot gain, paper absorption, halftone screening, and ink density. Use the numbers as a relative guide (which pages cost more, which channel dominates) rather than an absolute billable amount.

Question 5

Is my data sent anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. All analysis runs 100% in your browser using JavaScript and pdf-lib. Your PDF never leaves your device, and the tool works offline. History is stored in localStorage on this device only.

PDF Ink Coverage Analyzer

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