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PDF Ink Coverage Calculator

Estimate cyan, magenta, yellow and black coverage per page plus total area coverage, and flag pages that break the TAC limit for your paper stock.

Drop a PDF here or click to browsePages are rendered and measured on your device — nothing is uploaded

Estimates only. Pages are rendered to RGB and converted with a naive 100% GCR separation, not with your printer’s ICC profile, so a real RIP will report somewhat different numbers — especially for rich blacks and spot colours.

What is the PDF Ink Coverage Calculator?

Printers charge by the ink, and presses fail when too much of it lands in one place. This tool renders every page of a PDF, converts each pixel to CMYK and reports the average coverage of each channel along with Total Area Coverage — the sum of all four inks at the heaviest point on the page.

  • Per-page cyan, magenta, yellow and black coverage percentages
  • Average and maximum Total Area Coverage for every page
  • Presets for coated, uncoated and newsprint stock, plus a custom limit
  • Pages that break the limit are highlighted in the table
  • CSV export of the full per-page breakdown
  • Runs in the browser — the PDF is never uploaded

How to use the PDF Ink Coverage Calculator

  1. 1

    Drop the PDF onto the upload area.

  2. 2

    Choose a sampling resolution — 72 DPI is a good balance, 150 DPI is slower but more precise.

  3. 3

    Pick the paper preset that matches the press, or enter a custom TAC limit.

  4. 4

    Click Measure Ink Coverage and watch the per-page progress.

  5. 5

    Read the per-channel averages and the flagged pages, then export the table as CSV.

About the PDF Ink Coverage Calculator

Printers charge by the ink, and presses fail when too much of it lands in one place. This tool renders every page of a PDF, converts each pixel to CMYK and reports the average coverage of each channel along with Total Area Coverage — the sum of all four inks at the heaviest point on the page.

You pick the limit that matches the job: 300% for a coated sheet-fed press, 280% for uncoated, 240% for newsprint, or a custom figure your printer has given you. Pages with areas above that limit are flagged so you can fix a rich black or an over-saturated photograph before the file goes out.

These are estimates, not a RIP report. Pages are rendered to RGB and separated with a naive 100% GCR conversion rather than your printer's ICC profile, so the numbers will be in the right area but not identical to a preflight tool. Everything is measured in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

What is total area coverage on a PDF?

Total Area Coverage, or TAC, is the sum of the cyan, magenta, yellow and black percentages at a single point. Solid black printed as C60 M50 Y50 K100 has a TAC of 260%. Presses set a ceiling because too much wet ink will not dry or will offset onto the next sheet.

What is a safe ink limit for printing?

A coated sheet-fed press usually allows around 300%, uncoated stock around 280% and coldset newsprint closer to 240%. Always ask the printer for the number they actually use, then enter it as the custom limit here.

How accurate are these ink coverage numbers?

They are estimates. The tool renders each page to RGB and converts with a naive 100% GCR separation rather than an ICC profile, so rich blacks and spot colours in particular will differ from what a RIP reports. Use it to spot problems, not to sign off a proof.

Why does a white page still show ink coverage?

Anything that is not pure white contributes something. Light grey text, a faint background tint or JPEG artefacts in a scan all add a fraction of a percent across a large area.

Does higher sampling resolution change the result?

It sharpens it. Fine text and thin rules are under-sampled at low resolution, so the average coverage drifts slightly and the maximum TAC can be missed. Use 150 DPI when the number really matters.

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