Wire, Cable & Conductor Manufacturing worked example

Print Legend Usage at 61% ink transfer efficiency onto jacket: a worked example

This worked example runs the print legend usage numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 61% ink transfer efficiency onto jacket instead of the typical 85%. Print legend usage estimates how much marking ink or hot-stamp foil a cable line will actually consume to print the repeating legend, footage marks and compliance text along a jacket.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Cable length to be legend-printed: 500 units (held at the documented default)
  • Ink usage per unit of cable: 0.08 units (held at the documented default)
  • Ink transfer efficiency onto jacket: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Required print legend usage = covered amount × use per unit ÷ transfer efficiency.
  • Required quantity works out to 65.57 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical amount works out to 40 units at these inputs.
  • Loss allowance works out to 25.57 units at these inputs.
  • Efficiency works out to 61 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where ink transfer efficiency onto jacket sits at 85% and the headline result is 47.06 units, this scenario comes in 39.34% above the baseline at 65.57 units.
  • Use it when ordering marking ink for a run, quoting the print step, or diagnosing why an ink batch ran out sooner than the theoretical figure predicted. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Required quantity: 65.57 units (headline result)
  • Theoretical amount: 40 units
  • Loss allowance: 25.57 units
  • Efficiency: 61 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Print Legend Usage calculator, set ink transfer efficiency onto jacket to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.