How to Calculate The True Cost of Printing

Posted by Chad on September 26, 2008 under Printing |

When shopping for a printer, many people purchase the cheapest machine or the one featured in the sale of the week. However, you’ll save much more money overall by purchasing a printer based on long-term cost estimations rather than simply choosing the machine with the most savings up front.

Although it is impossible to calculate the exact cost of printing over time, there are four main factors you can use to make a reasonable approximation.

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Printer: This one’s straight forward… How much did it cost to purchase your printer? Make sure to add shipping costs if you had it delivered to you.

Ink/Toner: Printers that use toner cartridges are much more affordable in the long run compared to those using ink cartridges. An ink cartridge may seem like the better deal since it is less expensive, but it also runs out far quicker. By using a toner cartridge you’ll save nearly 1 cent per page! Okay…so it doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quickly!

Also, remanufactured printer cartridges can offer you a significant price saving without impacting the print quality in any way.

Repairs: Some printers are far more reliable than others. You should search customer reviews online before you make a printer purchase of any kind. If you are in Vancouver or Kelowna, you can save money with our Superior Performance Plan.

Speed: As they say, “time is money”. The faster the printer, the more time you’ll save in the long run. While this is a very difficult factor to measure, it can be frustrating to wait for printing projects day after day. A printer with double-sided printing may also be worth the investment.

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When you project the cost of printing over an entire year, you will be surprised by how much you spend. Thankfully, there are many ways to save money without impacting your results.

You can reduce your costs quite significantly by choosing a printer that closely fits your company’s needs, finding a refurbished model if possible, and ordering remanufactured cartridges instead of new ones.