Consider Ink & Toner Costs When Purchasing your Printer

When purchasing a printer for your Edmonton-based business, it’s important to understand that the cost of the printer at the cash register is just the beginning. Have you taken into account the cost of maintaining the printer you are buying? Is it really still a great bargain?

Often, business owners don’t factor in the expense of the replacement ink cartridges and/or toner supplies. Many printer manufacturers offer printer models at a discounted price because their profit actually comes from the high maintenance costs you’ll pay for ink and toner supplies.

Research first

As with most purchases, conducting a little research first will help you save money in the long-term. By doing so, you can assess whether the cost of replacement cartridges end up outweighing the initial bargain offered by the printer manufacturer. This will allow you to avoid spending more money in the future than you anticipate. We advocate taking the time to understand what your cost per page will be when selecting a new printer.

Cost per page (CPP)

The cost of replacement cartridges is often available online if you’re doing your research from home, and not in the store. To determine the approximate cost per page, divide the cost of the replacement cartridge by the number of pages the manufacturer says it should cover, i.e. the page yield/cartridge. This information is usually on the side of the toner/ink cartridge packaging or on most manufacturers’ websites if you look up the cartridge specs.

Not all page yields disclosed by printer manufacturers are necessarily accurate because the environment in which they are printing documents is controlled. You also need to understand the documents you print in the office or at home are not the identical documents manufacturers use in their testing at printing labs. Fluctuations will occur. Page yields are strictly an estimate provided by manufacturers rather than precise numbers.

Once you have determined the cost you per print, you can then decide whether the printer you are considering is the bargain you thought it was. If you anticipate a high level of printing, cost efficiency is going to be important.

Take the time to do the research so you can keep your printing costs down. PrinterWorks West helps Edmonton business owners to manage their print environments to keep costs down and processes efficient.

To learn more about Managed Print Services available in Edmonton, please contact us.