Printer running costs – how do you compare between models?

The printer market is really opaque, so this is not easy to do. To calculate printer running costs you have to factor in the running cost of a printer in addition to the buying price up front. Some printers will come with full ink cartridges and others will come with starter ink – maybe only 25% full (or 75% empty!!). Then there is the cost of consumables. Sometimes this is just ink or toner – but it might also include: print heads, print drums, waste toner collectors, and the list goes on.

The key thing is all printer designs are different and will consume ink, toner and consumables at different rates. This makes it really difficult to choose between different models. A cynic might say that it’s almost as if it was by design…

Some printers are very effective at using ink. Others will continue to use ink whilst on-standby during ‘cleaning’. This purging of ink prevents the cartridge, or print head from clogging up (which might mean a new print head is needed, or sometimes it is more cost effective to just buy an entire new printer). The way these printers use ink during this cleaning activity means they need a waste ink compartment. Often, when the waste ink compartment becomes full (or even just after a set number of pages printed) the printer will then shut down with a “Contact service agent” message and will refuse to print any more. Planned obsolescence at its finest!

Then there are newer printers which use bottled ink reservoirs. Although these are often not as cheap to run as you might expect…

There are a few generally accepted rules for printers:

• Inkjets can produce much higher quality prints. They are really the only option for quality photo printing in the home or small office.
• Inkjets are not very viable for infrequent printing. Ink and print heads can dry up if not used, or the printer will keep flushing the head with ink, resulting in a very expensive cost per page.
• For the reason above, inkjet printers can be very frustrating to own.
• B&W laser printers generally have the longest lifespan (due to internal simplicity) and are the cheapest to run. So, ask yourself: “do you really need to print photos, or even in colour at all?”. There are many places that can send you next day photo prints. This is usually cheaper than owning a colour printer, and the quality will be better than you can print cost-effectively at home.
• Colour laser printers are generally fuss free and cost effective. The larger cartridges of a laser printer last longer, but cost more. So, whilst you need to buy less of them, they can seriously hit your cashflow (some brands more than others).
• Multifunction printers are only worth buying if you need to copy lots of multi-page documents. Phones can make great copies of documents for infrequent archiving of bills and invoices.
• 3rd party “aftermarket” inks can be very effective at reducing printing costs. It’s worth pointing out that not all printers will play nicely with these aftermarket inks or toners. There can also be real quality differences too – the very cheapest inks can reduce the service life of a printer, or may deliver a lower quality print.

Because of all this, it can be complex to work out how much a printer will cost you over its service life. The following is a rough guide. HOWEVER – to make it easy, I’ve done some of the leg work for you with a printer running cost spreadsheet template to help with calculating the lifetime running costs of different printers.

The following factors all contribute to the lifetime running cost of a printer:

1. First, start with the initial outlay on the printer and any accessories (additional printer trays etc). You may want to factor in the amount of ‘starter’ ink or toner that comes with the printer.
2. Next, forecast how many pages you are likely to print over the next five years. This will help you to forecast how many cartridges and other consumables will be required.
3. Calculate the cost of ink and toner cartridges: Compare the cost of replacement ink and toner cartridges between models, as well as the cost of compatible third-party cartridges. You need to know how many pages the ink or toner cartridge is expected to last.
4. Calculate the cost of paper: Estimate the cost per page for paper for each model.
5. Calculate the cost of electricity: Estimate the electricity cost for printing based on the power consumption of the printer. Some printers have very efficient power saving modes when not in use. Others not so much.
6. Calculate the cost of maintenance and repairs: Calculate the cost of any repairs, maintenance, and consumables needed for each model.
7. Calculate the total cost of ownership: Add up all the costs and compare to get a better idea of the total cost of ownership for each model.
8. Try to make comparison: Compare the cost of total ownership over time and the features and capabilities of each model to make an informed decision.

But it’s much easier with this template.