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How To Cut Your Costs On Office Printers and Copiers

Written by: Susan Regier

Article Overview: One of the issues that keeps turning up in conversations with business people is the cost of office equipment and supplies. Here are cost-cutting tips for two common pieces of equipment that can save you a lot of money in the long term.

How To Cut Your Costs On Office Printers and Copiers

One of the issues that keeps turning up in conversations with business people is the cost of office equipment and supplies. Here are cost-cutting tips for two common pieces of equipment that can save you a lot of money in the long term.

Computer Printers

Every business needs at least one computer and printer, yet many business owners waste hundreds of dollars every year by making a bad initial purchasing decision and buying a “cheap” unit. Printer manufacturers make their money on the consumables, not the machinery.

When buying or replacing your printer, the key question is not how much it costs to buy, but how much per page it costs to use. Black inkjet cartridges often work out to around 10 cents per page. By contrast, laser printing can often work out less than 4 cents per page to print.

Some laser printers cannot be trusted to handle sticky labels. The paper path bends around sharply on some models, and labels can wrap themselves around the guide rollers, which can result in expensive servicing problems. If you are going to print labels, buy a printer with a fairly straight paper path.

Look at the warranty conditions - “on site” service is much better than “return to base,” where you have to take the unit to a service centre. Also consider how the features might save you labour time - a printer that can print directly onto envelopes can save you mucking around with labels and “double handling” each mailing piece you send out.

When purchasing, look for power-saver features, such as economy-star ratings and automatic power-saver timing when not in use. Not only do these features reduce your long-term running costs, they increase the life of the machine and benefit the environment at the same time.

Photocopiers
A copier is an expensive piece of equipment. If you really have to buy one, make sure you get one with all the features you normally need (e.g. enlargement capability, double-sided capability), or you’ll still be using of a copy centre.

If you do high volume copying and think you want your own photocopy machine, get detailed cost comparisons from competing manufacturers. Add in routine servicing and maintenance costs, and reconsider whether you really do need a lot of money tied up in your own photocopier.

For my part, I compare the quality and prices at local copy centres, and use whichever has properly serviced machines and is best and cheapest at the time. Serviced copying (where they copy and bind for you) can be more efficient and cost-effective than doing it all yourself.

Ask your local copy centre if you can provide your own paper for cheaper copying. Some will let you, some won’t - but special paper buys from office supply companies can create saving opportunities here.

Also, consider the multifunction units now available, that can copy, print, fax, scan, act as an answering machine, and more. These are ideal for many offices, and can reduce equipment clutter at the same time as taking care of most typical everyday needs.

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