How Much Does A Printer Really Cost?

Occasionally a blog post will crop up with a title that poses a question to which the answer is so blindingly obvious that it makes taking the time to read the post seem pointless. This is not one of those posts.

Although it might seem to be; after all, a printer costs whatever it says on the box/on the website/in the catalogue, right? Not quite.

You see, while your eyes may near pop out of your head with frugal excitement when you see an all-in-one inkjet for £30, the actual cost of that printer may be a lot higher. How so?

Well, buying a printer is only the first in a long line of expenses involved with printing. And, depending on the printer you choose to buy, the cost of setting up and maintaining a printer can vary dramatically.

In this post, we’re going to break down the various costs of running a printer and offer some helpful money-saving tips along the way too.

Calculating the Cost of a Printer

The Printer: The main piece of the printing puzzle and the purchase with which most consumers will associate ‘value’. Common sense would dictate that the lower a printer costs, the better value you’re getting, and with printers going for as low as £30, who would want to splash out hundreds on a piece of kit that seems to have the same functionality?

However, as with many things in life, cheap doesn’t always mean cheerful. While many people do get good use out of a low-end printer, they don’t usually have the capacity to handle the demands of print-happy consumers. They often can’t match the quality demands of discerning amateur photographers either.

When buying a printer, your first thought should always be ‘what do I need?’ Draw up a list of what you’re going to be using the printer for, how often you’ll be using the printer and the kind of functions you might need. If you need a decent photo printer but want to save a bit of cash, consider the functions (like scanning, photocopying, etc.) you could manage without.

USB Cables: A sore point for many consumers. There’s nothing worse than getting a printer home, ripping it out of its box like a kid at Christmas and realising there’s no USB cable included with the printer. Cue another trip to the shops...

So why don’t printers include USB cables? The main reason would seem to be that including a cable costs the printer manufacturer more; by this logic, not including the cable actually keeps the price of the printer down.

USB cables are ten a dozen and buying a new one shouldn’t set you back more than £10. In fact, if you’ve got a spare USB cable knocking around in a drawer, you should be able to use that!

Printer Cartridges: The main expense of any printer, the cost of replacing printer cartridges can make a serious dent in your bank account. Calculating the ongoing cost of cartridges is a good way to determine how much your printer is going to cost in the long run.

For most, choosing between OEM and third party printer cartridges will be their main budget consideration. Remanufactured toner cartridges and refilled ink cartridges are by far the cheaper option, and with near-OEM quality if you buy from a trusted retailer like Cartridge World, there’s no reason not to buy third party!

If you really want to dig deep into cartridge budgeting, you can calculate the price-per-page of different cartridges for different printers. You can do this by dividing the cost of the cartridge by the cartridge’s page yield.

Printer Paper: Paper is an expense that eludes a lot of peoples’ thinking, but it can be a major budget drain. Generally, buying recycled paper is the best approach, although photo paper is recommended for the best quality photo prints.

Always remember to check that the paper is suitable for printers before purchasing; low-quality paper can lead to increased instances of the dreaded paper jam!

For more information on how Cartridge World can save you money on your printing, take a look around the site or visit your local store!