Print copy cost. The hidden management cost
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RUN A PRINTER ?
Let's see together what the hidden costs are behind the management of a printer or multifunction
Is it time to replace our old printer? Do we need to buy a multifunction for our office that is very fast and can scan? Whatever our needs, in addition to evaluating the characteristics of the printer itself, speed, format, functions, etc. We must also evaluate a determining factor for purchasing purposes, the copy cost.
COPY COST, WHAT IS IT AND HOW IS IT CALCULATED? 
What is the copy cost? First of all we must know the meaning of this term to actually determine its importance during the purchase phase. In fact, this term indicates the cost of each single print, whether in black and white or colour, which affects the management of our new multifunction or printer.
Let's now see the parameters to take into consideration to exactly calculate the copy cost of our machine.
- Toner cost
- Possible presence of a print drum
- Average number of prints per month
- Period of use, which in the case of purchasing the machine corresponds to its residual life
As is now clear, we must not make the most common mistake and therefore only take into consideration the actual cost of the toner, but rather the relationship between cost and capacity in terms of the number of prints of the same. In fact, if we only consider the cost of a consumable or a machine, tending towards the most convenient one, many times we will cancel the initial saving at the expense of a high copy cost.
Let's now see a practical example to calculate the cost of prints together. For this test we took into consideration an excellent color laser MFP, the Lexmark X950de.
WE CALCULATE THE COPY COST
For our tests we used the Lexmark text written on an A4 sheet) we will obtain a copy cost of €0.0015 (obtained by dividing the cost of toner by the number of prints).
In our case, therefore of a color printer and printing drum, it will be enough to apply the same calculation to each component purchased, then divide the cost of the same by the number of copies they can make. We also remind you that the maximum number of copies that you can make before running out is expressly indicated in the packaging of each consumable. To give a practical example, on our store you will find the complete toner kit for the Lexmark X950de (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) at a cost of €199.00. This kit is capable of making 24,000 color copies, so in this case we will obtain a copy cost of €0.002 obtained by dividing the cost of the kit by 4 (the actual number of toner cartridges present) and the result divided by the number of copies executable (199/4)/24000=0.002 for each individual toner. 
Now that you have a clear understanding of the "hidden" cost of each printer or multifunction, you will have a further weapon to be able to carefully select your next purchase, so that you can evaluate the cost of managing the machine as well as the actual purchase price.
