The sticker price alone isn’t a true indication of how good a deal you’re getting on your printer purchase. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is what you really need to consider as you determine a printer’s value.
What Is Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Why Is It Important?
Total Cost Of Ownership is the amount of money your printer will cost you over the lifetime of the machine. Simply put, it’s how much money you will end up spending on your printer as long as you have it.
TCO takes into consideration not only the sticker price of the machine, but also all costs involved with owning and maintaining the printer. When you estimate your TCO, you get a much better sense of the long-term value you’ll get from your printer purchase.
Consider the following example:
Company ABC is looking for a multi-function printer. The business prints approximately 2,000 pages per month and plans on keeping the machine for five years.
Brand A’s printer purchase cost is $429 but has a TCO of $9,824.46
Brand B’s printer purchase cost is $799 but has a TCO of $5,068.50
By spending more upfront for Brand B’s printer, Company ABC would save over $4,000 over the life of the machine!
What Costs Go Into Calculating TCO?
Consumables and supplies
Consider how much you will spend on replacing toner and drum units throughout the life of your printer. The yield of these supplies will influence your costs. Buying a machine that was inexpensive to purchase but that uses supplies with low yield or a high sticker price could put a hurting on your wallet in the long run.
Toner yield is similar to gas mileage in a car. A car may have a low sticker price, but if it gets poor gas mileage, you may end up spending more than if you bought a more expensive car that uses gas more efficiently.
Maintenance
Repair costs are an essential element of TCO, too. If you buy a machine that isn’t large enough to handle the volume of printing you will be doing, you might find you’re paying a lot for repairs. Also, multi-function printers have more parts that potentially will need to be replaced. So, you’ll want to purchase a printer that has all the features and capabilities you need but not more—or you could waste money.
Type of printing you normally do
When you are looking for a new printer, keep in mind the kind of printing you will be doing. This will help you determine which machine will best suit your needs and your budget.
● Will you be doing high-volume printing?
● Will you be printing a lot of small jobs or large jobs?
● Will you be printing in mostly black and white, or will you be using more color?
● What kind of quality will you need?
● Will you be printing high-quality photos or marketing materials?
How Can Laser Lab Help You Make a Wise Investment?
With so many things to consider when calculating the TCO for a new printer, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and confused. Laser Lab is here to help you make sense of it all. We have developed a process for calculating TCO, so you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Our sales team will work with you to assess your printing needs and help you find a machine that will work for you and your budget.
We also provide Managed Print Services to simplify the purchase process and ensure your machine stays in excellent condition. With Laser Lab’s Total Care Contract, you pay to purchase the machine and then a monthly amount based on a cost per page printed. We provide toner supplies, repair parts, labor, and maintenance at no additional cost to you for the length of the contract.
Ready to Make Sure You’re Choosing a Printer That Offers the Best TCO?
Contact us to help you with your next purchase and to learn more about our Managed Print Services!
Ask us about our special deal on two Lexmark machines. With their high-yield supplies, they’re excellent choices for printing on heavy paper and labels—and they offer a stellar TCO!