Want to save money? – It’s easy

If you are planning to open a new company, you should take care of the equipment that will help your employees handle everyday routine tasks—computers, fax machines, and printers. Naturally, many immediately take into account the factor of consumable costs. Here you need to consider the service life of each device and its consumption of materials (for printers and fax machines). Everyone knows that laser printers can print a greater number of documents on a single cartridge than inkjet ones. But it’s not that simple—the majority of inkjet printers use cartridges that can be refilled, and cartridge refilling costs an order of magnitude less than buying new ones. Meanwhile, standard laser printers use disposable cartridges. Of course, more expensive laser printer models support reusable cartridges, but their price exceeds the cost of standard inkjet printers many times over.

From all of the above, it follows that before choosing a printer you should assess your company’s printing volume and select the printer that will cost you the least. For example, if you need to print 5–10 pages per day, it’s best to get an inexpensive inkjet printer, since an expensive laser one would pay for itself only after many years. Conversely, if you plan to print 200 pages a day or more, you should buy an expensive laser printer right away, and in just half a year you’ll be able to calculate that the savings on consumables have paid for the printer.

You should also note that a regular secretary will not be able to refill cartridges. Therefore, you will most likely have to contact a company that refills printer cartridges—estimate the cost of each type of refill and the approximate monthly ink consumption; then you will have a clear picture of how long it will take for each printer to pay for itself.

Of course, when it comes to things like the quality of the printer itself, it is better to ask people who take a neutral position on the matter (who clearly will not advertise the products of any one company) and have used various printer models. As a rule, such people can be found in service centers. If you do not have acquaintances who can advise you on choosing a specific printer model, rely on the manufacturer’s warranty and buy a model that may be more expensive but has a longer warranty period.