What drives the purchase price
| Factor | Lower price | Higher price |
|---|---|---|
| Format | A4 | A3 |
| Colour | Mono | Colour |
| Speed and duty | Entry speed, lighter duty | Faster, built for heavy volume |
| Document feeder | None or ADF | Reversing or single-pass duplex feeder |
| Paper handling | One or two trays | Extra cassettes, large-capacity feeder |
| Finishing | None | Stapling, hole-punching, booklet making |
| Condition | Refurbished | New |
The running costs that matter more
- Toner: price ÷ rated yield = toner cost per page.
- Drum and maintenance kits: replaced at stated page intervals.
- Service: visits, labour and parts, or a maintenance arrangement.
- Paper: usually the largest single running cost at volume.
- Downtime: the cost of a machine that fails during a deadline.
Add these up over three to five years for each machine you are comparing. The machine with the lowest sticker price is often not the cheapest. See how to reduce office printing costs.
Ways to pay less up front
- Trade in your old machine. See printer and photocopier exchange.
- Spread the cost on EMI.
- Rent instead, with service included. See buy vs rent.
- Choose a smaller class if your real volume allows it.
Questions about your own machine? Send the model and a photo, and the team in Kacheripady will reply.
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