Think About The Overall Cost When Buying A Printer

Whenever hunting for a new printer the majority of people think about the cost of purchase, the functions delivered, rate of printing and the printing standard etc. It is easy to overlook probably the most important point-- the total cost of ownership.

The most significant cost connected with a printer will definitely be the cost of consumables, in particular ink/toner cartridges, indeed over the entire life of the printer these will be many times the purchase price. It is therefore vital that these are taken into consideration in the buying decision.

Manufacturer's Replacement Cartridges
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) replacement toner/ink is made to high specifications and certified to provide high quality results, although they are pricey. This is because the manufacturers make their profit on these rather than on the printers themselves.

In the case of laser printers the toner cartridge furnished with the printer is usually not a full version which ensures that a replacement is needed much sooner than you might expect. I have witnessed examples at the bottom end of the marketplace when the new cartridge is around the same price as the printer itself.

Once again with laser printers the smaller the printer the greater the printing costs (per page) are prone to be. This is owing to high capacity (bigger) toner cartridges that are generally available for bigger printers being more economical.

There are reviews readily available on the internet which reveal the comparative printing costs per page and it is worth studying these in advance of shaping any purchasing decision.

Third Party Consumables
It is possible to buy Compatible (or Generic) cartridges or Remanufactured cartridges for the majority of printers. The first type are new cartridges produced by third parties to match an individual printer or category of printers whilst the 2nd type are OEM cartridges which have been reconditioned and replenished.

In each instance these cost a large amount less than OEM versions. If bought from a reputable company, who works to OEM standards (and offers a warranty), these should be comparable to the originals. Using these will, in itself, not invalidate the printer manufacturer's warranty.

Having said that producers do not want you to make use of third party cartridges and some make things complicated by including chips in their cartridges which communicate with the printer.

It is as a result definitely worth considering the availability of third party cartridges prior to purchasing a printer. You may not intend to buy them initially but you may later regret not keeping this option open.

It is clear that before purchasing a printer you ought to undertake more fact-finding than you could think. It is well worthwhile doing this as two printers that look similar in the showroom can cost very different amounts over their lifetime.