Laser jets vs. Ink jets in the office space

Less reliable, they are a true case for the razor blade business model. Buy a cheap device, make an up front cheap supply with a high turn over rate and sell more supplies. The initial perception on cost seems to be inexpensive when in reality it is much greater.

Consider the price of personal inkjet supplies: the cartridges hold about an ounce of ink and sell for about $30 each. There are 128 ounces in a gallon, so the ink in your inkjet cartridges actually has an equivalent cost of about $3,900 per gallon.

With all costs figured in, each document page printed on a typical laser printer costs from 2 cents a page to 5 cents; on an inkjet, the cost per page can run from 5 to 10 cents. Adding color can make these costs 3-5 times greater.

Other thoughts:
Why laser jets? If image permanence is important and you expect your documents to be exposed to damaging elements like sunlight and rain, demanding work environments, lasers, are often the best choice. Color laser printers now perform at speeds comparable to monochrome printers, they’re reliable, and they’re an economical choice for network printing.

Duty cycles–the percentage of time a printer is actively in use–are another issue. By choosing a printer that exceeds your current production needs, you can minimize maintenance requirements, an especially useful edge for small businesses that don’t have a dedicated IT staff.

Laser printers generally have more options for additional features, such as multiple high-volume paper trays, duplexing capabilities, and complex finishing features.

For a lot of businesses, even small ones, a mix of laser and ink printers makes the most sense. Some smaller businesses that don’t have huge printing loads do well with a couple of inkjets, but for businesses with heavier printing requirements such as long text documents, a few inkjets, if any, combined with a centralized laser for bigger jobs makes more sense and is more cost effective.

Managed Print Solutions: Taking toner costs out of the equation.

ARTICLE: Document Output Trends

ARTICLE: CEO Corner-MPS

ARTICLE: 2008 CIO Agenda