Can any laser printer/copier get a cost per page as low as inkjets?

[aab1]

I had been using only HP business inkjets due to their much lower cost per page.

I finally got a color laser copier after figuring out I could get the cost to "only" 7 times more expensive than inkjet (2.7 cents a page VS 0.4 cents a page for inkjet) by using remanufactured cartridges and assuming I get 3 refills per cartridge (otherwise the cost would be about 80 times more expensive per page).

I realize though that I got a fairly small color copier. Just out of curiosity, what's the lowest cost per page the biggest color laser copier can get in color? I assume even the cheapest laser copier can't be as low as inkjet because the plain cost of toner is much more than ink.

Now for something that could be practical for me, say in copiers under $2000 (or even just a printer, but I prefer a copier), what's the lowest cost per page I can expect without using refills? What brands/models would offer the lowest cost per page?

I print quite a bit (my HP inkjet is at 250 000 prints) so I prefer to pay more for the printer to then save money on prints.

Thanks

[RRodgers]

I had been using only HP business inkjets due to their much lower cost per page.

I finally got a color laser copier after figuring out I could get the cost to "only" 7 times more expensive than inkjet (2.7 cents a page VS 0.4 cents a page for inkjet) by using remanufactured cartridges and assuming I get 3 refills per cartridge (otherwise the cost would be about 80 times more expensive per page).

I realize though that I got a fairly small color copier. Just out of curiosity, what's the lowest cost per page the biggest color laser copier can get in color? I assume even the cheapest laser copier can't be as low as inkjet because the plain cost of toner is much more than ink.

Now for something that could be practical for me, say in copiers under $2000 (or even just a printer, but I prefer a copier), what's the lowest cost per page I can expect without using refills? What brands/models would offer the lowest cost per page?

I print quite a bit (my HP inkjet is at 250 000 prints) so I prefer to pay more for the printer to then save money on prints.

Thanks

ummmm inkjet USUALLY costs a lot more than toner!

[aab1]

That's because when people hear "inkjet" they automatically think of those small home inkjet printers which have half a teaspoon of ink for each color.

I have a business inkjet and buy ink by the liter, 4 liters (one per color) for $200 which makes 50 000 prints. The printheads also last at least 50 000 prints and cost less than $100.

By the way this is with actual prints, not "5% coverage" which companies use, and most of my prints are much more than 5%, so I guess using 5% coverage my cost per color page is probably about 0.2 cents per page.

With the 250 000 prints I've done on this HP inkjet I'm about at my fourth or fifth set of liter ink bottles.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

That's because when people hear "inkjet" they automatically think of those small home inkjet printers which have half a teaspoon of ink for each color.

I have a business inkjet and buy ink by the liter, 4 liters (one per color) for $200 which makes 50 000 prints. The printheads also last at least 50 000 prints and cost less than $100.

By the way this is with actual prints, not "5% coverage" which companies use, and most of my prints are much more than 5%, so I guess using 5% coverage my cost per color page is probably about 0.2 cents per page.

With the 250 000 prints I've done on this HP inkjet I'm about at my fourth or fifth set of liter ink bottles.

So you're paying under 2 cents per page. I don't think you'll get any toner device for that cheap. Inkjet isn't permanent like toner and theirs disadvantages to inkjet too.

[aab1]

So you're paying under 2 cents per page. I don't think you'll get any toner device for that cheap. Inkjet isn't permanent like toner and theirs disadvantages to inkjet too.

I get my 24lbs paper for 1 cent a sheet so yea that's about 1.5 cents per page total cost for actual prints (more than 5% coverage).

I know inkjet has it's dissadvantages which is why I got a laser even if it costs much more to operate.

I'm still curious to know what the cost per page ends up being on those huge machines, can anyone tell me?

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

I get my 24lbs paper for 1 cent a sheet so yea that's about 1.5 cents per page total cost for actual prints (more than 5% coverage).

I know inkjet has it's dissadvantages which is why I got a laser even if it costs much more to operate.

I'm still curious to know what the cost per page ends up being on those huge machines, can anyone tell me?

You should call some dealers up and ask them. It's not a blanket answer. Just as wages changes from local economy to local economy so do prices of goods.

Don't expect 2 cents though. These people have these jobs because they have car payments, mortgages, ungrateful little bastard kids to put through college, and spouses that max their credit cards out. In other words they have to make a profit in order to live and survive.

[Mr Spock]

Realistically I would say a "break even" cost on the coverage you are looking at is 4-6 cents per page (guessing on just what you are printing) and using generic toner. Using oem then about 7-8 cents a page. Now if you get a full size mfp with a full service contract including toner then they might give a service contract at 5-6 cents a copy and include the toner and service that is required. But it depends on manufacture, dealer, machine (type and size) and estimated volume. For example I just installed a 35ppm color machine(cost about $8,000) and the service is 8 cents per color. I will be installing a 55 ppm production machine on Monday (cost $50,000) and the charge is 2.5 per color.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Realistically I would say a "break even" cost on the coverage you are looking at is 4-6 cents per page (guessing on just what you are printing) and using generic toner. Using oem then about 7-8 cents a page. Now if you get a full size mfp with a full service contract including toner then they might give a service contract at 5-6 cents a copy and include the toner and service that is required. But it depends on manufacture, dealer, machine (type and size) and estimated volume. For example I just installed a 35ppm color machine(cost about $8,000) and the service is 8 cents per color. I will be installing a 55 ppm production machine on Monday (cost $50,000) and the charge is 2.5 per color.

Hey Spock. What's the make and model on the 55ppm machine. We have a 55ppm machine full color but I can't even buy supplies from the manufacturer at 2.5 cents a page.

[aab1]

Realistically I would say a "break even" cost on the coverage you are looking at is 4-6 cents per page (guessing on just what you are printing) and using generic toner. Using oem then about 7-8 cents a page. Now if you get a full size mfp with a full service contract including toner then they might give a service contract at 5-6 cents a copy and include the toner and service that is required. But it depends on manufacture, dealer, machine (type and size) and estimated volume. For example I just installed a 35ppm color machine(cost about $8,000) and the service is 8 cents per color. I will be installing a 55 ppm production machine on Monday (cost $50,000) and the charge is 2.5 per color.

Well with my small Canon MF8350Cdn I got the cost per page down to 2.7 cents per page at 5% coverage by using re manufactured cartridges and assuming 3 refills per cartridge before the drums fail. If my business works well with this small machine I got just as an introduction to laser printing to see if I can still make money with the much higher cost per page (my inkjet costs 0.4 cents per color page) I will buy a larger one that costs half as much per page as this one does (I didn't want to buy a $2000 machine only to find the high cost per page of laser printing causes me to loose rather than make money).

BTW my inkjet goes up to 35 pages/minute, my color laser is 21 pages per minute, but if I set both to similar quality then the laser one is faster as inkjet slows down as you increase the print quality. There are $25 000 inkjets though that are 150 pages/minute but that's out of my price range.

[blackcat4866]

For starters which laser technology are talking about?

The three basic color laser technologies are:
1) Fuji Xerox Tandem Engine
2) Multipass Pipeline Process
3) Oki Tandem Engine

The tandem engines are able to simultaneously develop all four colors by using a drum and developing unit for each color (four drums CYMK, four developing units CYMK). The multipass pipeline engine uses a four developing units CYMK and one single larger drum to develop each color individually, one color per pass of the drum.

There are many more factors to print speed than just paper passage.
A laser printer engine has to do many things before it can begin printing:
1) The fuser temperature must be elevated to the proper temperature based on media type
2) The polygon mirror motor must be brought up to speed and stabilized
3) Drum motor speed and timing synchronized
4) Color registration is performed

A laser printer has to do many things during printing:
5) Toner density is monitored and toner added as needed
6) Print speed is adjusted to accommodate media type

A laser printer has to do many things after printing:
7) Drum and Transfer belt cleaning is performed.

Naturally a laser printer engine does much more than this, but these processes all require varying amounts of time to perform and affect print speed significantly. Black and White print engines do not have to perform color registration and color calibration operations, so these functions are turned off during strictly black & white printing.

I don't know why I'm answering your thread, because you haven't actually listened to any of the previous posts. You are a cheerleader for inkjet technology amongst an audience of laser technologists. You don't actually think you will convert us, do you? Maybe there's a nice inkjet forum you can join. Then get up on your soap box and expound freely. =^..^=