A common question that needs to be asked whenever a company evaluates their need for a new business copier machine is whether or not they need color. During my three decades in the industry I often hear some variation of the question “Do I really need to purchase a color copy machine or would it make more sense to simply purchase a black and white copier?”
Having spoken with thousands of companies during their evaluations leading up to a copier purchase I have found a common thread regarding the question. It is not so much that a company’s thoughts vary on whether they would like to have a copier machine that can copy and print in color. It is more so that companies are worried that a color copier machine will cost them more to purchase or result in a higher payment should they choose to lease a color copier machine. Cost reduction initiatives are very important for business organisations. Additionally, companies are concerned that employees may take advantage of the color copier machine to create color copies for personal projects resulting in higher operating costs.
Whereas these concerns over higher costs are valid, there are some considerations that may tip the balance as to why the benefits of purchasing a color copier system would outweigh any concerns. Let’s examine why purchasing a color copy machine or leasing a color copy machine may actually save a company money.
1)Eliminate the high price of disposable laser printer cartridges; by purchasing or leasing a color copier machine many companies can eliminate an existing color laser printer and the high costs of replacement printer cartridges. In almost every case it is 300% to 400% more expensive for each color print made on a desktop laser printer than the same print would be if made on a color copier machine.
2)Setup Account Tracking Codes to discourage unauthorized color printing; color copier machines have the ability to setup account tracking codes in order to monitor and control the amount of color copies made by each employee or user. By serving notice that each employees color copy and color print usage will be monitored a company can discourage potential abuse of unauthorized color prints being created.
3)Eliminate the costs to outsource color copying to a UPS Store or Copy Center; Many companies that don’t have a color copier machine find themselves outsourcing color copy and color print jobs to a local copy center. The downside of outsourcing color copy jobs is that the cost is generally 500% to 2,000% more expensive for each color print than if a company printed these same materials on their own color copier machine. Copy centers charge anywhere from 30 cents to a dollar a page for color copies whereas the average cost of a print on a color copier machine is approximately 6 cents.
4)Eliminate the need to create more color prints than you may actually need; frequently when making color copies and prints at a copy center a company will make more than they need to avoid the need of making repeated trips to the copy center. It has been shown that nearly 80% of outsourced color copies are never used because companies order more copies than they actually need to avoid repeat trips. In comparison, when making color copies on your own color copier machine there is no motivation to print more than you need at a given time because you can quickly and easily make more copies as they’re needed.
In summary, by eliminating the high cost of purchasing laser printer cartridges for desktop color printers and eliminating the high cost of outsourcing color copy projects, the savings obtained by having a color copier machine, can far outweigh the few extra dollars that you might save by purchasing a copier machine that does not offer color capability. The scenario and results are different for each individual company. It makes common sense to have a conversation with us your local copier service provider to explore the cost differentials and whether a color copier machine makes sense for your company.