Toner

Both inkjet and laser copiers require maintenance and repair over their lifetime, and the frequency of service is determined by the frequency of use and the amount of the workload. If you lease a copier, service experts will take care of these jobs for you. However, one thing you should be aware of is the cost of toner replacement.

Inkjet copiers and printers, for example, may be less expensive to buy, but the ink they require is far more expensive.

Because of the reduced purchase price, an inkjet copier may appear to be a better alternative for a home office that does little copying and printing. However, this does not account for the significantly greater cost of ink. Even if you don’t print much, you’ll need to replace the ink cartridges on a semi-regular basis.

In fact, in a terrible irony, if your inkjet copier goes too long without printing anything, you may find that the ink needs to be replaced anyway because it dries up! Ink cartridges normally cost roughly £20-£25 on average, which doesn’t seem like a lot until you start replacing them every other week.

Laser copiers, on the other hand, have a higher initial purchase price as well as higher resource expenses, with toner cartridges costing slightly more than ink cartridges, typically ranging between £30-£50. Toner cartridges, on the other hand, require replacement at a much slower rate.

The good news is that a single toner cartridge can print thousands upon thousands of pages, which an inkjet cartridge cannot. Even if your print volume is minimal, it may be worth considering a laser copier because it may prove to be a far better long-term investment and, if you’re lucky, may end up costing the same or less to operate than an inkjet photocopier.

Black & White Photocopiers

Black and white photocopiers, also known as monochrome photocopiers, are exactly what they sound like: copying and printing devices with a limited colour pallet.

Previously considered inferior to colour versions, black and white photocopiers have been revitalised in the last decade by laser and LED technologies. Not only has this greatly increased printing speeds and quality, but following manufacturing advancements have resulted in a significant decrease in the cost of these machines.

Whereas a high-end commercial photocopier used to cost tens of thousands of dollars, you may today expect to pay only a few thousand dollars, or less if you plan to lease.

Black & White Copiers for Businesses

Printing in black and white can provide numerous advantages to organisations. Not only is the technology sound and inexpensive to build, which means monochrome photocopiers are less expensive, but most workplaces will be able to maximise ROI whether colour printing is available or not.

Toner costs can be included in monthly lease packages, which not only reduces the cost per page but also eliminates the need to worry about running out because the manufacturer or leasing company’s experts would handle replacements.

Businesses searching for speed should avoid colour copiers and instead focus on monochrome copiers, which have substantially faster speeds thanks to the laser and LED technologies available on these machines.

Colour Photocopiers

Color technology was added to photocopiers in the late 1960s, and the technique has subsequently been perfected to the point where high-quality colour reproductions can now be produced on a standard-sized office machine.

Adding colour to your printed documents can liven up internal and external communications, make presentation handouts easier to follow, and allow you to print sales or promotional materials in-house, as well as branded letterheads, invoices, and compliment slips, without relying on an outside printer.

If you want to print high-quality documents on a large scale, you’ll need a high-end production printing equipment with a high DPI (dots per inch) print resolution. Modules for creating and binding various types of documents are typically included in these machines.

A colour photocopier will be a more modest affair for small offices, most likely a desktop photocopy that will not compete in quality standards with professional printing. Nonetheless, colour will add a pop to your printed documents.

Colour Copiers for Businesses

Color photocopiers, like all current digital copiers, are combined scanners and printers, making them perfect for use as office colour printers when connected to a computer network. Color photocopiers are available in a variety of sizes and with a plethora of optional accessories, ranging from modest office machines to professional quality production printing units.

Businesses that require heavy-duty equipment to handle huge print runs will be relieved to find that this is where colour photocopiers shine. Production copiers, such as Canon’s Oce VarioPrint Series, not only support colour, but can also print at speeds of up to 250 pages per minute for text and slightly under 100 ppm for full-page colour photos.

These machines are more expensive, but they provide a degree of in-house output that is difficult to duplicate, let alone exceed, anywhere else.

Black & White vs Colour Photocopiers

The choice between a colour copier and a black and white copier is heavily influenced by cost. Color copiers employ four separate sets of toner (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black), therefore you’ll need to replace toner or ink cartridges much more frequently. Color copiers are also more expensive to buy or lease due to the additional technology required, which also results in higher production costs. Black and white – or monochrome – photocopiers are also speedier at printing.

This means that, unless you’re going to be printing colour papers on a frequent basis, you’re probably better off keeping with black and white, or your cost per copy will skyrocket.