|
Compatible Ink Jet Cartridges in the UK: How to Calculate the True Printing Cost
Ink jet printers are amongst the most affordable printing technologies available in the UK. Although there are high-priced models, it's possible to find an inexpensive brand-name ink jet printer for less than £30. But the cost of the printer is only part of the picture. Savvy buyers have learned to factor in the cost of printer ink because a cartridge for that £30 printer can easily cost £20, which makes that cheap printer less of a bargain. Even if you're using compatible ink jet cartridges rather than OEMs, it won't be long before the cost of printer cartridges exceeds the cost of the printer. Here's some information on how a bit of simple analysis can save you a great deal of money.
Calculating the True Cost of Ink Jet Printing
When you buy a house or a car or a major appliance, chances are you try to determine what the item will cost over time. Doesn't it make sense to do the same for your printer and ink cartridges?
The first step is to find out how many pages the cartridge for your printer yields. This information should be available from the printer's manual or from the manufacturer. Then estimate the number of pages you print each week and multiply that by 52 weeks to get a yearly total. Then divide the yearly total by the cartridge page yield to get the number of cartridges you will need per year. For example, if you print 25 pages per week that means you'd print 1300 pages per year. If your printer cartridge is rated to print 200 copies, you'd need to buy 7 cartridges per year to print 1300 pages. If a cartridge costs £20, your annual cost is £140 or nearly 11 pence per page. If you paid £30 for the printer, the yearly ink cost is almost 5 times the cost of the printer!
How to Control the Cost of Ink Toner Cartridges
The best way to control the cost of ink cartridges is to do the analysis described above before you buy a printer. Failing that, you should switch from OEM cartridges to compatible ink cartridges. OEM cartridges are the same as the one that came in the box with your printer. They usually carry the same brand name as the printer. Compatible printer ink cartridges are made by third party manufacturers and are either unbranded or carry an unknown brand name. Compatible cartridges perform as well as OEM cartridges and generally yield about the same number of printed pages and can cost as much as 60% to 70% less, depending on the printer model.
Compatible ink jet cartridges are an affordable and reliable way for UK printer owners to control the cost of ink jet printing. |
|
|
|
