Copiers or Laser Printers?

Houston Copier has made it our mission to dispel one compelling myth about copiers vs. printers. Most people are liable to believe that “copiers are less expensive than laser printers”. We have found this assertion to be both true and false. When your company computes the “Total Cost of Ownership” (TCO) of a copier vs. a printer, you need to be sure to include ALL the costs of the various components of the machines. Some different components that you should include in your final estimate include cost per print, maintenance costs, power costs, and, most importantly, the cost of the copier or printer itself. This is where most companies miscalculate their final TCO: they will forget to add-in the initial expense of a new copier or printer. Instead, they simply look to the cost per print figures.

This is illogical for many reasons. Take an example from the automotive industry. If you were deciding between purchasing a vehicle that gets 34 miles per gallon vs. one that gets 28 miles per gallon, you cannot just declare that the 28 mpg vehicle is less expensive. Other factors also play into the equation. The 34 mpg vehicle just might cost $15000 less initially and require fewer annual maintenance check-ups.

Another factor that companies must consider when deciding on a printer vs. copier from Houston Copier is the fact that most copiers include a “printer version” in their software. For example, a Kyocera 5035 copier and a Kyocera 9520 printer both use the Falcon series engine. Minor modifications at the factory make impossible the interchange of toners between the two devices, however, the end result remains the same: the cost per print of the two devices is equal. The kicker is that the Kyocera 9520 printer is about half the initial cost of the Kyocera 5035 copier—and it is much more cost-efficient to maintain.
Alternatively, much of the time a copier does end up having a cheaper Total Cost of Ownership because companies are comparing their copiers against inefficient desktop laser printers. This becomes obvious when you compare a Kyocera 4050 copier vs. a desktop Dell 1700 laser printer. If both are producing 15000 pages a month, the Kyocera 4050 copier is about half as expensive as the Dell 1700 laser printer.

Therefore, the answer to the question of whether a copier or printer is more cost-efficient is that it truly depends. Houston Copier can help you calculate the better option for your company.