As a small business, we can see the economy turning and growing again. And as your business grows so too will your print volumes.
Avoid the excessive costs associated with buying tiny ink volume printer cartridges and switch to a printer for small business that prints up to A3 in colour, scans, copies and faxes and includes 12 months Free Unlimited Ink – all for only €239 including VAT
Available exclusively at Cartridge Green stores in Bray, Clonmel, Goatstown Cross and Leopardstown
This photo is the reason why you should NEVER buy a cheap inkjet printer….
But unfortunately we get people in our shops every day telling us that they bought a “cheap” printer but that the cartridges run out very quickly, printing only a few pages and costing almost as much as the printer to replace!
To prove the false economy that is a “cheap” printer, we bought one from a well know electrical retailer. The printer brand was very well known and it only cost €89. It was wireless and it scanned and copied – on the face of it an affordable printer price with decent functionality. So we opened the cartridges and extracted all the ink into syringes.
Here is what we found:
So if you need a new printer, avoid the “cheap” option that will cost you small fortune in the short, medium and long term. If you’ve fallen into the trap already and have a “cheap” printer recycle it or give it to someone you don’t like AND then switch to a printer from Cartridge Green that’s comes with FREE UNLIMITED INK!
The home office now features prominently in the lives of many workers. Working from home does not eliminate the requirement to print and in many cases home offices use entry level inkjet printers that are slow and expensive to run. There are many costs effective options now available that can reduce the printing costs associated with a home office. Here are two quick options thatOption1 – Develop Ineo +25 Bundle Deal (for moderate print users)
Like many businesses, the main bulk of capital expenditure in office equipment happened during the heady days of the Celtic Tiger. One of the biggest outlays at the time was in photocopiers and printers, many of which are now old, in need of constant maintenance and requiring replacement. Given that we are living in a time of austerity, many businesses are making do with these old copiers and printers and resisting the investment that is required. The reality is that by keeping these old devices, costs actually increase as a result of new parts, service calls and downtime. The investment in new printing devices is not as high as might be expected and here are some tips to reduce the investment required.
Analyse your print usage
The most important task for any business is to find out what they are printing, how much of it and using what current printers. Without this data, the risk of choosing an incorrect replacement printer or multifunction device is highest. As print usage has reduced for many businesses over the past 10 years, it is likely the investment required in the new print devices will also be lower.
The common mistake businesses make is that they do not conduct an analysis on their print usage and simply buy a new printer based on price or on the recommendation of a vendor. This decision is extremely risky for 2 main reasons:
1. If the printer chosen is not adequate for the print use, its life cycle will drastically reduce and the risk of service and maintenance requirement increases
2. If the specification of the printer chosen is too high for the print usage, the printer will be underutilised resulting in a higher than required initial investment
If you are finding it difficult to track your print usage a good tip is to track the amount of paper you order for your entire business over a given period. This will give the overall business print requirement and that can be the starting point to drill down further.
Consolidation
Reducing the number of printers in the organisation will not only lead to a lower investment, it will also lead to drastically reduced running costs. The most inefficient and expensive set up is when desktop or individual printers are being used. The move to consolidate and centralise the printing function will reduce cost, improve print functionality and give more control over costs.
Finance facilities
Many mainstream and specialty banks offer finance facilities that can fund the replacement of office equipment. Securing finance eliminates the upfront capital expenditure and in many cases the cost savings associated with running the printing devices is greater than the monthly loan repayments for the finance facilities.
Consider managed print services
To create a managed print solution for your business a discovery and analysis of your current set up, costs and requirements should be conducted. From that, a print solution designed to meet your needs should be applied to your business. Once in place the solution should be managed in terms of cost, supplies and enhancements.
Not a week goes by without some media organisation publishing a story about 3D printing. And this isn’t just in tech news – Google ‘Buttercup the duck’ to read a feel-good story about how a 3D printer was used to create a new prosthetic replacement foot for this defective duck. Or search for ‘3D casts’ to learn about how this technology could lead to hygienic, breathable support for sufferers of broken bones.
Amazon.com recently introduced a dedicated product sub-category on its website for all things personal 3D printing. The section features 3D printers as well as some parts and consumables. An upcoming revision of Windows 8.1 will feature native driver support for 3D printing. According to Scott Dunham, Research Manager of Photizo Group, the premier industry’s biggest players now expect that proliferation of 3D printing to everyday businesses and consumers is the next frontier in the market.” NewScientist.com says we experiencing a second industrial revolution, and that 3D printing “is about to transform every single aspect of our lives.” But just how close is 3D printing to becoming mainstream and coming to an office near you? 3D printing is the technology that creates physical objects on a small printer by progressively depositing layers of melted plastic. And while this revolutionary technology will eventually become a fixture in most offices, we’re still years away from that becoming a reality.
For one, despite significant reductions in price, 3D printers are still very expensive. And training for these revolutionary machines isn’t cheap, either. Training which will be necessary for all but the most technically inclined users; as with all new technologies in their infancy stages, 3D printers are anything but user friendly. And as of yet they don’t have many practical uses. Last but not least, there are those pesky intellectual property issues that need to be resolved.
While 3D printing may be the wave of the future, that future’s still a ways off. So sit back and continue to dream of all the exciting possibilities this revolutionary new technology will provide to the office of the future.
So you’ve been ordering and buying printer cartridges for your business and done so for as long as you can remember. We take a detailed look at this everyday workplace practice and outline some of the negatives associated with it:
Cost
The vast majority of businesses now use laser printers that require laser cartridges. For black and white laser printers only one cartridge is required but for colour laser printer four cartridges are required and these can run out at different times. Laser cartridges tend to be quite expensive but they print more pages than inkjet printers.
Cheaper generic cartridge options are available but there can be quality issues with these (see below). The most recent laser printers now also require drums in addition to the toner cartridges and these drums can be extremely expensive. Based on each page that is printed, the practice of buying printer cartridges and drums is extremely expensive.
Supplies management
Many businesses have multiple printers, many of which are different makes and models requiring different cartridges that run out at different times. If you consider that each colour laser printer requires four cartridges with different complicated codes, the time and money spent managing the supplies can be avoided with a managed print solution.
Cost control and cash flow effects
The practice of buying printer cartridges effectively means that businesses are pre-paying for printing they will do in the future. Whilst this may not sound such a negative on the face of it, it is likely that most businesses wouldn’t pay for their phone or electricity bills in advance so why should printing be any different? The stocking of spare cartridges drastically increases that cashflow commitment further.
Cost control and forecasting is almost impossible when using printer cartridges. Printer cartridges and drums are required when they run out and depending on what maybe required, a large unexpected cash outlay may be required. The irregular and intermittent requirement for printer supplies makes cost control and visibility very difficult.
Generic cartridges
Many businesses recently have switched from the more expensive branded printer cartridges to refilled or generic forms to reduce cost. Whilst some generic alternatives are good quality and work extremely well, generally there is a lack of consistency with generic manufacturers that can lead to quality issues with the cartridges. Leaking toner and low print quality are the two most common visible manifestations of a sub standard cartridges but the most important consideration is around cartridge yield and productivity. All laser printer cartridges advertise a page yield which is the number of pages it is expected to print at a set coverage. It is common for some generic cartridges to fail before the advertised yield is reached meaning that perceived the savings of using a generic over an original branded cartridge are not realised. This creates a false economy and a false saving and may lead the user to revert back to the more expensive original alternative.
The Solution
A managed print service solves all of the negatives associated with buying printer cartridges. In addition, an effective and efficient managed print service will be customised for your business and may lead to even greater savings and improved print function.
Summary Specifications
B/W and colour printing 22ppm photocopier, printer, scanner and fax 100 sheet document feeder 2 x 500 sheet paper supply Duplex printing Print up to A3 size in colour 2GB Memory and 250GB Hard drive Secure print to protect sensitive printed information Recommended Monthly Use: Up to 15000 pages Cost Profile: LowOur Star Rating – 4 out of 5
Summary Specifications
B/W and colour printing 30ppm photocopier, printer, scanner and fax 50 sheet document feeder and 1 x 250 sheet paper supply and 100 sheet bypass tray Duplex printing Print up to A4 size in colour 1GB Memory and 150GB Hard drive Secure print to protect sensitive printed information Option to add copy desk Recommended Monthly Use: Up to 6000 pages Cost Profile: Low to mediumOur Star Rating – 4 out of 5
1. The cost to replace the cartridges and other parts and not just the cost of actual printer. In many cases, the cost to replace the cartridges equates to the cost of the printer! If this is the case then you should avoid buying this type of printer as the running cost will make it prohibitive to keep. You should also find out if the printer requires any additional parts such as imaging drums or fusers. These parts tend to be extremely expensive and lead to nasty financial surprises.
2. Does the printer come with full or starter cartridges and the page yield they print?
Many printers now come with “starter” cartridges with greatly reduced volumes. The concept behind starter cartridges is that they run out very soon after the printer is purchased so your true investment is the printer cost plus the full set of cartridges.
You should also consider the page yield of the cartridge and you should cross check this with the cost of the cartridges and other parts to determine the cost per page printed. If you are paying more than 8.5 cent per colour and 1.5 cent per black page, you are paying too much!
3. Does the printer match your requirements and print volumes?
Matching what you need the printer for and how much print volume you expect to generate and the printer that is appropriate and vital in picking the correct printer for you. If you buy a printer that is too small and you are print volumes are more than it is capable of handling, you will be spending much more on smaller cartridges. Additionally, the printer is more likely to give mechanical issues through overuse and the life of the machine reduces.
As a rule, you should always check the manufacturers recommended monthly
David Robinson from The Guardian Newspaper published a very interesting feature on ink cartridges. The article featured on 23 February 2013 and we have copied the text for you to read.
It’s a busy morning at Cartridge World in Aylesbury, part of a chain of almost 200 outlets across the UK that sell branded and refilled printer cartridges. It’s a thriving business. The shop has seen turnover double in the past five years.
But store owner Martin Dyckhoff says customers come to him time and again with the same complaint: the branded inkjet cartridges they have bought run out of ink too quickly.
The sky-high price of printer ink – measure for measure more expensive than vintage champagne – has been well documented. Less well-known is the fact that the amount of ink in the average cartridge has shrunk dramatically. “Newer cartridges contain a fraction of the ink a similar product contained a decade ago,” Dyckhoff says. “The amount can be minuscule.”
For example, the Epson T032 colour cartridge (released in 2002) is the same size as the Epson colour T089 (released in 2008). But the T032 contains 16ml of ink and the T089 contains just 3.5ml of ink. It’s a similar story with Hewlett Packard (HP) cartridges. A decade ago, the best-selling HP cartridge had 42ml of ink and sold for about £20. Today, the standard printer cartridges made by HP may contain as little as 5ml of ink but sell for about £13.
Cut open a HP inkjet cartridge and you’ll find what is going on. The size of the sponges inside, which hold the ink, have progressively reduced over the years. The rest of the cartridge is now simply empty space. In Epson cartridges, meanwhile, the ink tank has been systematically reduced in size.
“The strategy has been to nudge the consumer towards a high frequency of purchases,” says David Connett, editor of The Recycler, a trade magazine covering the remanufacturing industry. “The big printer manufacturers have reduced the amount of ink in a cartridge, encrypted the chip technology, and used aggressive marketing tactics to discourage refills.”
Chris Brooks, technical director of industry group the UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association, is more forthright: “The big printer companies do all they can to squeeze ever-increasing amounts of cash out of the poor consumer in exchange for less ink.”
Worst value, say the experts, are the colour cartridges. All three leading players, including Canon, sell single tri-colour cartridges – cyan, magenta and yellow – often with less than 2ml of ink per colour. “They’re very bad value because when one of the three colours runs out the entire cartridge stops working,” Dyckhoff says. “We always recommend people buy a printer with a separate cartridge for each colour.”
HP300 printer ink cartridge from 2002 (left) and 2010 (right). Photograph: David Robinson The shrinking amount of ink in cartridges has enabled manufacturers to offer a remarkable new product – called “XL” (extra large) but almost exactly the same size as the standard cartridge. For example, HP makes the HP300, which contains 5ml of black ink and sells for about £13. It also makes the HP300XL, which has more ink – about 16ml – and sells for around £20-£25. But both are nearly identical in size. Indeed, some makers’ “XL” cartridges may contain less ink than standard cartridges issued a few years ago.
XL cartridges are an “insult” to the consumer, says Patrick Stead of cartridge recycler Environmental Business Products: “HP sells half-full cartridges, then sticks an ‘XL’ on, fills them up, and sells them for even more money. The difference in manufacturing costs is pennies. It’s a shocking rip-off.”
The printer companies dispute that they are squeezing consumers to ramp up profits. “Focusing on any single factor such as the point of purchase, the up-front cost of the cartridge or printer, the cost per page, or the millilitres of ink in a given cartridge is not an accurate way to measure the cost of printing,” HP said in a statement. It says consumers should focus on the cost per page of printing. It claims that on its Officejet Pro models, ink costs on a per-page basis have been maintained at the same levels since 2009.
Epson, meanwhile, argues that print heads are more efficient compared with 10 years ago because of advances in technology. “They are able to produce a greater number of pages with an equivalent amount of ink,” the company said in a statement.
Of the leading manufacturers, Canon has been the least aggressive in its ink reduction, but volumes have still shrunk. Its recent PGI-525BK inkjet cartridge, for example, contains 19ml of ink compared with its 26ml BCI-3BK issued in 2005. The company has also introduced standard and XL cartridges.
Critics accept there have been improvements in technology and modern print heads are more efficient. “But these improvements cannot justify a five-fold decrease in the amount of ink in a cartridge,” Brooks says. “The cost of printer ink is the lowest it’s ever been, a few euros for a litre. Many cartridges cost less than 50p to make. The mark-up is enormous. The consumer is paying far more pro-rata today than a decade ago for cartridges containing very little ink.”
There is an intense battle between manufacturers (HP, Epson and Canon) and “remanufacturers”, represented by Brooks, who refill cartridges to sell at a discount. Remanufacturers have grabbed a third of UK sales, at the same time as counterfeit cartridges from China are flooding into the country.
In addition, aggressive competition from new entrants such as Kodak, which threw itself into the market in the mid-2000s offering cheap plastic printers and even cheaper cartridges, has eaten into their bottom line. (Kodak said last year that it was pulling out of the inkjet market.)
“The big three have seen a year-on-year erosion of their market share,” Brooks says. “They had to do something drastic.”
The response has been to sell cheaper printers and recoup the money on low-ink cartridges, which consumers have to replace more often. A decade ago, the average household printer cost upwards of £150, but today they retail for as little as £30.
Many new printers come with “start-up” cartridges that contain tiny amounts of ink so the owner has to buy new cartridges almost immediately. Others have embedded technology to block cheap refills. “The logic is simple,” Stead says. “Once a consumer buys a HP printer they have to buy HP cartridges, no matter what they cost.”
