If you are a business on a budget, it can be very tempting to buy an inkjet printer with a low off-the-shelf price tag. But it won’t be until you have gone through a few reams of paper and you have changed out the start-up ink cartridges that the true costs become obvious.
Meddling with inferior products (even if they sport deceivingly low price tags) can be a costly mistake, especially for small businesses, and this is especially true for products that have ongoing ink costs, like inkjet printers.
If your business processes and sales rely on print, it’s a good idea to consider other factors, such as reliability, speed, performance and quality.
The Sticker Price Is Not An Indication Of The Running Costs
Don’t be misled by cheap start-up costs. Many low-cost inkjets come with small capacity ink cartridges that are intended to help you get started. But they will not last long.
Once they are empty, you will have to replace them with full size cartridges. So before making a purchase, do your research on the yield and cost of your printer’s consumables. Given the amount you print, how often will you need to replace your consumables? How much will that cost per year?
Once you factor in all the aspects of printing, like the cost per page, page yields, printing speeds,paper, service and maintenance, talk to your supplier about using a quality laser printer to help you win business and save at least 30% on your total cost of ownership.
Do Not Sacrifice Quality, Reliability and Performance
A printer needs to be a workhorse. It needs to deliver quality prints in a timely and reliable manner. So why would you risk all that by using bargain bin inkjet?
Choosing a cheap inkjet printer might save your company a few dollars today. But the risks of lower page yields, inferior inks, higher running costs and compromised print quality means this bargain investment could cost you a lot more than you imagined.
Consider the reasons that an inkjet may be offered at a lower price. Is that product line at its end of life? How much support will the manufacturer provide to ensure the printer keeps running as intended? Is the manufacturer phasing out production of the inks used by that printer?
While there are third-party, non-genuine suppliers of end-of-life printer consumables, there are many risks associated with using non-genuine consumables, including issues with quality, reliability and the possibility of malfunction. If the use of bargain inks causes a maintenance issue or downtime for your printer, your savings could immediately evaporate — and even put you in negative cost territory.
Cheap Inkjets Can Cost You Business
Whether you need to create a high-end customer brochure, a captivating proposal or presentation, an eye-catching business card, poster, pamphlet or window decal, professional-looking business documents help your company stand out from the crowd.
You have worked hard on your products and ideas. They deserve to be amplified to the world, and great, high resolution, full colour prints assets in high quality are proven to improve your audience’s comprehension, recall and response, making your products or services more appealing — and your business more successful.
The reverse is true. Streaks, lines, faded colours, and low-resolution prints on your customer-facing assets give potential leads a negative impression of your business, and reduce their engagement with your ideas and message. Taking advantage of a cheap price tag is simply not worth this risk.
