Comparison of department printing costs

Black & white impressions*

  • HP LaserJet M806 ("termprt"): 2.5 ¢
  • HP LaserJet 4700 ("colorprt"): 4 ¢
  • HP LaserJet 9050 ("mailroom"): 2.5 ¢
  • HP LaserJet M830z ("301g-staplecopier"): 2.5 ¢
  • Xerox Photocopiers in 301G Lockett: 5 ¢

Color impressions*

  • HP LaserJet 4700 ("colorprt"): 9.5 ¢
  • Xerox Photocopiers in 301G Lockett: 20 ¢

* A single-sided print counts as 1 impression; a double-sided print counts as 2 impressions. The prices given here include estimated cost of toner, maintenance parts, and capital outlay for equipment purchases, averaged over the annual usages, and rounded to the nearest half-penny. The prices do not include the cost of paper, which is about 1 ¢ per page (not per impression).

Tips for reducing costs

  • The simplest cost-reducing tip is evident from the prices: whenever possible, avoid using the photocopiers. (They are convenient devices, but convenience seems to come at a price!)
  • In particular, avoid using the photocopiers for color copies.
  • For example, for large multi-page and/or multi-copy jobs, whether black & white or color, consider using the photocopiers merely to scan the original to PDF and send it to yourself by e-mail, and then use your computer to send the large job to the more cost-effective network printers.
  • Go double-sided whenever possible: it doesn't reduce the number of impressions but does reduce the amount of paper, thus reducing costs.