TCPglobal - news, views and issues on total cost of printing

Issue #0723/3 - New Lexmark colour printers won’t set the world on fire but they will burn a hole in your pockets This group is largely the same as the grouping investigated a couple of months ago (Issue #0717 "Phaser 6360 from Xerox takes the lead as fastest A4 colour laser printer") but with two newcomers from Lexmark, the C780n and C782n. So, reference to that article may be helpful.

This group is largely the same as the grouping investigated a couple of months ago (Issue #0717) but with two newcomers from Lexmark, the C780n and C782n. So, reference to that article may be helpful.

Lexmark C780n and C782n

Lexmark’s new models offer two different speeds, 33ppm mono and 29ppm colour from the C780n and 38ppm mono and 33ppm colour from the C782n. Both are network-ready as standard, with duplex models available along with models offering both duplex and a second paper feed.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of these printers is the incorporation of a numeric keypad on the control panel, usually associated with MFPs rather than single-function printers, for input of pass-codes for secure printing,

While talking of security, Lexmark boldly proclaims, “No worries, colour costs are under control”. What the company means by this is that the printer administrator can lock users out of the printer, forcing them to print to a different printer, wait till a specified time to print or to print only in mono (depending on company policy). What it most definitely does not mean is that colour costs are competitive!

Xerox Phaser 6360DN

As demonstrated in the accompanying chart, both models are to be found at the high end of the group with only Xerox’s Phaser 6360n coming in as more expensive to run over three years than the Lexmarks – but only at the lowest of print volumes.

Other than this one security feature though, there is little that is remarkable about these printers. Even though Lexmark claims that cartridges are ‘high capacity’, they are only 10,000-page yield with 6,000 pages as the standard yield. Standard paper input is an average 600 sheets and maximum paper capacity is a disappointingly low 1,100 sheets.

Konica Minolta Magicolor 5570

Konica Minolta’s magicolor 5570 is an identical printer to the magicolor 5550 referred to in article 1 but up-rated to provide 35ppm mono print speed and 30ppm colour, together with faster processing for the higher performance. All features and functionality are the same.

What this means is that the magicolor 5570 is a highly specified machine with useful features and characteristics for users at a slightly better than average Total Cost of Printing. But, this specification comes with a price tag, the magicolor is the second most costly of the machines to buy – exceeded only by the Hewlett-Packard Colour LaserJet 4700n with its £1,220 price tag.

Dell Colour Laser Printer 5110cn

Dell’s 5110cn continues to stand out as the least costly machine to run by a very large margin. Taken as a comparison to the average Total Cost of Printing of all the other printers together, the Dell will cost users some 38% less than to run. Or, reversing the calculation, the others are, on average, 62% more costly than the Dell. We know from previous calculations that using street pricing narrows the margin a little but not enough to bring any of the competitors even close to the cost of the 5110cn.

Hewlett-Packard Colour LaserJet 4700DN

That said, Hewlett-Packard’s Colour LaserJet 4700n has a clear cost advantage over the other printers in the main grouping despite its high purchase price. This helps to confirm Hewlett-Packard’s drive to offer more affordable printing, looking at it from the correct angle of long-term cost and not just purchase price.

Purchase Price

Total Cost of Printing - by Monthly Page Volume

Note that the CPP shown here is calculated over three years on the basis of a variable page count; 70% pages in mono and 30% pages in colour; is based on the use of maximum capacity supplies; takes into account any standard, or starter, supplies shipped with the device; and also includes the cost of purchase. All prices used are manufacturer’s recommended prices without tax.

Mixed mono/colour CPP in the table below is based on a print volume of 5,000 pages per month.

~End~

This entry was posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 12:01 am and is filed under Hardware, New Products, Comparisons, Financials, Total Cost of Printing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.