Issue #0840/3 – With a median purchase price in Germany of only €335, the new Lexmark E360dn mono laser printer is sure to attract buyers who are looking for low-cost printing. But, unless those buyers are prepared with a comparison of Total Cost of Printing before making their purchase decision, they will fall into the disastrous trap of buying cheap and getting horrendously expensive. We compare the costs of the E360dn with competitors from Canon, Dell, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Kyocera, Samsung and Xerox.
Lexmark E360dn(For a brief hardware review on Lexmark’s new laser printers, see "Lexmark’s vast array of new business laser printers and MFPs offer a solution for every environment from small/micro office to enterprise workgroup"
At this purchase price, the E360dn costs only 40% of the price of the most expensive printer in this group (Dell’s 5210n, with added duplex unit for comparability), and 60% of the price of its nearest price-competitor (Canon’s LBP3460).
Total Cost of Printing
And yet, the nominal CPP of the E360dn is 26% higher than its closest CPP cost-competitor (Hewlett-Packard LaserJet P3005dn), 69% higher than the Dell and a massive 135% higher than the printer in the group with the keenest supplies pricing (Kyocera’s FS-3900DN).
Follow this through to long-term Total Cost of Printing and the Lexmark E360dn works out 17% more expensive over three years than the Hewlett-Packard, 31% more expensive than the Dell and exactly double the cost of the Kyocera!
Total Cost of Printing
This should present a no-brainer of a decision for any serious printer purchaser – don’t buy the Lexmark E360dn!
But does it? Experience shows that purchasers may be so locked into buying on low ticket price that they completely ignore the long-term prospects.
| UK - Mono |
Purchase / Duty Cycle |
Print Speed |
Nominal CPP |
Long-term CPP over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon i-SENSYS LBP3460 | €560 | 33 | 1.33 cents | 1.64 cents |
| Dell 5210n (+D) | €840 | 38 | 1.08 cents | 1.54 cents |
| Epson EPL-N3000D | €748 | 34 | 1.35 cents | 1.70 cents |
| Hewlett-Packard LaserJet P3005dn | €619 | 33 | 1.45 cents | 1.72 cents |
| Kyocera FS-3900DN | €729 | 35 | 0.78 cents | 1.01 cents |
| Lexmark E360dn | €335 | 38 | 1.83 cents | 2.02 cents |
| Samsung ML-4050ND | €717 | 38 | 0.80 cents | 1.20 cents |
| Xerox Phaser 3600DN | €688 | 38 | 1.27 cents | 1.66 cents |
Note that for this group of printers, the long-term Cost of Printing over three years shown in the accompanying table is calculated on the basis of 5,000 pages per month; 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 are Median Street Price sourced in Germany, including tax.
Even if we insert the price of the Return Program cartridge for the E360dn into the TCP model (supposedly encouraging customers to return their used cartridges for recycling), the E360dn is still the most expensive printer by 10% (over and above the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet P3005dn) and will still cost a user 87% more than Kyocera’s FS-3900DN. This is because the Return Program cartridge costs has a price tag that is less than 8% below the price of the regular cartridge!
Kyocera FS-3900DNIn the mono printer market, there is just no competing on TCP with Kyocera. The long-life drum unit places these printers in an unassailable position, especially when the increasingly competitive hardware purchase prices from Kyocera are also taken into account, offering users massive savings – but only if they take a long-term view of their printing needs.
Certainly Lexmark is increasingly failing to compete on Total Cost of Printing. Not only are hardware prices of many printers rising relative to the competition but cost of supplies are remaining every bit as high as ever and potentially increasing.
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