That assumes one gets $300 worth of prints from the starter cartridges,
I guess.
I currently pay $.60 CAN (.48 US) for a color 8.5 x 11 laser copy in
quantity (200 copy punch card). The printer costs $299 US. That would
mean I would have to get 623 (at $.48 US/copy) copies out of it before
it would break even for me.
I just checked consumables cost. The drum is good for about 11,000
color copies, so it won't need replacement (assuming it doesn't get
damaged prematurely), for some time to come. The starter cartridges are
good for 1500 copies each at 5%. They now call these "standard
cartridges" and what used to be the standard cartridges are now referred
to as "high yield" at 4500 copies each at 5% coverage.
So, let's just say I use the printer for one set of "standard"
cartridges (the ones that came in the printer) and I buy one set of
"high yield" cartridges, which cost me $475 US for the set. That puts
my investment at $774 US. (The "standard" cartridges are much more
costly per amount of toner). For that amount, I could buy 1613 color
copies at $.48US/each. Seems like a pretty good deal for the printer
then... after all, it's going to give me 4500 plus 1500 copies, or 6000
copies total for the same price.
Except for one thing. That's "up to" 6,000 copies at 5% coverage per
color. That means if coverage is 10% per color, I only get 3000 copies,
and if it is 20% coverage per color, then I get only 1500 copies. And if
I use 30% coverage per color, well that's only 1000 copies.
I shoot very colorful dense color images. I fill the page when I make
color copies, and I easily use 30% per toner color per copy, maybe more.
So, suddenly, at 1000 copies (30% coverage per color), and I'm paying
$.77.4 cents per copy rather than $.48, and I'm paying for ruined
copies, electricity, insurance, and any maintenance costs, also. But
that might equal the convenience and travel costs to the printer and
back. I provide my own card stock at $.48 each, so that's a bust either
way. But on the copies I get made, I only pay federal tax in Canada.
The provincial I collect at point of sale, or my retailers do. If I buy
the machine with toner, I have to pay both taxes on the costs, although
I might have an argument that since there is only a $5 difference
between the cost of the "standard" (1500 copy at 5% coverage) toner
cartridges and the whole printer, that the printer cost is really only
the price of the consumables in it, and therefore should be provincial
tax free.
So, the printer is literally given to you free with the purchase of the
starter cartridges, just like many inkjet printers today. For people
who actually do pay $1 US each for a color copy, this could be a
savings, as long as they are going to print a lot of color copies, but
only if they do not print dense photographic images.
So, all I say is do your math before you buy.
Art
