Which Is Cheaper: Buying A Houston Printer Or Going To A Houston Print Shop?

Whatever your printing needs, happen to be, even if it's just to get a humble document printed, having access to a printer that is reliable is essential. However, if you are only in need of a printer every now and then, should you really give up space and expense to have one of your own when you could just head to your local office supply store? To figure out your best choice we made a comparison of home printing versus the price charged by two national chains. The thrifty and frugal choice was very clear.

What Is Your Project?

The project tends to determine the printing costs, as well as the printer you choose to buy. Laser printers provide a quick printing job and are quite cheap per page, normally they are used when black and white documents are primarily needed. Inkjet printers are great for color documents and can also do glossy photos. You can get color laser printers however they tend to have a hefty price tag and don't create images as well as the inkjet printer will. It is true that the price of printers can vary significantly, however, the initial cost really is nothing compared to what those constant replacement cartridges are going to set you back. The best strategy from a frugal point of view is to purchase remanufactured cartridges that are compatible with your printer or to refill your cartridges at home or instore. Choosing these alternatives instead of new cartridges will save you time and money, often up to a third. Print cartridge capacities vary but normally come in at around the 200-500 pages for inkjet cartridges and 2,000-8,000 pages for toner cartridges. Next, think about the per-page cost to print on each type of printer: - Inkjet printer: black and white documents - 2 to 7 cents/page - Inkjet printers: 4 x 6 photographs - from 25p each - Laser printers: black and white documents - 2 to 5 cents/page. The cost per page at the two national chains we consulted was a lot higher. Investing in a printer is the most economical choice for professionals and students who will regularly print more than just a couple of plain-text documents. Even taking into account the cost of paper, which could add an extra cent to each age, as well as replacement cartridges, printing at home tends to be less than half the price of going to a store. This is also the case for extra-large printing, for this, stores drop their prices to 6 to 7 cents per page. Using a home printer is the more economical option apart from on devices where printing is very inefficient and ink is very expensive.

In What Situations Should You Pay Someone Else To Do The Printing For You?

If you tend to print a lot of photos and only a few documents a home printer may not be right for you. The best deals in these cases tend to be with store printing or online. A lot of online providers will charge less than 20 cents for 4 x 6 images and will also reward you when you join them, for instance by printing 50 photos free. Many sites also offer bulk discounts which can bring the price down to as little as 5 cents with free shipping if your order is over a certain amount. Going to a physical store to get your photos printed tends to be a little more expensive. Find out more by visiting our blog. Contact us or call Advanced Business Copiers today with any questions that you might have.