Cheap Printers are not so cheap in the long run

The other day I was helping a customer choose a replacement printer. The customer wanted a printer that was network / duplex and we were comparing the HP LaserJet M401dn vs the M602dn to replace their old HP LaserJet P3005dn. You can pick up the 35ppm M401dn for $300 and the 52ppm M602dn for $1,200.

At first you may think this is a no brainer, you can buy four M401dn’s for the price of one M602dn. They are both duplex network printers. There are a few differences. 1. The M602dn holds 500 sheets of paper vs. the M401dn at 250 sheets. 2. The duty cycle of the M602dn is 225,000 vs. the M401dn at 50,000. 3. The M602dn prints 52ppm vs. the M401dn at 35ppm. Note: The duty cycle number really doens’t mean much by itself, but can be used for comparison purposes between models for robustness. In other words the M602dn is made to last, the M401dn is on the edge of disposable. 

My customer typically prints 7,000 pages per month.

New Genuine HP Cartridges HP M401dn vs. HP M602dn.
Printer	Cartridge	Page Yield	Cost Per Page	Cost Per Month (7,000 Pages)
M401dn	CF280X	6,700	2.39 cents	$167.30
M602dn	CE390X	24,000	1.07 cents	$74.90

If you are printing 7,000 pages per month you’ll save $92.40 per month going with the M600 series vs the M400 series. That’s pretty impressive. In 10 months you’ve paid for the difference in price in for the M600 series printer. After that you’re printing money.

You may be asking why not go with the M601dn vs the M602dn as the M601dn costs $250 more than the M601dn. The answer is HP designs the M601 series of printers to only use the CE390A (standard yield) cartridge. The high yield (CE390X) doesn’t fit in the M601 series. The CE390A cartridge cost per page is significantly higher than the  CE390X (1.61

cents vs. 1.07 cents). At 0.54 cents per page x 7,000 pages, that’s a savings of $36 per month by going with the high yield cartridges. So you can pay off the $36 extra paid for the M602 model in six months time. Easy Money!

What about New HP MICR toner cartridges for check printing (magnetic toner cartridges)? The savings per month jumps to $133.82 bringing your payback down to just under 7 months. Another benefit is the more robust M600 series is less likely to leave you high and dry with a failure right before a payroll or AP run.

New HP MICR Toner Cartridges HP M401dn vs. HP M602dn.
Printer	Cartridge	Page Yield	Cost Per Page	Cost Per Month (7,000 Pages)
M401dn	CF280X	6,700	3.77 cents	$263.90
M602dn	CE390X	24,000	1.86 cents	$130.08

So what if you buy Advantage brand remanufactured cartridges for your HP printers instead of new HP? The savings per month does drop to $59.89, bringing your payback out to 15 months. Still well worth it for a more reliable printer.

Advantage Brand (Remanufactured) HP Cartridges HP M401dn vs. HP M602dn.
Printer	Cartridge	Page Yield	Cost Per Page	Cost Per Month (7,000 Pages)
M401dn	CF280X	6,700	1.43 cents	$100.43
M602dn	CE390X	24,000	0.58 cents	$40.54

What about Advantage HP MICR toner cartridges for check printing (Refanufactured)? The savings per month is $103.92 bringing your payback down to just under 9 months.

Advantage Brand (Remanufactured) HP MICR Toner Cartridges HP M401dn vs. HP M602dn.
Printer	Cartridge	Page Yield	Cost Per Page	Cost Per Month (7,000 Pages)
M401dn	CF280X	6,700	2.46 cents	$172.46
M602dn	CE390X	24,000	0.98 cents	$68.54

The real key here is determining how many pages you print per month then calculating how long it will take to recoup your investment. Regardless you will always spend more money per page on the low end printers. In addition to lower operating costs, the high end printers also offer increased speed, greater reliability, greater durability and improved paper handling. If you page volume justifies it, you will be well served by investing in a higher end printer.

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