Determining the total cost of ownership (TCO) of business printers involves much more than comparing purchase prices. Over a printer’s lifetime, the impact of its ongoing costs can far outweigh any initial expenditure. We discussed some of the basic considerations of TCO in an earlier post, but to fully understand the economics of a printer purchase, buyers must consider a variety of complex expense factors, both capital and operational.

Capital expenses for a multifunction printer (MFP) include ink cartridges, paper, replacement parts, and other supplies. But buyers must look beyond basic purchase prices. For example, if an inexpensive ink cartridge is prone to clogging, contains low-quality ink that produces inferior images, or prints fewer pages than a competitive cartridge, its seemingly low price can prove to be nothing more than an illusion.

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