If you print thousands of pages every year, even the smallest reduction in your per-page printing cost can save you significant money. The type of printer you use has a large impact on what type of per-page print costs you face. While laser printers are typically the most economical, looking for specific features and taking some additional steps can save you even more money.
Laser vs. Inkjet
The industry generally accepts that laser printing is cheaper per page than inkjet printing. When printing both black and white and color pages, the cost of inkjet printing can be as high as 20 cents per page. On the other hand, according to PC World, laser printing is closer to 6 cents per page on average. Even if you only print black and white pages on an inkjet printer, the cost remains 1 to 2 cents higher than the laser page cost.
Printers that include a duplexing feature greatly reduce the overall cost of printing. Duplexing means that you can request that the printer print on both sides of a sheet of paper. Technology research firm the Gartner Group did a study that demonstrated that by using duplexing on a printer, companies could reduce their overall paper costs by as much as 30 percent.
Black and White
If color graphics don't play an important part in your regular printing, print costs can be reduced greatly by purchasing a black and white-only printer. Monochrome laser printers offer the overall lowest printing cost per page. For example, in 2010 PC Magazine reviewed the Lexmark T650n, and the printer was rated at a per-page cost of near 1.7 cents.
A laser monochrome printer with duplexing is usually the cheapest per-page printer available. However, software can further lower the amount that printing costs per page. Specialized ink-saving fonts help the printer use as little ink as possible while still producing a readable document. Also, print-preview software enables you to ensure that you only print the exact items that you want on a page. This prevents the problems that often arise when printing from the Web or email programs when navigation icons or menus are printed along with the document.
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