printing costs: laser vs. ink jet

[Ernest Perez]

Correct, ink jet printing does cost a bit more per page in incremental
cost.  But, if you're going to make a strictly economic decision, don't
forget to consider all the factors, just like in lease/purchase
analysis.

E.g., at 1.5 or 2 cents per page more, consider what the printer price
differential is going to do to your total cost/page.  If you buy an ink
jet at $175, vs. a laser printer at $500 (for a difference of $325),
that means that you'll have to print more than 16,250 pages, before you
start saving the 2 cents per page. 

***Also, the Total El Cheapo alternative is to refill your own inkjet
cartridges. It's a no-brainer operation; at worst you get a little ink
on your fingers. 

I've done this for years on my personal printer (just like I used to use
WD-40 to quadruple the ribbon life on my old Epson MX-80). You can buy
refill kits for a decent price at most office supply stores. Or you can
do like I do, and use a hypodermic syringe and a bottle of good quality
water-based ink. This way, refills cost like 50 cents, instead of $25 or
$30. I usually get about 3-4 refills before the cartridge starts acting
funky.

LOTS of information out there on both kits and do-it-yourself. Take a
look, search Excite using...
   +"ink jet" refill*  syringe needle
and you'll get loads of info about that possibility.

I don't necessarily counsel doing refills in an agency production
setting. BUT do remember to account for that capital cost difference if
you are comparing costs/page.

Cheers,
-ernest

Ernest Perez//Oregon State
Library//perez at opac.osl.state.or.us//503-378-4243
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