Printers sometimes encounter mechanical failures and need to be repaired; that’s almost a universal constant. But it may not always be the best choice. While spending $100 to fix a one-month old, $5000 printer makes sense, older printers should sometimes be put out to pasture—Office Space-style. We run through several scenarios where printer repair is not worth the cost.
Your cost-per-page/print (CPP) is increasing
At the end of the day, one bottom line you can’t ignore is the cost to print a page. Manufacturers almost always provide CPP numbers for printers, but those numbers can fluctuate depending on the price of ink or toner. To calculate your current cost per page, do the following.
- Determine how much you pay per cartridge.
- Determine page yield of the cartridge, which can be found on the cartridge’s packaging.
- Use the equation below:
Cost of cartridge / Cartridge page yield = Cost-per-print (CPP)
If you notice your CPP rising considerably, first switch to compatible cartridges to save money. However, if costs continue to increase or a new model with an improved better CPP comes out, consider retiring the old printer.
Read: Cheap Toner: Compatible Versus OEM Toner Cartridges
There is a high repair cost and difficulty
Once a printer’s warranty period ends, those repair and maintenance costs that were previously covered under warranty start to add up over time. Printers have many points of failure, from the loading tray to the drum or fuser.
While parts such as the load tray can be replaced at relatively low cost, complex components such as the controller boards and chips won’t be. If the cost of repairing the unit exceeds the cost of a replacement, choose the latter. In addition, replacement parts for older printers can prove to be elusive—especially if the unit has been discontinued for several years. At that point, downtime in addition to cost becomes a concern.
Manufacturer support has expired
Here’s a scenario: Your office is set to switch over to a new operating system which requires new software drivers for many devices, including the printers. Without new software drivers, the hardware won’t function properly—if at all. If you have a relatively new model, the manufacturer may provide updated drivers for the new OS so users may continue to use the machine.
Unfortunately, old legacy printers might not receive such updates if they have reached end of support. In such cases, the printer needs to be hooked up to a system running the old operating system, which can reduce network security. Aside from driver updates, manufacturer support can be in the form of knowledge base articles, repair and warranty, setup guides and documentation, and firmware upgrades. Once a manufacturer drops support for a printer, operating the unit becomes more difficult. Consider replacing the printer with a new model under manufacturer support.
The printer has outdated capabilities
Expanded feature sets in new printers can be another reason to retire a printer. Features such as wireless connectivity, duplex printing (printing on both sides of a paper), or support for memory cards can improve efficiency and usability. If an older printer lacking those features needs repair, consider whether a newer model would better serve the office, and consider the efficiency gains that come with it. From increased pages-per-minute (PPM) to reduced cost-per-page, a new printer can net lower operating costs over time.
Your office should be downsizing printer needs
To reduce paper waste, offices should store documents digitally and not print them unless absolutely required. Has your business evolved to use less paper in day-to-day functions as many have? If a malfunctioning printer is one of several in the office and print queues are not an issue, consider removing the faulty printer altogether rather than replacing or repairing it. Assess your company’s paper usage and make sure the printer infrastructure is proportional.
If the scenarios above ring true for your office, it’s time to retire that old printer. Its value won’t increase while the cost to maintain it may. Ultimately, it boils down to a cost benefit analysis. Making a printer repair should make financial sense first and foremost.
6 comments
When replacing a printer or copier the you need to consider your daily and monthly volume to match your usage to the equipment. Many people buy according to the price of the equipment which in many cases is a very costly mistake. The general rule of thumb is that the lower the cost the more expensive to operate and less reliable. If you are just print/copy a few pages a day it does not matter much. But when you get to a higher volume the supply costs get hefty! If you live in Southeast Florida Advanced business computers is a great source for help. Computer network repair, printer and copier maintenance repairs, leasing and supplies.
I have usng printer abd find some tips to solve printer related issues at low cost. Before the warrenty ends up we have to repair it completely from the authorised repair centre. Also we have to keep in mind that how much we use printer in routine. So make a maintenance regularly.
[…] time to call in on-site support, first consider whether your printer is worth fixing. Sometimes printer repair isn’t worth it. The Office Printer Buying Guide 2016 might help with the decision. Since leasing printers and […]
Very valid comment Mike! This is a great blog for general tips in the printer/copier space. If you’re looking for some troubleshooting tips, check out this blog I wrote!
[…] evaluated the issue and gives you an estimate on the cost to fix it, you have a decision to make. Is it worth fixing? Sometimes the cost of repairing a printer outweighs the cost of the actual printer. In this case, […]
Thanks for sharing this info.