Why are toner/ink cartridges so expensive?
Why are toner/ink cartridges so expensive?
It is one of the most common questions that we get asked by customers, or they make a statement about their current machine saying something along the lines of …….
It’s a brilliant machine but the replacement cartridges cost more to replace than the machine cost to buy
This is because of the pricing/profit model that the office printer manufacturers use on their entry-level A4 laser devices.
Why do the manufacturers do this?
Basically, the manufacturers plan is to entice the buyer to purchase their product with a very low hardware price, believe it or not, some of these printers are sold below the manufacturing cost. Once they have secured the sale of the device, they believe that the customer is locked in and they can recover the lost margin on the printer by making very high margins on the toner cartridges.
It is also not unusual for manufacturers to provide ‘Starter Cartridges’ with a new machine that have less than half of the capacity of a regular cartridge.
Many of the businesses that we have spoken to are frustrated by this practice and in the past they have found themselves looking at different options after the initial one year warranty has expired.
These include re-manufactured, re-fill, cloned, chipped or even fake cartridges.
However, there is some incredibly clever technology inside the modern cartridges that helps to maintain the reliability and image quality, and switching from the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges can have significant consequences.
So, how can Kudos help customers to overcome this issue?
One solution is to encourage customers to look at the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ rather than just the initial purchase price. This might result in us encouraging them to consider a more expensive model, as the dearer models tend to have lower running costs.
There is a general rule of thumb in the industry that says …
The cheaper it is to buy the more expensive it will be to run!
An alternative option is to look at a new monthly subscription programme called Print at Your Service or PAYS that we have been partnering with HP on.
Print at Your Service
The Key features of PAYS are.
- You do not have to pay upfront front as the cost of the device is included in the monthly payment.
- You do not have to pay for expensive cartridges as and when you need them as these are covered in the monthly payment.
- You do not have to pay for expensive engineer visits to your office, to fix the machine when it is broken, as this is covered in the monthly payment
Because you are making this commitment HP are prepared to apply substantial discounts on these cartridges, making the proposition very appealing.
This is available to all Limited Companies or registered Charities. It is based on a 3-year contract (there is an option to cancel it on the first or second anniversary) but is subject to credit clearance.
HP Print at Your Service Benefits
Other benefits of this programme are.
Automated Supplies – You do not need to contact HP to order replacement cartridges as it will happen automatically.
Page Plans – Like a mobile phone tariff you can change your monthly volume plan up or down (on the anniversary) if your requirements change.
Rollover Pages – If you do not use all the pages in your plan you can roll them over to the following months allowance.
Colour at the same price as Mono – The programme does not differentiate between Colour and Mono pages copied or printed. So, you can print a full colour photograph at the same cost as a black and white letter.
Prices start from £33.33 per month
for a Colour Copier/Printer/Scanner/Fax
If you would like more details on the HP Print at Your Service (PAYS) programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
info@kudos.ltd
01509 351000
