Depending on how much your business prints on a regular basis, you likely know the pain of expensive toner refills. It can be tough to track toner levels and buy it at a reasonable price from various random vendors.
Even personal home printers come with expensive toner cartridge replacements. So, how do businesses typically reduce costs and make their toner last? And how much should it reasonably cost? Here is a guide to these questions and more as you navigate print sustainability and cost management.
Is Toner Cheaper Than Ink?
Before diving into cartridge pricing, it's important to distinguish the differences between ink and toner. Ink comes in liquid form. Toner, on the other hand, is a fine powder that comes in different colors you may be familiar with such as magenta, yellow, and cyan. These colors are mixed to create whatever colors you wish to print.
Toner and ink also bind to paper differently. Ink must be able to stick to and dry on whatever material you’re printing on, unlike toner that is heated and pressed into paper.
Overall, toner is more expensive per cartridge than ink. However, it has a much higher page yield, making it longer lasting than ink.
To read more about the differences between ink and toner, read our blog: Toner vs Ink Printers: What’s the Difference?
How Much Does It Cost to Refill Toner Cartridges?
Depending on the market and contracts with print service providers, the actual price of toner or ink may vary. Typically, if you’re buying from a vendor independent of your print provider, you’ll pay a lot more for toner. For example, a single black toner cartridge for a commercial multifunction printer (MFP) such as the Canon imageRUNNER DX 4945i starts at around $125.
This cartridge will yield around 44,500 printed pages.
For a color printer such as the Canon imageRUNNER Advance DX C5800 Series, each color cartridge (magenta, cyan, or yellow) starts at around $370-400. This price may look different depending on who sells it to you, your contract with a print management provider, and market factors.
Keep in mind, if you buy toner from unknown sources, you could pay a lot more for cartridges that aren’t guaranteed to be compatible with your MFP. For example, if you have an MFP service contract like those Usherwood offers, toner will likely be included at no additional cost.
This black cartridge for this device yields around 71,000 printed pages. The color cartridges should print about 60,000 pages for the GPR-61 cartridges and 26,000 for the GPR-61L cartridges.
How Much Does It Cost to Refill Ink Cartridges?
Ink cartridges for printers such as the HP DesignJet T2600dr 36-in PostScript Multifunction Printer will start at around $230 each. Printers like this one might not have ink included in print service contracts, so you might have to pay for refills separately from your contract price. However, some contracts come with “supply-inclusive”, “non supply-inclusive”, or no service coverage options to choose from.
Wide format printers like this one are designed to print materials such as:
- Maps
- Technical drawings
- Posters
- Renders that need precise and crisp lines and text
Why Are Some Cartridges More Expensive Than Others?
Like any other product, toner cartridges are bound to have cheaper knockoff alternatives. The problem with buying off-brand cartridges from unknown manufacturers has to do with print security. Although it may surprise you, like any digital device capable of connecting to business networks, printers can be a cybersecurity risk.
Modern toner cartridges come with microchips that allow them to communicate with printers once installed. These microchips are sometimes reprogrammable so cyber criminals can place malware into them. This could allow hackers to take hold of your printer and use it to gain a foothold within your business network.
For this reason, it’s always a safer option to partner with a print service provider that includes toner in their pricing. This way, they will select and send you safe, correct, and on-brand toner cartridges that won’t come with as many security and compatibility risks.
To read about how HP is changing the landscape on printer security, read our blog: How HP Printers and Toner Cartridges Will Drastically Improve Your Printer Security.
Risks of Toner Bandits & How to Prevent Overspending on Ink and Toner
A study from Gartner found that 90% of business leaders aren’t aware of the true scope of their printer fleet, and don’t know how much they spend on printing. This staggering statistic suggests that you could be spending much more than necessary on printing.
One big mistake business leaders make is buying ink or toner from vendors that solicit over the phone. Sometimes, they’ll even pose as your print provider offering toner at a discounted price. Toner bandits, also called toner pirates are shady outside scammers that might sell you off-brand toner cartridges that can cause several issues including:
- Early failure, printing only a fraction of the pages they’re supposed to
- Compatibility issues with your printer
- Cybersecurity risks
To prevent undue financial or printing hardships, it’s much safer to call your print provider directly if you think you’re running low on toner. More than likely, if you truly need a refill, your print management company will be on top of it. It’s important to train your team and leadership never to purchase toner from phone solicitors or outside vendors.
For example, at Usherwood, our customer service representatives will never solicit toner over the phone since toner is included in all MFP contracts. If you are a client of Usherwood and you or your staff get one of these calls to sell you toner, hang up and immediately call our customer service line at 315.472.0050.
How Do Companies Save Money on Ink and Toner?
Another study from Gartner estimates that businesses typically spend 1-3% of their total revenue on print costs. These will include things like hardware, maintenance, supplies, and support. Although some expenses are hard to avoid if you want quality and consistent prints, there are steps you can take to reduce waste and maximize your toner including:
- Reduce unused copies by setting up cloud printing
- Use cloud faxing to prevent automatic printing
- Leverage software to track toner usage, page counts, frequency, and more.
To read more about how to create a sustainable and budget-conscious printing system for your business, read our blog: Is Printing Bad for The Environment? Eco-Friendly Printing Solutions Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.
How to Optimize Your Print Environment
Whether you're in the market for inkjet or laser printers, it's important to do a thorough inventory of your print environment to determine the best time to buy a printer. Some factors to consider when looking for sustainable printers that can offer the most cost-effective, quality prints include:
- Print speed (number of pages per minute, or PPM)
- Color vs black and white printers and copiers
- Printer models that integrate with software to track print job analytics
When making decisions about your fleet, it's a good idea to partner with a print provider offering toner-inclusive service contracts. If you're looking to maximize your business' print efficiency, click the button below to speak to a print management expert about your current fleet.
