What is the most economical color printer?

[Lakefront boater]

When I get an assignment where they might want hard copy,
I discuss it with them.
Black&White print of the report is included in my pricing,
IF the need color, 2 color copies will cost them $35, the cost of ink cartridge.

In last 10-12 years, no one has wanted a color copy.

That's not a bad idea, quality wise how do the subject photos look in Black&White?

Are you useing an printer that prints only Black Ink? or a color printer set to Black or Greyscale. I've found there is a quality difference between printing in Black and White on a color printer and an Black ink only printer.

 

[Riick]

That's not a bad idea, quality wise how do the subject photos look in Black&White?

Are you using an printer that prints only Black Ink? or a color printer set to Black or Greyscale. I've found there is a quality difference between printing in Black and White on a color printer and an Black ink only printer.

HP Laserjet 4100n - it doesn't do a great job on Greyscale at only a max of
600dpi -- good Greyscale needs much more, and should look GOOD, like one
of the well-filmed movies from the late 30's and 40's

 

[Michigan CG]

When I get an assignment where they might want hard copy,
I discuss it with them.
Black&White print of the report is included in my pricing,
IF the need color, 2 color copies will cost them $35, the cost of ink cartridge.

In last 10-12 years, no one has wanted a color copy.

For private party work (estates, attorneys, etc.) my pricing includes bound color copies. Presentation is a big part of perceived quality. Just did a divorce case and I printed the report on 8.5 x 11 and then bound it into a "book". The attorney was very impressed. People who are impressed tell other people.

I consider my reports and the presentation of the reports to be part of my marketing and it does work.

 

[Riick]

I consider my reports and the presentation of the reports to be part of my marketing and it does work.

Sure, the ring binders, or slip in binders, or you let Kinkos do a very fancy one.
I fully agree with the logic of it, but, for me, it just has not worked.
Though I've won cases for them via open court testimony, in 20+ years
I've yet to get a referral from one attorney to another.
BTW, I've been thinking that when I send the attny a pdf of the report,
I'm doing him a favor; he gets his staff to print & bind it, and mark-up the cost
--- at $175/hr.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Presentation is a big part of perceived quality.

Exactly... sad though it may be, presentation covers some sins

 

[Lakefront boater]

For private party assignments I think it is much better to send a hard copy and not just the pdf. With a hard copy you are sending something tangible to your client. I agree 100% with CG that your product is the best advertisement you got. Plus with all the emails people get each day the clients deserve a hard copy for the service they hired.

Some ink cartridges life span is so small (probably 90% of what's out there) that any info. helps on which printer should be purchased for color copies of reports.

 

[Scott Lanz]

I run an HP3505dn color laser. I don't think it's the cheapest but the quality is there. I built some spreadsheets on costs when running comparisons and you might try doing that exercise.

Take the factors into play. Initial cost, toners based on approximate number of pages and drums if necessary. Estimate an amount of pages for the toners and drum and plug them into the formula. The page estimates should be available on each one at the supplier’s sites.

This is also a good exercise to estimate hard costs on each printed report if you are going to pass those on as additional charges.

Most of my reports are around 100 pages plus addendum averaging 125 to 175 pages total with two copies. Therefore, costs are around $12.50 to $17.50 per report plus binding and shipping times two reports. This equates to around $35.00 to $60.00.

The last time I did toner costs, it was about $.10 per page for color lasers using full color and less when switching to grayscale. Inkjet is lower in cost and so is the quality.

I use individual toners, black, red, yellow and blue versus the all-in-one.

I am with Michigan CG on quality and presentation as he is dead-on in my experience.

It’s also great marketing tool because PDF’s get lost in the shuffle and hard copies stay around. I constantly have clients/potential clients saying “I have a copy of one of your old appraisals and…”

Also, I don’t want my reports printed on some crappy printer in black and white when I have so much color in my reports.

 

[residentialguy]

Most of my reports are around 100 pages plus addendum averaging 125 to 175 pages total with two copies.

I hope that's for a 2055. I have that many pages for the 1004MC.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I hope that's for a 2055. I have that many pages for the 1004MC.

reminds me of a Jerry Clower Joke...

 

[Scott Lanz]

That's funny.

I just noticed that I put a range of pages and called it an average. I quess I have to send myself back to class.