Digital Short Runs vs. Print In-House?

We are looking into the possibility of printing our own product data sheets (double sided color 8.5 x 11 sheets) and product guide (double sided color 11 x 17 sheet).Our product values often change so it is not cost effective to print large quantities to achieve volume discounts. We are also pricing short digital runs of 25, 50, 75 sheets, etc. I have researched some HP printers online and I'm trying to calculate ink cost per page, paper cost, # of pages per the life of the machine, etc. to determine if we would save money in the long run by handling this in-house. We would also consider leasing a machine.

I would appreciate any recommendations re: the most cost effective way to handle this situation as well as recommended color printer brands and printer vendors. It seems difficult to adequately assess a machine from reading the info online. The printer I was looking at was the HP Color LaserJet 5550 Printer Series (for 11 x 17 paper).Help!

 

If you need 11 x 17 for any jobs, don't bother with an 8.5 x 11 printer too. I don't believe there is any economy in running the small jobs on a smaller format laser printer as color toner will be a better deal on a larger machine (the letter pages will run landscape while the tabloid pages run portrait, both making full use of drum surface, etc.) Get the best 11 x 17 machine you can would be my advice, and skip a small desktop machine.

 

Print in-house or digital runs

Thanks Xirc. I appreciate your feedback. We would not purchase 2 machines - only a wide format for 11 x 17 so we could print 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11. Any recommendations on brands?

 

Canon, Konica Minolta, NEC, or Kyocera Mita

I'd get an entry level color Canon, Konica Minolta, NEC (same as konica minolta in color), or Kyocera Mita. These are sold by dealers. The trade-off between a dealer machines and a superstore machine is initial cost and quality.

The dealer machine will cost more up front but the cost per page should be less and the machine should last a lot longer and be serviceable.

As to whether or not you should buy or lease depends on how much you'll be printing. If you print a lot, you can negotiate a lower cost per page and not worry about the machine breaking. If you don't print a lot it would be better to outright buy the machine since you'll be underusing it. You can also shop around for supplies.

~Patrick