At Stone’s, we understand buying a copier is a considerable investment, and it can be very confusing. Our goal is to provide information to help you plan for and budget for your new equipment. Part of our Mission Statement is “…to make your lives easier and businesses better,” and therefore we posted this online.

Costs of a New Copier

There are a few things to consider when researching the cost of copiers:

• Is this for business or home?
• If it is a business:
  • is it a home office (single user)?
  • small office (5-50 users)?
  • large office (50+ users)?
• The initial purchase price of the copier
• The lifetime cost of ownership associated with the copier

First, let’s look at the initial cost of the Business vs. SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) to get an idea of how much you should expect to pay.

Remember, prices will vary greatly depending on the options and features you add.

Business Copier vs. Home Office Copier Initial Cost Comparison

Home Office Copiers: Initial Cost

• Generally sold by office stores such as; Staples, Office Max, Office Depot or online at Amazon
• Designed usually to be an “all-in-one” device with copying, scanning, printing and faxing
• Single operator functionality
• Small footprint to fit on top of a desk or credenza
• Limited or no sorting functions
• Can be mono or color copying/printing
• Total pages a month printed and copied less than 500

In most cases, the entry price for the SOHO copier is low; however, the operating cost is higher.

Prices range from $300 – $900 for a small office copier.

Business Office Copiers; Initial Cost

• Sold by authorized dealers
• Modular in design with copying, printing, scanning and faxing standard or as an option
• Multiple operator functionality
• Larger footprint, stand-alone
• Various finishing or sorting functions
• Mono or Color copying/printing
• Leasing available as a payment option
• All-inclusive Service Agreements available
• Total pages a month printed and copied greater than 1,000

The entry price of a business copier compared to a SOHO copier is higher; however, the operating cost is much lower. If you have copy or print volumes (how many you make) of more than 1,000 a month, a business copier is probably your best choice. You can expect to see a broad range in the prices of business copiers because of the additional features and functionality.

Business copiers cost in the range of $2,500 – $25,000.

Business Copier vs. Home Office Lifetime Cost of Ownership

Now we can look at the differences in costs of owning either a Business copier or SOHO copier over time. The example below shows a small business purchase of a SOHO vs. a Business copier.

Example: Small Office/Home Office

Canon Copier (Retail)	$385.00
Canon Toner (Yield of 5,000 pages)	$185.00
Cost Per Page (toner only)	$0.037
Daily Copy/Print Volume	100
Monthly Spend* (Toner only)	$81.40

Example: Business

Lexmark Copier (Dealer)	$1,295.00
Cost Per Page (service and supplies)	$0.02
Daily Copy/Print Volume	100
Monthly Spend* (Service & Supplies)	$44.00

* based on 22 work days per month.

Based on this simple calculation, the breakeven point would be 24 months; however, on the business copier, Service & Supplies are included vs. supplies only on the SOHO.

Talk with an expert before purchasing a copier only to find out it’s the wrong device for your needs. The general rule of copiers and printers is:

The lower the purchase price,
the higher the operating costs.