Office Printer Prices in South Africa in 2023

When you shop around for the best Multifunction office printer, you’d be forgiven for feeling like you are shopping around for insurance. There are so many options and so many specs that it is difficult to compare one with another.

Printer Prices South Africa

Office printer prices vary considerably based on the features mentioned above, additional features, and brand. Below is a broad outline of what you can expect to pay.

Clearly, there is significant price differences within each segment. United Copiers’ commitment to transparency helps you choose the best MFP for your needs. The details of each machine, as well as its purchasing and leasing options are listed on our website.

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So How Much Should I Pay For My Office Printer? 

Overpaying for features you don’t need is costly, but it can be just as costly to get a cheaper printer that cannot meet your business needs. In this article, we look at all the factors that influence printer costs, to help you decide on the best combination for your business.

Primary Factors

 Inkjet vs Laser

This has everything to do with volume. If you have low overall print volumes, or you print a few pages at a time, an inkjet provides the best value for money.

Inkjet printers also give you superior print quality, so they are a good option if you do a lot of image printing, particularly in colour. Since inkjet printers are smaller than laser, they are also a good option if space is an issue.

If you need to print large volumes consisting mainly of text, then laser printers have the edge. Laser printers cost more initially, but become cheaper to run the more you print, because you don’t replace toner as often as ink cartridges.

Laser printers also have a longer usable lifespan than inkjet printers, so if you intend to use the same printer for as long as possible, you’ll get more useful years from a laser printer.

Average cost per page

Inkjet - R 1.70
Laser - R 1.00

 Colour vs Black and White

Black-and-white printers (inkjet or laser) cost less than their colour counterparts. Black-and-white printers use one cartridge, while colour office printers need four, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

This means that in addition to the higher upfront cost, a colour office printer will also cost you more to operate over time, as you’ll be replacing four cartridges instead of one. Colour printing, therefore, must justified to incur this additional cost.

While laser printers create clear, crisp lines for black-and-white text printouts, inkjets produce superior picture quality.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the cost per page for laser colour printers rises very quickly if you are printing large photos or high-quality graphics, from the average of R2.60 per page to over R10 per page.

You could consider a hybrid approach where only certain individuals in the company have permission to do colour printouts for specific documents, while most documents are printed in black and white.

In this way, you have access to colour prints when you need them, but you don’t have to replace cartridges as often.

Average cost per page

Inkjet black and white - R 1.70 
Laser black and white - R 1.00
Inkjet colour - R 3.50
Laser colour - R 2.60                      

 A4 Only vs A3+A4

A4 printers are the most popular as standard format business printers. Cheaper than A3 printers, they are also smaller and therefore better suited to offices with space constraints. The consumables are easier to find and procure more cheaply than those used by A3 printers.

However, if your business requires regular printouts in a larger format, printers that produce A4 as well as A3 printouts are a better option. They usually print faster than A4 printers and their larger ink/toner cartridges means that you’ll replace them less often and at lower cost.

 Monthly Print and Copy Volumes

Of all your electronic equipment, it is likely that multifunction printers are your biggest workhorses, but they have their limits.

When looking at manufacturers’ specifications, you are likely to see two terms: the monthly duty cycle and the recommended print volumes.

The duty cycle is the absolute maximum capacity at which you can run the printer.

The recommended print volume is usually 10% lower than the duty cycle and represents the volumes you can safely produce without putting undue strain on your MFP, thereby increasing its useful life.

It is vitally important to look at the monthly limits set by manufacturers and only buy or lease printers with the capabilities that can meet your demands. Replacing printers before the end of their expected lifespan is a very costly exercise.

 Toner and Cartridges

Since you will replace toner and cartridges on occasion, you need to keep an eye on the price of these consumables. A cheap printer may not be affordable in the long run due to expensive ink replacement costs.

Some models can accommodate different cartridges (low, medium, or high quality). If the highest quality is not a necessity, cheaper cartridges can help you save.

Other Factors

The features below are nice to have in a printer but add costs and should only be considered if they are important to the functioning of the business. 

Print and Copy Speed

More than any other feature, the price of a printer is determined by its print and copy speeds. Fast printers boost productivity in a business but may not be essential in businesses with lower volumes. This is one of the most important equations to get right in your choice of printer.

Wi-Fi

Wi-fi printers can be useful in some office settings. Because they don’t require an ethernet cable, you can move them around when your office space evolves. They also offer the benefit of printing out pages received from mobile devices.

New, Refurbished, or Remanufactured

Sometimes, particularly for companies with lower print volumes, a remanufactured or a refurbished printer can help bring down costs. However, not all providers provide the same quality in their refurbished models, so it is important to take care when choosing a supplier.

Remanufactured MFPs are in better condition than refurbished ones, as they are newer demo or low-use models. Both offer the benefit of significantly lowering your costs.

Whether you choose a refurbished or a remanufactured printer, you need to look out for:

• Companies that only source printers in good condition
• Printers certified by a senior technician
• A full swap-out warranty

Let Us Help You

With these variables clearly identified, you can narrow down the expected costs involved.

Get in touch with us today and discuss your unique needs with one of our experts to get the best solution at the best price. You can contact us at 086 011 8101, [email protected], or fill out the contact form on our website.