You might be looking to buy a color copier to cut your color printers’ costs. If you are in this scenario, you will need to take the following steps to ensure your print costs stay as low as possible.

Follow These Steps To Cut Your Color Print Costs to the Bone

You have almost no chance of your copier rep telling you these steps. Learn and use them to avoid getting ripped off.

1. Set your print defaults to use black ink only.

If you don’t set your color defaults only to use black ink, your “black and white” prints will come out as composite gray. Composite gray prints count (and charge) as color prints, meaning you’ll pay color prices to get black and white prints.

Go through the driver defaults and set this default for everyone on your server.

2. Look at your color coverage before you sign your contract.

How much color coverage are you allowed to have on your copier before the leasing company charges you overages? If you use a lot of color, NEVER sign a lease that lets the leasing company charge you for color at a higher rate if you exceed 20% color coverage.

3. Never Pay for Scans.

If you have to pay for scans, never pay more than $0.0015 per scan. If you pay more than that, your leasing company is ripping you off.

4. Get Your Workers to Print Black and White Out of Habit.

Color prints cost ten times more than standard black and white prints, so make sure your workers only use them when necessary.

5. Train Yourself How to Use the Included Tools to Manage Color Costs.

Every copier has tools to limit your color costs. Learn what these management tools are and how to use them. Some tools let you block some users’ access to color, while others come with reporting tools to see who is using color (and how much they’re using.)

6. Ask If You Can Cut Your Color Costs in Half.

This tactic only has a chance of working if your color usage’s historical average is less than 10% coverage.

Follow These Steps, or Your Color Print Costs Will Skyrocket!

If you don’t take these easy steps, you will burn through money, making composite gray prints that should have been black and white. Do these simple tasks today to reduce your color print bills as much as possible.