Archived from groups: comp.periphs.printers (
More info?)
I usually figure a color image uses between 30-60% cover per color if
the image is pretty much covering the full area and doesn't have a lot
of white or very light areas. Based upon that, you can figure the
number of pages you will get per set of ink blocks (CMY) (if you are
considering the solid color ink printers) is cut from 1000 to between
about 150 to 80 pages If you are using spot color and lots of white,
the number of pages would, of course, be greater.
Don't forget to amortize the cost of the printer itself and any other
consumables that might be involved. I have also been told that the
solid color machines tend to waste a goodly amount of the wax ink on
start up from cold, so if you can run your print run in as few sessions
as possible, that will also help.
One other consideration... the wax/solid ink printers literally use a
heavy dye "crayon" to print. This color will smear and scratch and can
even peel off or crack if abused. They have improved the adhesion of
the inks over the years, but they still are wax based. Over time, some
of the ink seems to bleed through the paper as well.
Try to get some samples from Xerox and abuse them a bit and see if they
hold up well enough for your needs.
Art
JH wrote:
> Thanks for your reply
>
> We used to have a 2 colour cover only. 850 issues was £200. Since we
> went full colour cover it is now £300. Thats the best break down I can
> give.
>
> I agree it will be quite a lot of hard work to do it ourselves, but if I
> can halve the price then I am willing to do it. There's several of us
> who would pull together to do it.
>
> The thing that worries me the most is how much colour ink I'd go through
> if we were to do that ourselves.
>
> JH
>
>
>> It is possible is could be worthwhile to print the inside pages and
>> allow the color cover to still be produced for you. You don't give a
>> breakdown of your costs.
>>
>> Black printing is best done on a laser printer. The prices have come
>> down quite a bit on the printers. The other option is a photocopier,
>> making one master and then printing the copies "off glass" from it.
>> It somewhat depends on how dense your copy is. If you use a lot of
>> black area, it could use up a lot of toner.
>>
>> A 5% coverage print (in black) probably costs you between 1 and 2
>> cents US in toner, plus paper cost of about another cent.
>>
>> Using 9 pages of paper inside, and 18 printed sides, I get about $300
>> US as cost to print the black inside only, assuming no great expanses
>> of black toner and cost of 1.5 cents per side in toner and one cent
>> paper.
>>
>> Costs could be cheaper if you buy paper in large wholesale amounts and
>> if you buy a more costly laser printer or copier which will have a
>> higher initial outlay, but consumables tend to be less.
>>
>> Based upon the general situation, I would say your printer is giving
>> you a reasonable price, at 35p each, considering the color page on
>> glossy stock. It also saves you the time, and the cost of purchasing
>> and maintaining the printers, and cost of any errors which you'd have
>> to pay for, rather than the printer being responsible for printing
>> mistakes.
>>
>> I suspect you are best off staying with your printer for now.
>>
>> Art
>>
>>
>> JH wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> We release a magazine/booklet on a monthly basis. We sell around 850
>>> issues per release. The booklets have a full colour cover (front and
>>> back) on glossy paper, with the inside of the booklets being black
>>> and white. The booklets are A5 size & 36 pages, which is essentially
>>> 9 sheets of A4 paper with printing on both sides, folded and then
>>> stapled down the spine.
>>>
>>> The booklets are sold at £1 each, and to have 850 issues printed as
>>> described above we pay £300.
>>>
>>> We are now looking at doing the printing ourselves. We are not a
>>> company (this is a hobby) and profits generated are moderate. But we
>>> can afford to buy some printing equipment if its not massively
>>> expensive and will save us money in the long run.
>>>
>>> I'm looking for adive on whether people think this is worth doing,
>>> and what equipment you'd recommend.
>>>
>>> Many thanks
>>> JH
>>
>>
>>