What’s the biggest hidden cost in printing today?

[PK Project Manager]

Most people think printing costs are just ink and paper. The truth is, printing isn’t just about what comes out of the machine—it’s everything that happens behind the scenes. Sometimes the real cost isn’t obvious until you calculate how much time, material, and productivity is being lost every month.

So let’s settle it: What’s the one cost that surprises you the most in your printing experience, and why?

 

[The Hat]

Most people think printing costs are just ink and paper.

Cost don’t come into it at all, it’s your hobby so everything is allow, you can decide what’s acceptable and what’s not, there’s no middle ground here..

I was into inkjet printing for a long while and made quite a lot of friends from it, but times changed, and age and health caught up and became a major distraction, but fortunately I found 3D printing.. There’s a whole new dimension out there waiting for you to explore..

Having this new distraction I was able to immerse myself in something I hadn’t got a clue about at first, and now haven’t had to think about paper or ink costs again.. if you can dream it up, you can build it..

It doesn’t cost anything to sit at home waiting on the Grim Reaper to call, and look forward to your next of kin pissing what little money you’ve managed to saved, against the wall..

If it satisfy you to print then Feck the costs, go for it, otherwise your memory will fade faster than your prints will, you’ve only one life to live, so enjoy it while you can, or switch over to Social Media and be dammed.

So let’s settle it: What’s the one cost that surprises you the most in your printing experience, and why?

• Ink & toner waste (overuse, leakage, inefficient cartridges)
• Printer maintenance & repairs
• Machine downtime & production delays
• Electricity & energy consumption
• Paper waste & misprints
• Software, drivers & licensing costs
• Labour/time spent fixing printing issues
• Supply chain delays (waiting for ink/parts)

All of the above


P.S. This forum was setup to help you through the many issues you might have during your great printing ventures, I’ve never heard anyone yet say.. “How do I print for nothing..”

 

[Epatcola]

My biggest hidden (or better said unexpected) cost is wasted paper.

I am using an ET-7750 or ET-8550 so the ink usually costs significantly less than the paper.

I usually run a nozzle check before printing on expensive paper. I have been bitten a couple of times when I didn't bother. I have also had a single nozzle block during a print and and most of a color fail during a print from too much air in a damper.

I have wasted several sheets due to image issues I didn't (but should have) noticed before printing.

I have trashed prints not being careful with a rotary cutter.

I am not sure if there is a problem with it, but, I have to clean up the capping station on the ET-7550 every few months apart from that it is a hobby so I don't consider my time chargeable.

You should probably add profiling to the list. That has a significant materials, time, and equipment cost.

 

[thebestcpu]

I am a hobbyist, so the volume of prints is relatively low. In these cases, one must look at the total number of final prints produced over the printer's lifetime and treat the printer's cost as an effective additional cost per print. Most repairs made through Epson cost more than it is worth, so for very low volume, that cost is not insignificant.

John Wheeler