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Work cycle
For a long time now, printers have become essential devices at home or in the office, which require use according to their capacity to prolong their useful life. Achieving it necessarily requires knowing the work cycle of a printer and today we will talk about what it is.
The duty cycle of a printer is basically the number of prints allowed in a month or the amount of time that any unit in this range can be in continuous operation , in order to operate diligently without overheating or deterioration. .
Most of the time this condition varies depending on the manufacturer. The most economical models for home use have a monthly duty cycle of up to 2,000 pages, the mid-range for offices or small businesses 8,000 pages, but the industrial machines for high workflows have a capacity of up to 250,000 pages per month.
Average Home Printing Duty Cycle
A study of the average spending on printing by Spanish households in 2022 indicated that on average 23 pages of text, 9 graphics, and 9 photos are printed per month in households. If you have no idea how much you are going to print, or it is the first printer in your house, you can get an idea with this data of which copy shops near me model is better to choose for your home.
Elements to understand the work cycle of a printer
It is also very necessary to calculate the useful life of the printer and to know the cost per copy of the machine. If the manufacturer indicates that it is designed to print from 250 to 1000 and occasionally 6000. It tells you that one month you can print up to 6000 but if you do this every month it will only last 24000 copies or 4 months. Once the 24,000 copies have passed, you do not have a guarantee for the machine because there are components that have already worn out or deteriorated.
Therefore, if you need to know the price per copy of the printer, it is best to take the normal maximum number of copies, not the one-off, and multiply it by the 24-month warranty = this would be the life cycle of your printer . The price of the printer between this number of total copies will mark the price per copy.
Example. A printer with a recommended monthly volume of up to 1,000 pages, in two years allows you to print 24,000 pages. If the printer cost you €100, the €100 between the 24,000 copies it makes while under warranty leaves a price per copy of 0.004 € (this price would be that of the machine without counting the ink).
Impact
When the duty cycle of a printer exceeds its capacity, the equipment loses its useful life considerably. Surely, the print flow decreases considerably, as well as the quality of the results.
Forcing a printer will cause the internal mechanism to overheat and break, so you’ll end up spending money on repairs or replacing the equipment.
Weather
The time of use will be the manufacturer’s decision, since it is their intention to avoid overheating of the equipment due to excessive use.
An essential element must be taken into account and that is that generally the different brands do not establish time by hours, days or weeks.
The measurement of time to establish the work cycle is through the number of monthly copies that a machine can efficiently print.
Benefits
Knowing the duty cycle is essential because it allows the user to manage the printer more efficiently. In this way, you reduce any chance of the machine deteriorating from prolonged use.
If this information did not exist in the instruction manual, many would abuse its use causing irreparable damage in a very short time. Hence the importance of this data.
In this way, the brand reduces any possibility that a user will request spare parts for a new printer .
Calculation of printed pages per month
Check the sheets in tray
Making the calculation based on printed or spent paper will make the job more bearable.
Use sheet counter
It is a viable option that will help you to know how many sheets you have printed in a month and thus carry out your own calculation. It is a function of laser and inkjet printers.
Just go to the panel and select the option to print a print status sheet. You will have precise information on how much you have used the equipment so far. You only have to take one out before putting the cartridges in and one when you are going to change them and compare.
cartridge time
You can also use information related to cartridge life to find out how many pages you’ve printed to date.
Of course, it is not a precision alternative because not all ink cartridges have the same capacity. and your prints will not always be the same.
It is a viable option that will help you to know how many sheets you have printed in a month and thus carry out your own calculation. It is a function of laser and inkjet printers.
Just go to the panel and select the option to print a print status sheet. You will have precise information on how much you have used the equipment so far. You only have to take one out before putting the cartridges in and one when you are going to change them and compare.
