A digital print shop is a profitable business, but not for just anyone who buys a machine. It pays for the person who knows what a sheet costs them, what they will sell it for, and how many sheets a month they need to print to cover their expenses.
This article walks you through the calculation step by step. It has no machine prices and no rents, because they differ from place to place and from month to month. It has the method, and you put in your numbers.
The calculation in one line
Monthly profit = (selling price per sheet − cost per sheet) × number of sheets − fixed costs
Everything that follows explains those four numbers.
1. Cost per sheet (variable costs)
These are the costs that rise with every sheet you print.
Toner
The largest item, and it is set by two things: the machine, and the kind of work. This is the toner of one 33 × 48 cm sheet, one side, of everyday press work on each model, at toner prices in Egypt:
| Model | A toner set prints about | Toner set price | Toner per sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| C9100 | 15,000 sheets | EGP 26,500 | EGP 1.77 |
| C7200X | 13,000 sheets | EGP 26,500 | EGP 2.04 |
| C7100S / C7100X | 12,000 sheets | EGP 26,500 | EGP 2.21 |
| C5200S | 6,900 sheets | EGP 18,500 | EGP 2.68 |
| C5100S | 8,000 sheets | EGP 21,500 | EGP 2.69 |
And how much does the kind of work change it? This is the toner of each job, by order, on three models:
| Job | Order | C9100 | C7100S / C7100X | C5100S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poster one side · 1 per sheet100 posters | 100 posters | EGP 79 | EGP 99 | EGP 120 |
| Folded A4 brochure two sides · 2 per sheet1,000 brochures | 1,000 brochures | EGP 416 | EGP 520 | EGP 633 |
| Product stickers one side · 35 per sheet5,000 stickers | 5,000 stickers | EGP 154 | EGP 192 | EGP 234 |
| A5 flyer two sides · 4 per sheet1,000 flyers | 1,000 flyers | EGP 299 | EGP 374 | EGP 455 |
| Book or magazine cover one side · 1 per sheet500 covers | 500 covers | EGP 610 | EGP 762 | EGP 928 |
| Wedding cards one side · 4 per sheet500 cards | 500 cards | EGP 178 | EGP 222 | EGP 271 |
| A3 menu two sides · 1 per sheet100 menus | 100 menus | EGP 224 | EGP 279 | EGP 340 |
| Business cards two sides · 24 per sheet1,000 cards | 1,000 cards | EGP 115 | EGP 143 | EGP 174 |
| One sheet of everyday press work33 × 48 cm, one side | 33 × 48 cm, one side | EGP 1.77 | EGP 2.21 | EGP 2.69 |
The figures come from everyday press work on the 33 × 48 cm sheet, a quarter of the full sheet. A job printed on both sides is counted with both sides. All prices are in Egyptian pounds.
The figures change with the price of toner. Note that a sheet of dark business cards takes more than three times the toner of a light poster, so if you price them the same you will lose on one of them.
Spare parts
The drum, developer, cleaning parts and fuser all have a life in pages. Divide the price of each part by its life in sheets, add them up, and you have each sheet’s share of spare parts. The method is in the article on drum life.
Paper
Count it at the price of the full sheet you buy, divided by four, because the full sheet is cut into four 33 × 48 cm sheets. Add a waste percentage for tests and first copies.
Finishing
Cutting, creasing, lamination, stapling. If you do it in-house, count its cost; if you send it out, count what you pay.
2. Fixed costs
You pay these every month whether you print or not:
- Rent.
- Salaries: the machine operator, a designer, someone for customers and finishing.
- Electricity. The machine itself is not the largest item: typical consumption is about 6.25 kWh a week for the C5200S and about 12.5 for the C7200X. Air conditioning and lighting take more.
- Routine maintenance.
- Marketing.
- The machine’s instalment, if you bought it with finance.
3. Selling price
Go out into the market in your area and ask the price of the same work: 1,000 cards, 500 brochures, 100 posters. Convert the price to a price per sheet so you can compare it with your cost.
And do not build your calculation on the highest price you saw. Build it on the price at which you can sell in quantity.
4. Break-even point
This is the most important number in the study: the number of sheets you must print a month so as not to lose.
Break-even = fixed costs ÷ (selling price per sheet − cost per sheet)
If the number comes out well below what you expect to print, the business is comfortable. If it comes out close to it or above, either cut your fixed costs, or choose a machine with a lower cost per sheet, or think the idea over again.
5. Work out three scenarios, not one
Work is not steady through the year. Work out:
- A normal month.
- The season: elections, back to school, holidays, year end.
- A slow period: the months when work goes quiet.
A sound business is one that covers its costs in the slow month, not one that only profits in the season.
6. Choosing the machine is part of the study
From the table above: a sheet of everyday press work costs EGP 2.69 in toner on the C5100S and EGP 2.21 on the C7100S. On 10,000 sheets a month that is a difference of about EGP 4,800.
So if your volume is large, the machine that costs more to buy may be the more economical by the end of the year. And if your volume is small, the smaller machine with its lower fixed costs is better. The model comparisons are in our guides.
Mistakes that ruin feasibility studies
- Costing toner on brochure figures in A4 pages when you print 33 × 48 cm sheets with pictures.
- Forgetting spare parts altogether.
- Assuming the machine will run at full capacity from the first month.
- Forgetting working capital: paper, toner and salaries for the first three months, before work settles.
- Counting the season month as if it were every month.
Do it on your own numbers
Send us your type of work, your volume and your costs, and we will run this whole calculation with you: running cost and profit in a normal month, in season and in a slow period.
If you want to go over the numbers with someone, message us on WhatsApp.
