The first question anyone who wants to buy asks is: how much is a digital press? The honest answer is that there is no single number. The same model can sell at two prices far apart, and the gap has reasons.
This article has no prices, because price moves with the exchange rate, the configuration and the condition. What it has is what decides the price, so that when you receive two offers you know how to compare them properly.
1. The class of machine
This is the biggest factor. Machines are grouped by the scale of work they are built for:
| Class | Model | Speed | Monthly volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| A print shop starting out | C5100S, C5200S | 65 pages per minute | up to 250,000 (C5100S) |
| A medium print shop | C7100S, C7100X, C7200X | 80–85 pages per minute | up to 700,000 |
| A large print shop | C9100 | 110 pages per minute | up to one million |
Each class up means a bigger, heavier machine with dearer parts, and a higher price. So the first thing to settle is the scale of your work, not your budget.
2. New, refurbished or used
The same model has three prices depending on its condition, and the gap between them is large. The detail is in new, refurbished or used, but in brief: used “as it stands” is the cheapest and the highest risk, refurbished is in the middle with a warranty, and new is the dearest.
When you compare two offers, make sure they are for the same condition. An offer for a refurbished machine with a warranty cannot be compared with a used machine that has not been prepared.
3. The level of refurbishment
“Refurbished” does not mean the same thing to everyone. Ask:
- Which parts were replaced before sale? Drums, developer, cleaning parts and fuser.
- Was the machine tested on real work before it was offered?
- Will you see it running and print your own sample on it before you pay?
A machine whose wear parts have been replaced will run for months with no expense. A machine that is “clean on the outside” may ask you for parts after a week, and then the cheap price is no longer cheap.
4. Configuration: the machine is not one piece
This is what most often makes the difference between two offers for the same model. The full line includes:
- The main engine.
- The finisher: collating, stapling and punching, and there is a finisher for booklets.
- The large capacity tray: adds capacity and feeds heavy paper better.
- The colour controller (Fiery): standard on some models and optional on others.
An offer for the engine alone is cheaper than an offer for a full line. Always ask for the offer in writing, with every unit named.
5. The fifth colour
Five-colour machines (C7100X and C7200X) cost more than their four-colour counterparts. The difference is worth it if you have a market for white, gold and clear. If you are not sure, read is the fifth colour worth it?
6. What comes with the machine
The price is not only the price of the metal. Compare offers on:
- Warranty: its length and what it covers.
- Shipping and installation: included in the price or not.
- Training: will your operator be taught the software and the hardware?
- After-sales support: who answers when the machine stops? Do they hold the spare parts, or will you wait?
A cheaper machine with no service and no spare parts can stand for a month waiting for a part, and every idle day costs you more than the price difference.
7. Preparing the site
This is not in the quotation, but you will pay it. The large machines need two separate power lines and a floor that carries their weight: the C9100 line is about 1,332 kg, the C7100S about 897 kg, and the C5200S under 400 kg, running on a single line.
More important than the purchase price: running cost
You pay for the machine once, and for toner every day. And toner cost per sheet differs a great deal between models. This is the toner of one 33 × 48 cm sheet, one side, of everyday press work, at toner prices in Egypt:
| Model | A toner set prints about | Toner set price | Toner per sheet | On 10,000 sheets a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C9100 | 15,000 sheets | EGP 26,500 | EGP 1.77 | about EGP 17,700 |
| C7200X | 13,000 sheets | EGP 26,500 | EGP 2.04 | about EGP 20,400 |
| C7100S / C7100X | 12,000 sheets | EGP 26,500 | EGP 2.21 | about EGP 22,100 |
| C5200S | 6,900 sheets | EGP 18,500 | EGP 2.68 | about EGP 26,800 |
| C5100S | 8,000 sheets | EGP 21,500 | EGP 2.69 | about EGP 26,900 |
So the machine that is cheapest to buy can be the dearest to run if your volume is large. The cost rises and falls with the kind of work, and toner prices change, so confirm the current price. For the calculation on your own work, ask us.
How do you get a proper price?
- Settle what you print and how many sheets a month.
- Ask for a written quotation naming the model, every unit in the line, the warranty, and shipping, installation and training.
- Come and print your sample on the machine and see the quality yourself.
- Work out the monthly running cost alongside the purchase price.
Send us your type of work and its volume on WhatsApp, and we will send you a written quotation for the right model.
