Everyone loves colour. Documents pop, presentations impress, marketing materials attract attention. But colour printing costs 5-10 times more than black and white. Let's examine when the premium is justified.

Understanding Colour Printing Costs

Colour printing expenses come from multiple sources:

Equipment costs: Colour printers cost more than monochrome equivalents. A decent business colour laser starts around KES 50,000, while monochrome starts at KES 20,000.

Consumables: Instead of one black toner, you need four: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK). Each colour cartridge costs as much as the black one.

Cost per page: A black and white page might cost KES 0.50-2.00 depending on coverage. A colour page easily runs KES 3.00-10.00.

Calculating Your Real Colour Needs

Before investing in colour capability, honestly assess your needs:

What percentage of your printing actually needs colour? Many businesses discover that less than 20% of their output truly requires colour. The rest is memos, invoices, receipts, and internal documents that work fine in black and white.

What quality level do you need? A colour laser produces good business graphics but won't match photo lab quality. If you need photographic output, a dedicated photo printer or outsourcing makes more sense.

What's the volume? If you only need 50 colour pages monthly, outsourcing to a printing shop might cost less than owning colour equipment.

Colour Printing Strategies

Strategy 1: Monochrome primary, outsource colour

Own a reliable black and white printer. Send colour jobs to a printing service. Best for businesses with low colour volume and high quality requirements.

Strategy 2: Colour MFP for everything

One multifunction colour device handles all needs. Convenient but expensive if you don't actively manage colour usage.

Strategy 3: Monochrome workhorse plus colour auxiliary

A high-volume monochrome printer for daily work, plus a smaller colour printer for occasional needs. Optimizes cost per page while maintaining in-house colour capability.

Controlling Colour Printing Costs

If you have colour capability, manage it actively:

Set defaults to black and white: Make users actively choose colour rather than defaulting to it. Most people print whatever the default is.

Use print management software: Track who prints what and in which colours. Visibility changes behavior.

Question every colour print: Does that internal report really need colour charts? Will anyone care if the logo on this draft is grey?

Use draft mode for colour proofs: Preview colour output in low-quality mode before committing to final quality.

Special Considerations for Kenyan Businesses

Cyber cafes: Customers expect colour printing. But price it appropriately – charging the same for colour as black and white loses money fast. KES 20-30 per colour page is reasonable.

Schools: Most educational printing doesn't need colour. Invest in high-volume monochrome and outsource colour when truly needed.

Marketing-focused businesses: If customer materials are your output, colour isn't optional. Factor it into your pricing and service fees.

The Hidden Cost: Color Printing Everything

Some colour printers use colour ink even when printing 'black' pages. They blend colours to produce black, using four cartridges instead of one. Check your printer's settings for a 'true black' or 'black only' option for text documents.

Making the Decision

Calculate your annual colour printing cost under each strategy:

  • Equipment depreciation (purchase price ÷ expected years of use)
  • Consumables (cartridges × replacements per year)
  • Outsourcing costs (if applicable)
  • Include maintenance and potential repairs

The lowest total annual cost is your winner.

At ilexDigital, we help businesses make smart equipment decisions. We'll analyze your actual printing patterns and recommend the most cost-effective approach. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation on colour printing strategy.