What’s the difference between color and black-and-white printing? It may seem like a simple question on the surface. But when it comes to everyday office printing, there are more differences between the two than you may realize—in cost, technology, functionality and other factors—and more similarities, too. If you’re thinking about incorporating more color into your office printing environment, you need to understand all these differences and similarities in order to make effective (not to mention cost-effective) choices.
“To put color print pricing in context, in 1994 a typical departmental-sized black-and-white laser printer would cost you around $5000 with a per-page price of about 8 or 9 cents. For less than that cost today, you can have a high-quality color printer. The idea that color is too expensive for in-house, everyday use is as antiquated as that 1994 black-and-white laser printer.”
–Don Jones, The Definitive Guide to Office Color Printing