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If you’re experiencing issues with your printer or you’re in the market for a new one, you might already feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options and price ranges out there. A quick search can show printers priced anywhere from under $100 to well over $100,000, all claiming to be the “perfect solution.”
Now, the simplest option would be to go to your nearest retail store…say Walmart, Office Depot, or even Amazon, and pick up a new printer on the cheap.
Easy, quick, and problem solved… right?
Well, it depends.
If you’re a home user or someone who prints occasionally, a retail printer can absolutely be the right choice. But if you’re a business or organization that relies on printing to keep things running, that initial convenience comes with a cost you don’t see until later. And by “later,” we usually mean after the return window has closed.
As a print vendor with nearly 40 years of experience, we’ve seen this scenario play out more times than we can count. Our goal isn’t to stop anyone from buying a retail printer, but we do want to help you understand when they work, when they don’t, and why businesses that print regularly often run into the same problems over and over again.
In this article, we’ll walk through the three most common issues businesses face when buying retail printers, explain who these issues apply to, and help you figure out whether a commercial printer might actually save you time, money, and frustration in the long run.
Table of Contents
- Retail vs. Commercial Printers: What’s the Difference?
- Problem #1: Supplies Can Get Expensive
- Problem #2: Retail Printers Are Replaced, Not Repaired
- Problem #3: Cost Per Page Is Higher Than You Think
- When Buying a Retail Printer Does Make Sense
- When a Commercial Printer Is the Better Choice
- Conclusion & Next Steps
Retail vs. Commercial Printers: What’s the Difference?
Before diving into the problems, it helps to clear up what we mean by retail versus commercial printers.
Retail printers are generally designed for:
- Personal or home use
- Occasional printing
- One or two users
- Lower monthly print volumes
They’re sold through big-box stores and online marketplaces, where the focus is on price and convenience.
Commercial printers, on the other hand, are built for:
- Shared office environments
- Consistent, higher-volume printing
- Business workflows
- Long-term service and support
These machines are typically sold and supported by print vendors, which are companies that don’t just sell hardware, but help manage the entire print environment over time.
So, in short:
- Retailers sell printers.
- Print vendors support printing.
The difference between these matters once printing shifts from an occasional thing to an everyday task.
Problem #1: Supplies Can Get Expensive
This issue applies most often to businesses that print regularly.
Retail printers usually look affordable because the upfront price is low. The problem is that supplies like ink and toner are sold separately, at retail pricing, and need to be replaced frequently, especially when the printer is used more than intended.
This can lead to common consequences such as:
- Overbuying supplies “just in case” and wasting money on inventory you didn’t need yet.
- Constantly running out of toner at the worst possible time and scrambling to replace it.
To put things into perspective, toner cartridges can range anywhere from $113 to $900, depending on the machine, page coverage, and usage. When printing is part of your daily workflow, those costs add up faster than most people expect.
With commercial printers, supplies are often handled through a service or leasing agreement with a vendor. These agreements can come with automatic toner shipments that arrive when you actually need them, and the cost is bundled into a predictable monthly plan. In the end, it’s less guesswork, fewer supply runs, and far fewer “Why is the printer empty again?” moments.
If your business prints frequently, this shift alone can be a major time and money saver.
Read our blog comparing automatic shipments of toner vs. buying your own to see which option is right for you.
Problem #2: Retail Printers Are Replaced, Not Repaired
A hard truth about retail printers is that they’re not built to be serviced long-term.
When a retail printer breaks down, finding someone willing to repair it can be pretty difficult. Even if you do find a technician, their service rates often go above $100 per hour, which, ironically, costs the same as replacing the printer entirely.
This leads many businesses into a cycle that looks like this:
- Buy a retail printer
- Use it heavily
- Experience breakdowns
- Replace it
- Repeat
Commercial printers are built to be maintained, repaired, and supported. When you purchase a commercial printer from a print vendor, it usually includes a maintenance plan that covers parts, labor, and on-site service for a relatively low monthly fee.
Even consumable parts like drums, belts, or waste toner containers are typically included and installed by trained technicians. Instead of wondering who to call when something goes wrong, you have one number and one team responsible for keeping your machine running.
Problem #3: Cost Per Page Is Higher Than You Think
One thing most people don't realize is that retail printers cost more per page than commercial ones.
Initially, the difference between them looks small:
- Retail black-and-white printing: around $0.035 per page
- Retail color printing: around $0.17 per page
- Commercial black-and-white printing: closer to $0.017 per page
- Commercial color printing: around $0.11 per page
These prices can vary depending on machine size and capabilities. If you’re printing a few pages a week, the difference in cost per page barely matters. But, if you’re printing hundreds or thousands of pages a month, it adds up quickly.
This is where total cost of ownership comes into play. When you factor in supplies, service, parts, downtime, and cost per page, retail printers often end up costing businesses more over time, even though they were cheaper upfront.
Many organizations offset the higher upfront cost of a commercial printer by leasing, which spreads the cost into manageable monthly payments while giving them a machine that’s actually built for their workload.
When Buying a Retail Printer Does Make Sense
Despite everything we’ve covered so far, retail printers still make sense for certain people.
Buying a retail printer makes sense if:
- You print only occasionally
- You need a personal or home printer
- You’re working on a short-term project
- The printer isn’t business-critical
If that describes your situation, a retail printer is likely the right tool for the job and there’s no reason to overcomplicate it.
When a Commercial Printer Is the Better Choice
A commercial printer becomes the better option when:
- Printing is part of daily operations
- Multiple employees share the device
- Print volume is consistent or growing
- You need finishing options (stapling, hole punching, booklets)
- Downtime affects productivity
At this stage, it’s less about the printer itself and more about finding the right support, reliability, and long-term cost control.
If you’re weighing where to buy your next printer, our blog “Retail vs. Brand vs. Vendor: Where Should You Buy Your Next Printer?” does a deeper dive into how buying channels affect ownership experience and support.
So… Is Your Retail Printer Helping or Holding You Back?
Retail printers aren’t inherently bad; they’re just built for a different kind of use. The problems we’ve outlined often show up when a machine designed for occasional printing is asked to support a business that prints regularly.
If you’re starting to notice rising supply costs, frequent breakdowns, or growing frustration around printing, it may be a sign that your needs have outgrown what a retail printer can realistically handle.
Contact us to talk through whether a commercial printer makes sense for your business.
A quick conversation can help clarify your print volume, costs, and options.
Still researching? Our blog “Are We an Ideal Fit To Switch From a Retail Copier to a Commercial Copier?” can help you determine whether upgrading is the right move right now or something to revisit later.
