Printing Equipment Buying Guide: What I Learned as an Admin Buyer for a Print Shop

After five years of buying for a 120-person commercial printing company, I've fielded enough questions about printing equipment that I should just write them down. Some came from our pressroom manager. One came from a new employee who thought a plastic ID card printer would solve all our security badge problems. A lot came from finance, who wanted to know why I wasn't choosing the lowest price. Here are the answers I ended up trusting.

1. What's the smartest way to compare printing equipment prices?

The lowest quote is just the first number. I've learned—after approving one too many 'cheap' purchases—that the real cost includes shipping, installation, operator training, downtime if the machine fails, and consumables. For office printers, compare cost per page, not the price of the machine. A Canon ink printer with a $30 cartridge and 200-page yield costs more per page than a $400 printer with a high-yield toner. The same logic applies to press parts. I keep a spreadsheet with all the hidden line items. It took three years and a $2,400 expense rejection to make me start that spreadsheet. That's been my experience with office and light production supplies, anyway.

2. Are genuine Goss press parts worth the additional cost?

This is the question our pressroom manager asks me every time I place a parts order. It's tempting to think that aftermarket parts are identical—after all, a bearing is a bearing. But with high-wear components on a newspaper or web offset press, tolerance differences can turn a 'savings' into a long weekend. Our pressroom manager warned me. I didn't listen. We bought a non-standard wash-up blade because it cost 20% less. It fit, but it didn't quite seat, and the crew lost four hours before we swapped it. The factory part fixed it immediately. Since then, I use Goss press parts from the original supplier unless the alternative has a clear engineering sign-off. When you contact Goss printing press company, you get spec sheets, service bulletins, and access to someone who knows your press model. That's part of the total cost calculation, even if it doesn't show up on the invoice.

3. Is the Epson 2800 an inkjet printer?

Yes. The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is an inkjet printer, and it's a decent one for light office use. The EcoTank system uses ink bottles instead of cartridges, so per-page costs are much lower than a typical Canon ink printer cartridge setup. That doesn't mean it's right for a production floor. The ET-2800 is slow relative to even midrange laser printers, and the printhead can clog if the machine sits idle for weeks. In our office we ran one for about a year. It was fine for label sheets and occasional reports, but I moved that task to a leased multifunction device once monthly volume crossed 1,000 pages. So yes, it's an inkjet—but the better question is whether your volume justifies the tank system.

4. When does a plastic ID card printer actually pay off?

Only when you produce enough cards for it to make sense. If you're issuing 30 badges a year, buy them from a secure online service. A plastic ID card printer starts around $300–$600—or rather, $400–$700 once you include starter cards and a cleaning kit. You also need blank PVC cards, a color ribbon, and someone patient enough to align the magnetic stripe without losing a Friday afternoon. Our first ID-card printer sat unused for nine months before I factored in the time cost. When I did, the true cost per card was almost double the outsourced price. Conversely, if your company badges hundreds of people each year and manages credentials in-house, a dedicated printer simplifies procurement. The TCO tipping point is around 400–500 cards a year in my experience.

5. What are the hidden costs that turn up in printing quotes?

Setup, proofing, and speed premiums. Many online printers advertise low base prices, then charge separately for plate making, color matching, or rush service. Based on publicly listed prices I checked earlier this year (January 2025 pricing), setup fees on offset jobs often run $15–$70 per color. A two-day rush on a typical flyer adds 25%–50% over standard. That's reasonable if you planned for it. The problem is when you compare quotes without those line items. I once sent a small print job to a new vendor because their quote was $80 lower. The final invoice was $130 higher after 'file prep,' 'color correction,' and an expedited shipping charge. Here's something vendors won't tell you: the initial number assumes your files are press-ready. I should have asked for an all-in quote before placing the order. Now I do, no exceptions (note to self: add this to our vendor checklist).

6. Should we reconfigure our existing press or replace it?

I don't make that decision—our operations manager does—but I sit in on the budget meetings. For a large web offset press that's structurally sound, a reconfiguration or relocation can deliver far better TCO than buying new. Goss printing press company offers those services because they know the original design limits and can upgrade sections without reinventing the whole machine. The key is to get a condition assessment first. Reconfiguration is not 'make it run forever.' It's about aligning investment with the machine's actual useful life. If the press needs a new folder and new drives, that can be smarter than a new machine. If the frame is worn or the product mix changed, then a new press might be the lower-cost path. In both cases, the conversation should start with engineering data, not a sales pitch.