Media cost calculation for Canon iPF PRO540 in per square foot or per square meter

One of my blog reader wrote in to enquire on the media cost calculation for the Canon iPF PRO540 that he newly invested.

I told the reader to use the Accounting Function from the Canon iPF print driver to calculate but he insisted to learn the way to calculate media cost only in per square foot as well as per square meter.

Canon iPF PRO540

The new owner of the Canon iPF Pro540 is operating a fast print shop (print services provider). He mentioned that able to calculate various media cost in term of per square foot or per square meter is very helpful for him to quote customers that has various media requirements.

Example:
A roll of Matte Vinyl Sticker, 24inches x 30m, MYR210 per roll.

Cost per square foot calculation:

Width: 24inches = 2foot
Length: 30m = 98.43foot

1 roll of 24inches x 30m Matte Vinyl Sticker contains 2 x 98.43 square foot
= 196.86 square foot

Cost per square foot
= RM210/196.86 square foot
= RM1.07 per square foot


Cost per square meter:
Width: 24inches = 0.61meter
Length: 30meter

1 roll of 24inches x 30m Matte Vinyl Sticker contains 0.61 x 30 square meter
= 18.3 square meter

Cost per square meter
= RM210/18.3 square meter
= RM11.48 per square meter

*The above costing does not include media wastage.
 

HP Designjet T830 eMFP vs Canon iPF771MFP L36 Comprehensive Review & Comparisons

HP Designjet T830 eMFP or Canon iPF671 A1 MFP or 771 A0 MFP are entry level wide format multi-functions system. If scanning and copying jobs are critical for your operation, you shall opt for true wide format MFP system such as Canon iPF M40 series or Oce Plotwave 345 or 365.

However, if you require minimal scanning and copying functions but printing volume is reasonable high, Canon iPF671 A1 MFP or 771 A0 MFP shall fit into your consideration.

If scanning, copying and printing functions are also very minimal to your operation, you may include HP Designjet T830 eMFP as one of the option. The reason the T830 print engine is built from T520 platform but with much higher running cost.

Please watch below video for very professional and details analysis of the HP Designjet T830 eMFP and Canon iPF771 MFP.

Canon iPF771 vs HP Designjet T520 Comparisons & Reviews for Purchasers

Printing and scanning of technical CAD drawings has become very affordable. Unlike in the past, most of the drawings were outsource to fast print shops.

It is common for Architecture, Engineering and Construction companies to have multiple large format printers or even multi-functions large format printers for in-house printing and scanning requirements.

These AEC or manufacturing companies are designing, constructing or manufacturing projects or products that worth multi-millions to multi-billions dollars. But when comes to selecting a right printer to purchase, which cost as low as USD2000, most of the purchasers are comparing the price instead of the productivity of the printer that has great impact to the project team.

When the purchasers sounded very cost conscious, for example the requirement is A0 size CAD printing, the suppliers will normally quote the most affordable models from 2 very reputable brand, which is Canon imagePROGRAF iPF771 (labelled as iPF770 in some other regions) and HP Designjet T520.

Below is the comparisons for readers reference.

HP Designet T830 MFP, Canon iPF771M MFP & Canon iPF671M MFP

The multi-functions wide format printer is getting more popular recently. Both major manufacturers of wide format printers are introducing their new range of multi-functions wide format printers in the beginning 2016.

HP introduced the low end multi-functions printer, HP T830 where the scanning unit is built in with the printer.

HP Designjet T830 MFP

Canon introduced the medium end multi-functions printer, Canon iPF771M (A0 size) and Canon iPF671M (A1 size) multi-functions printers where the printer and scanner are separated as 2 devices. In some other regions, they are known as Canon iPF770M and Canon iPF670M.

Canon iPF671M MFP & iPF771M MFP

Now, the users are having multiple choice of large format MFPs. Below is the summary for easy reference:

High End 
1. HP Designjet SD stand alone scanner
2. Canon M40 scanner
Both high end MFP are adding scanner unit to the printers for HP and Canon.

Medium End
1. HP Designjet T2530 MFP (Built-in Scanner)
2. Canon iPF771M MFP (separate unit like Canon M40 or HP Designjet SD scanner)
3. Canon iPF671M MFP (separate unit like Canon M40 or HP Designjet SD scanner)

Low End
1. HP Designjet T830 (Built-in Scanner)


Personally I recommend users to opt for wide format MFP systems that are made up of printer and scanner instead of those built in scanning unit system. It is due to the clear differences in term of scanning  and post scanning editing performance as well as the total cost of ownership.