Posted by Mohammad Ali on 7/30/12 6:07pm
Msg #428694

Printing cost

Can anyone tell me which is the cheapest way to print loan doc (180) pages per doc using staples copy and print services ,Kinko, Ups,or own lasser printer. Any respose will be appreciated.

Reply by bfnotary on 7/30/12 6:33pm
Msg #428697

no clue, I use my laser printer at home, (I find that to be the cheapest, lol). I always just make sure I can run home and print the docs or I will turn it back. (if they are late getting to me or whatever).

Reply by RickG/CA on 7/30/12 6:42pm
Msg #428699

It's almost always going to be more cost effective to print from home. However, there are initial cost to be considered (ie cost of printer, consumables, electricity etc). It also cheaper to print using your employer's equipment, but there drawbacks to that too

While it's more cost effective to print from home, it may not be convenient.

Reply by bfnotary on 7/30/12 6:40pm
Msg #428698

Just adding. My printer at home is a lexmark t630, I got it refurbished for like 300 ish. It holds 21000 page yield toner cartridges. When I go to replace those, I can find them between 60 and 70 bucks. I usually get more than 21000 pages on it tho. And paper I buy massive bulk when I find sales. Right now I have a ton in my house. Lol. But if you go to get a printer, I would recommend getting a dual tray printer. You will save a lot of money on legal paper. It is way more expensive. And most loan packages are maybe 1/3 or less legal size, with dual tray printers. I mis understood your question with my first response I guess. I hope this response better answers you.? Good luck.

Reply by Clem/CA on 7/30/12 6:51pm
Msg #428703

toner refills on that cart for about 45 bucks, takes about 4 mins. Easy if you have a pair of needle nose pliers.

Reply by PegiT_MN on 7/30/12 8:39pm
Msg #428712

I think it's time for me to upgrade my printer.

I'm still using the HP P1102W that I purchased three years ago when I started doing mobile closings. Love the printer because it is pretty compact as far as laser printers go, and it's lightweight. I don't mind not having a dual tray.....it would be nice.....but I'm okay with a single tray because I don't want anything too big. But......I'm paying $70.00 per cartridge and getting an average of 3,800 per cartridge. I went through two toner cartridges last week. So what you're telling me is that the Lexmark t630 printer's cartridge costs the same price as mine......but you're getting 21,000 copies out of one cartridge? OMG.......if this is the case.......I definitely need to upgrade my printer.

Reply by HisHughness on 7/30/12 8:48pm
Msg #428714

From Amazon

GREEN APPLE BRAND HP LASERJET P1102W TONER CARTRIDGES, 4 PACK by V4INK
$29.49

Reply by PegiT_MN on 7/30/12 8:57pm
Msg #428718

Re: From Amazon

Do they work good Hugh. I tried buying a print cartridge on eBay once and that dang thing had my printer squeaking so bad and it left black streaks on the paper and I didn't get that many pages out of it. I thought it was a waste of money. I know a lot of people buy them on the different websites. Maybe I just got a bad one.

Reply by HisHughness on 7/30/12 10:47pm
Msg #428734

Re: From Amazon

Been buying cartridges for two lasers, a color and a B&W, and one inkjet off Amazon for years. In all that time, I've gotten one bad cartridge.

Reply by Clem/CA on 7/30/12 11:55pm
Msg #428744

Re: From Amazon

Probable because it knew it was you

Reply by Clem/CA on 7/30/12 10:11pm
Msg #428728

Re: I think it's time for me to upgrade my printer.

I have 2 Lexmark T640's with 2 extra trays each and can print both sets of docs at the same time. You can find them rebuilt for fairly cheap and are rated 35 pages per min, (but go about 27). Done printing two sets in in ten mins. Carts are refillable @ about 45 bucks for a 21000 pages.. Printing is cheap

Reply by bfnotary on 7/31/12 9:24am
Msg #428766

Re: I think it's time for me to upgrade my printer.

yes, I find mine online for about 65 on average. (brand new they are about 360), So i do not buy them that way. I have not gotten any bad ones yet, (from ordering online). I like it, and when I do go to replace this printer, I will probably be getting the Hp 4300 dtn. (maybe).

Reply by MW/VA on 7/30/12 6:44pm
Msg #428700

IMO it's most cost effective to print your own docs. The initial investment in a dual-tray printer will cost a couple of hundred bucks, buy one that is cost-effective to operate (I use remanufactured toner carts & drums), and buy paper at a good source, like Costco or Sam's.
Some notaries lease printers, and pay a "click" charge.
I've had to print docs outside from time to time, between appts.
I forward the docs via email attachments to the Fedex website, and they print from there. It's not too expensive that way. It would be a problem, however, to always have to run there & have to print during their business hours. I am often printing docs at 10 or 11 pm for a signing the next day. Printing them myself provides the best options.
If you do a search, I think someone has broken down the cost of printing per page.

Reply by lindetteh_PA on 7/30/12 7:33pm
Msg #428708

Printing your own docs is cheaper for many reasons.

1st. You will be putting money out upfront, on every signing, that you have no way of knowing when or if you'll get back.

2nd. Docs are often sent last minute so having to print outside of your location adds more time and expense to your bottom line.

3rd. I was under the impression that forwarding docs with peoples personal financial information to outside parties was not allowed and some TC and SS include that in their contractor agreements.

Reply by BestFlCloser on 7/30/12 8:12pm
Msg #428710

I also use a Lexmark T640dtn printer with dual trays, envelope feeder and duplex option. The cost for paper and toner works out to .013 per page. Therefore a 120 page closing will cost about $1.56 for each set. 240 pages at a Kinko's will set you back about $24.00 or more. Even though the printer is expensive, it's still pretty cheap to run. BTW that printer runs a 35 pages per minute, so it only takes about 3.5 minutes to print out the 120 pages. I bought mine new, but I understand you can get them refurbished for about 1/2 price.

Reply by NJDiva on 7/30/12 9:04pm
Msg #428721

Personally speaking I would never want my personal

information to be subjected to total strangers. IMO, having doc's printed at the public printing places is incredibly dangerous. You don't know who has access to that document and the information when it's sent there and we all know that the information is stored in the memory of the printers and copiers.

I would NEVER knowingly allow someone to have my info available in a public venue. And if I ever found out someone jeopardized my privacy like that (in my opinion, I would consider it jeopardizing MY privacy) I would get so rich from all of those I would name in that law suit their heads would spin. So because I would never want my personal information subjected to total strangers, I would not (I hope I'll never have to, but hell, judge not for how you judge, you will be judged. There might come a time when I have no choice. So I guess I should say, unless it's absolutely unavoidable. Are there inevitable exceptions?) print from any place other than my own private residence and or property. I have some form of control over it. That's why I carry a printer in my car.

Besides, you never know who works at those places and who knows who. Could you imagine if someone KNEW one of your bo's? OMG! It's a small world. Just not worth the risk to me.

Oh and um, not for nuthin, but I'm not sure that I would encourage anyone to steal from their employers by printing their doc's from work. Ugh. But I'm sure that if you were going to utilize your employers supplies that it would be authorized. After all, our whole business and role as notaries is centered around ethics. Far be it for me to judge, but um, er, uh just sayin...

Reply by Clem/CA on 7/30/12 10:14pm
Msg #428729

Re: Personally speaking I would never want my personal

I have had a fewe ss's tell me in instructions that sending them to the printer services is not allowed. Don't blame them.

Reply by MW/VA on 7/30/12 9:15pm
Msg #428723

I was responding to the OP who asked about different

options for printing docs.

Reply by Stoli on 7/30/12 9:05pm
Msg #428722

Mohammad:

The least expensive way to print at Federal Express/Kinko’s is to copy the documents to an external drive, such as a thumb drive, and print the documents yourself. Their printers recognize the thumb drive, and the cost is $.11 per page.

Secondly, you may have Kinko’s personnel print the document from the thumb drive, and the cost is $.12 per page.

If you need to rent the computer and print the documents yourself, the cost is $.49 per page, and $.35 per minute for the internet connection.

You may also e-mail the documents to Kinko’s, but I believe there is a security risk, and I wouldn’t recommend it without permission from the lender. This is personal opinion, but I believe there is ZERO chance the lender would approve sending the documents over a non-secure network. The cost is $.12 per page.

There has been a lot of discussion about document security since copy equipment, cameras and telephones went digital because the hard drives retain an image of the file.

Kinko’s uses a program called DiskWipe which erases the image of the file.

I hope this helps. If not, PM me.

Reply by Amigoaz on 7/30/12 11:03pm
Msg #428736

Buy a 1000 count copy card at The UPS Store. They can print your docs for about 5-6 cents a page.

Reply by LKT/CA on 7/31/12 12:20am
Msg #428749

Mohammad Ali

If you are not willing to invest in the proper equipment to handle loan signings then you shouldn't be doing them. Buy a laser printer with PCL6 drivers. JMHO

Reply by Stoli on 7/31/12 1:49am
Msg #428756

Mohammad:

My personal printer is a Brother HL-5370-DWT. I seem to remember buying the printer on sale for approximately $259, but I already had the second tray assembly from my previous HL-5250-DNT printer.

If I’m careful and buy the paper and high-yield toner cartridges on sale, the cost is approximately $.02 per page. Unlike some of the others, I only use OEM toner and drums which adds considerably to the print cost.

Many others have posted resources for aftermarket products and their experiences with various products and suppliers. Use the orange search button to review their valuable comments.

As someone else already mentioned, any dual-tray printer with PCL-6 software will auto-select the correct paper size.

Just for the record, I have never printed a loan package at Kinko’s, UPS or other print shop. In my opinion, it’s cost prohibitive, and I have privacy concerns. But I did research the information for you because you asked the question.

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/31/12 8:36am
Msg #428762

Locally, copies cost 8-10 cents a piece--very cheap.

200 pgs = $20
Add mileage = $10-$20 based on $.50 per mile/round trip.

Add time missed at the print shop when you could have been working.

Misprint = return to shop/more cost.

Invest in a printer.

Reply by Jessica Ward on 7/31/12 9:26am
Msg #428767

You can move up slowly in printers

I purchased three HP P2015 printers at around $50-$75 each at a salvage shop. My intention was that they'd work for a while, and then I'd borrow parts off of them to patch up until I saved for a commercial printer, or I would move them to mobile printing.

In the end, I love these printers. They are easy to run, I can fix them myself and when I refurbish them, I can sell them for a couple hundred dollars.

Knock on wood, they never break down, so I sold the third one, and now just have two. I like having a backup machine just in case of a major printer problem, then I can just take one offline and put the other on.

Sure, one day I'm sure I'll move up to a bigger/faster printer, but the two tray (feeder and tray 1) feature of these, their speed and cheap re-manufactured toners are so reliable I can't see changing at this point.

My cost to print a set of docs (paper and toner) is about $3. ONE time I had to have docs printed at a copy center because I got to the middle of nowhere and the TC changed the docs on me. It cost me $39 to print the new ones at the copy store.