Can Somebody Please Tell Me What a Printer Duty Cycle is?

Not all people know about printer duty cycle. Just mention the word and most of them are likely to raise an eyebrow. A printer duty cycle is actually a specification that identifies the printing workload that the printer can handle. This is usually measured in months and is an extremely high number.

A printer's duty cycle is expressed through the duty cycle rating. The duty cycle rating is determined based on the stress test conducted by the printer manufacturer. Each printer manufacturer has its own definition of duty cycle rating so it varies based on the manufacturer. This is why consumers see different duty cycle ratings among the various brands of printers in the market.

As the leader in the printer industry, Hewlett Packard (HP) gives its products the highest duty cycle ratings. Most of the other printer manufacturers follow HP's footsteps so they either copy or mirror the duty cycle ratings of HP. Technically, most of the offices can use only 5% to 8% of a printer's stated duty cycle.

Even if it is a good habit to check on the duty cycle rating when shopping for a printer, you can overlook this specification since it is not an accurate number and since you will not be able to maximize this rating at all.

Instead, when you are shopping for a printer, it is more advisable to focus on other specifications or features like the paper tray capacity and printing volume. In this way, you can match the printer more accurately to your needs.