Have you wondered about the terms “maximum monthly duty cycle” or “recommended monthly print volume” when studying the specs of a copier machine or printer? Did it ever surprise you how one particular machine could have a maximum monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages with a recommended monthly print volume of just 250 pages??

Read on to gain a better understanding of what this all means to you…

In general, the Maximum Monthly Duty Cycle is the maximum number of pages a device could deliver in a month. The Recommended Monthly Print Volume would be the amount to print to keep your machine in optimal condition.

Don’t go by Maximum Monthly Page Volume Regularly

A great way to understand this is by comparing these numbers to the speedometer on a car. A speedometer may go up to 160 mph. This means that in theory, it’s possible for this car to drive at 160 mph. However, this is not the recommended speed for the car to drive at on a daily basis. Your car is
unlikely to have a very long life if used in this way. In the same vein, your machine can approach the maximum monthly duty cycle on an occasional basis, but you would not want to run it at that rate continuously, just as you wouldn’t want your car to run at the highest possible speed on a daily basis.
Putting your machine to work at its maximum monthly volume would result in it needing very frequent service visits. However, if an occasion arises and you want to use your machine as much as you can without breaking it, that’s where the maximum monthly duty cycle number should be considered. Take that number and divide it by 30 (the number of days in a month) e.g 10,000 divided by 30 = 333. So occasionally, your machine should be able to handle the workload of 333 pages in one single day without falling apart. But by no means should it be used as heavily every day!

Go by Recommended Monthly Print Volume Instead

The Recommended Monthly Page Volume is the number that needs to be considered most when deciding which machine is most suitable for you. By using your device daily according to this number, that should keep it at its optimum functionality.

Conclusion

If a product runs out of its optimum zone every now and then, no problems should be anticipated. However, if it is consistently operated above that zone, or close to the maximum duty cycle, it will more than likely need lots of maintenance help. In order to be satisfied with your purchase, go for office machines with a recommended monthly print volume that matches your needs!