What Is the Duty Cycle of a Photocopier?

Home > What Is the Duty Cycle of a Photocopier?

What Is the Duty Cycle of a Photocopier?

June 20, 2025

When choosing a photocopier for your office, one of the most important—but often overlooked—specs is the duty cycle. Understanding this can help you choose a machine that suits your printing volume and avoid costly breakdowns. Here’s what you need to know:

1. What Does "Duty Cycle" Mean?

The duty cycle refers to the maximum number of pages a copier can handle in a month without putting excessive strain on its internal components. It’s like the copier’s monthly fitness limit.

For example, a machine with a duty cycle of 100,000 pages is designed to print up to that number in one month.

However, that’s the upper limit—not the recommended workload.

2. Why Is It Important?

Using a photocopier above its duty cycle can cause:

Frequent paper jams
Overheating and hardware wear
Reduced machine lifespan

💡 That’s why many manufacturers also specify a recommended monthly volume, often 10–80% of the duty cycle. For a 100,000-page duty cycle, the safe range might be 10,000–60,000 pages/month for long-term use.

3. How to Choose the Right Copier for Your Business

Before buying or renting a copier, calculate your average monthly printing needs. Then match that with a copier’s duty cycle and recommended volume.

Business Size	Monthly Pages	Recommended Copier Duty Cycle
Small Office	1,000–5,000	20,000–30,000
Medium Office	5,000–20,000	50,000–75,000
Large Office	20,000+	100,000+

📝 Don’t just choose based on price—choose based on your workload. This ensures smoother performance and better return on investment.

The duty cycle is your copier’s stamina. Stay within the recommended range, and your machine will serve you longer, with fewer breakdowns and lower maintenance costs.

Working with a Managed Print Services Provider

Relying on the expertise of a Managed Print Services provider, like Folo Tech, can assist you in streamlining your print fleet. And we’re got the tips and tricks to share with you to make sure your printing and copying projects run smoothly.

Click on the picture down below for more information, we provide 7 days FREE TRIAL for our service and various brand of photocopier machine, to experience our after sales service and machine performance.