Understanding Cost Per Hour
Learn how printer depreciation costs are calculated and what they mean for your pricing
Overview
Cost per hour is a critical metric that represents how much your printer costs to operate for each hour of printing, based on its depreciation. Unlike immediate costs like filament or electricity, depreciation spreads the initial purchase price across the printer's entire lifespan.
Understanding this concept helps you price prints accurately and ensures you're recovering the cost of your equipment investment over time.
What Is Depreciation?
The Concept
Depreciation is the gradual decrease in value of an asset over time due to wear and tear. For 3D printers, every hour of operation brings the machine closer to the end of its useful life, reducing its value and eventually requiring replacement.
Simple Example:
If you buy a $600 printer that will last 6,000 hours:
- • When brand new: Worth $600, 6,000 hours remaining
- • After 1,000 hours: Worth $500, 5,000 hours remaining
- • After 3,000 hours: Worth $300, 3,000 hours remaining
- • After 6,000 hours: Worth $0, needs replacement
Why It Matters for Pricing
If you only charge for filament and electricity, you're not accounting for the fact that every print brings your printer closer to replacement. Over time, you'll have used up a $600+ asset without recovering its cost through your pricing.
Common Mistake: Many beginners forget to include depreciation costs and are surprised when their printer needs replacement but they haven't saved enough from previous jobs to afford a new one.
The Cost Per Hour Formula
Basic Formula
Cost per Hour = Price ÷ Lifespan
Also written as: Hourly Depreciation Rate
This formula calculates how much of the printer's value is consumed with each hour of operation. The system uses this value automatically in the cost calculator when you select a printer.
Breaking It Down:
- Price: The total amount you paid for the printer (in your preferred currency)
- Lifespan: The estimated total hours the printer can operate before replacement
- Result: The cost to operate the printer for one hour (depreciation only)
Worked Examples
Example 1: Budget Printer
• Printer: Creality Ender 3 V2
• Price: $280.00
• Lifespan: 3,500 hours
Calculation:
$280.00 ÷ 3,500 = $0.08 per hour
Example 2: Mid-Range Printer
• Printer: Prusa i3 MK3S+
• Price: $999.00
• Lifespan: 6,000 hours
Calculation:
$999.00 ÷ 6,000 = $0.1665 per hour
Example 3: Premium Printer
• Printer: Bambu Lab X1 Carbon
• Price: $1,449.00
• Lifespan: 10,000 hours
Calculation:
$1,449.00 ÷ 10,000 = $0.1449 per hour
Interesting Note: A more expensive printer doesn't always mean higher cost per hour. The Bambu Lab ($1,449) actually has a lower hourly cost than the Prusa ($999) because of its longer expected lifespan.
How It Affects Your Print Costs
In the Cost Calculator
When you use the 3D print cost calculator, the depreciation cost for each print is calculated by multiplying the printer's cost per hour by the total print time:
Depreciation Cost = Cost per Hour × Print Time
Complete Example:
• Printer: Prusa i3 MK3S+ (Cost per hour: $0.1665)
• Print Time: 8 hours
Depreciation Calculation:
$0.1665 × 8 hours = $1.33
This $1.33 depreciation cost is added to your total print cost in the calculator breakdown.
Comparing Print Scenarios
Let's see how printer cost per hour affects the total cost of different length prints:
| Print Duration | Budget Printer ($0.08/hr) | Mid-Range ($0.17/hr) | Premium ($0.14/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | $0.16 | $0.34 | $0.28 |
| 5 hours | $0.40 | $0.85 | $0.70 |
| 12 hours | $0.96 | $2.04 | $1.68 |
| 24 hours | $1.92 | $4.08 | $3.36 |
| 48 hours | $3.84 | $8.16 | $6.72 |
Key Insight: Depreciation costs scale linearly with print time. Longer prints have proportionally higher depreciation costs, which is why it's especially important to account for this in your pricing for large, time-consuming prints.
Factors That Affect Cost Per Hour
Purchase Price Impact
The purchase price has a direct linear relationship with cost per hour. If you double the price (keeping lifespan constant), you double the cost per hour.
Example: Same Lifespan, Different Prices
All printers: 6,000 hour lifespan
• $300 printer → $0.05/hour
• $600 printer → $0.10/hour (2x price = 2x cost/hour)
• $1,200 printer → $0.20/hour (4x price = 4x cost/hour)
Lifespan Impact
Lifespan has an inverse relationship with cost per hour. Doubling the lifespan (keeping price constant) cuts the cost per hour in half.
Example: Same Price, Different Lifespans
All printers: $600 purchase price
• 3,000 hour lifespan → $0.20/hour
• 6,000 hour lifespan → $0.10/hour (2x lifespan = ½ cost/hour)
• 12,000 hour lifespan → $0.05/hour (4x lifespan = ¼ cost/hour)
The Accuracy of Your Estimates
The accuracy of your cost per hour depends entirely on how accurately you estimate the printer's lifespan. This is why researching typical lifespans for your printer model is so important.
Impact of Lifespan Estimation Errors
Scenario: $600 printer, actual lifespan is 6,000 hours
• Estimated 6,000 hours → $0.10/hr (Accurate)
• Estimated 8,000 hours → $0.075/hr (25% undercharge)
• Estimated 4,000 hours → $0.15/hr (50% overcharge)
Warning: Overestimating lifespan (being too optimistic) means you're undercharging for depreciation. When the printer needs replacement sooner than expected, you won't have recovered enough money to afford a new one.
Real-World Considerations
What Depreciation Doesn't Include
The cost per hour only covers the depreciation of the printer itself. It does not include:
- Electricity consumption (calculated separately in the calculator)
- Regular maintenance supplies (lubricants, cleaning materials)
- Replacement parts (nozzles, belts, fans, etc.)
- Build surface replacements (PEI sheets, glass plates)
- Upgraded components installed after purchase
Should You Include Maintenance Costs?
Some users choose to increase the purchase price to account for expected maintenance over the printer's lifetime. This is a valid approach:
Example: Including Maintenance
• Printer purchase price: $600
• Estimated lifetime maintenance: $200
• Total for depreciation: $800
• Lifespan: 6,000 hours
Cost per hour: $800 ÷ 6,000 = $0.1333/hour
Tracking Actual Hours vs. Estimated Lifespan
As you use your printer, track the total hours printed to understand how it's performing against your lifespan estimate:
Monitoring Your Printer
- • Many printers have built-in hour counters
- • OctoPrint and other software can track print hours
- • Manually track hours in a spreadsheet if needed
- • At 25%, 50%, and 75% of estimated lifespan, assess printer health
- • Adjust your lifespan estimate if the printer is aging faster/slower than expected
Optimization Strategies
Lowering Your Cost Per Hour
Buy Smart
Look for sales, refurbished units, or open-box deals. A $600 printer bought for $450 has 25% lower depreciation costs with the same performance.
Extend Lifespan Through Maintenance
Regular maintenance (cleaning, lubrication, proper calibration) can significantly extend your printer's useful life, effectively lowering cost per hour.
Maximize Utilization
While this doesn't lower the cost per hour directly, keeping your printer busy ensures you're spreading the fixed cost over more billable projects, improving overall profitability.
Choose the Right Printer for the Job
If you have multiple printers, use your lower cost-per-hour printer for long, simple prints, and save your premium printer for jobs that require its specific capabilities.
Related Articles
Printer Settings & Specifications
Understanding all printer fields and their importance
Adding Printers
How to add custom printers with accurate cost settings
Calculator Basic Inputs
How printer costs are used in the calculator
Understanding Calculator Results
See how depreciation appears in the cost breakdown