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Printers are created for different purposes and levels of use. For a great explanation of this and how the printer duty cycle relates to it, note this informative article in ehow.com.

The printer duty cycle, or monthly duty cycle, tells you how many copies you can print per month on your machine without it giving you problems or quitting on you. Obviously, the better the printer, the more it can handle. However the higher price tag for a high volume printer isn’t necessary for someone who will only be creating a small number of copies every month.

Think of a printer located in an office, where large volumes of copies are being created all day. That office will obviously need a higher functioning machine than a family who uses their home printer once or twice per week. If that family’s printer was put in the high volume office, it would quickly stop functioning. It was not designed to handle heavy use. Maybe your needs fall somewhere in between these two extremes. This is why being aware your printer’s duty cycle, and how it relates to your personal needs, comes in handy.

When choosing a printer, your goal should be to make sure that your printing volume falls well below the amount specified by the monthly duty cycle. Of course, if there is even a certain time every month when you will be producing a significant number of copies all at once, stay aware of your chosen printer’s capabilities. You may need to give it a break every once in awhile if you’re trying to push it for a particular printing need. Otherwise you may find yourself without a printer all together.

Personal printers can create somewhere under 5,000 copies per month. Business level printers offer the ability to handle somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 or even more copies per month.  You will find the information you need about your printer’s duty cycle in the manufacturer’s specifications.