The sum
Copies = the last reading on or before the period end minus the last reading on or before the period start.
Charged copies = copies minus free copies (never below zero). Amount = charged copies × price per copy, to the penny.
With pooled copies, free copies of all the contract's machines are added up per meter and shared (see Terms).
With price bands the charged copies are priced band by band, e.g. the first 10,000 at 0.006 and the rest at 0.005.
A counter change or a machine swap in the period is counted in two parts (old counter or machine up to the day, new one after it), on one line.
Tips
- Prices can have up to five decimal places, e.g. 0.0045 (0.45p a copy).
Works together with
- Customer copy prices (one price list for the whole fleet)One price per meter (mono, colour, A3…) for a customer, used by every machine of theirs on a contract. Change it once and the whole fleet follows from the next billing run.
- Price bands (lower price after a number of copies)Charge the first copies at one price and the copies above a number at another, e.g. the first 10,000 mono at 0.6p and the rest at 0.5p. On the customer's price list or on one machine's own price.
- Counter reset or replaced, and swapping a machineRecord a new counter (main board, cleared meter) or a replacement machine, so billing counts the old part and the new part of the period, never a minus or a huge jump.
- Machines on a contract and their pricesAdd or remove machines, and choose for each meter whether it uses the customer's price, its own price, or is not charged.
- Pooled copies and minimum chargesShare free copies across all machines on a contract, and make sure copies never bill less than an agreed minimum.
- Fix "Not billable — data required" linesA line is flagged when a meter has no opening reading, no closing reading in the period, or a closing reading lower than the opening one.