Cost comparison · Free, no sign-up
What does your paper documentation really cost?
Printing, binders, compiling, shipping, reissues, archiving — the full cost of a documentation set rarely shows up in any calculation. Enter your figures and see in seconds what digital delivery via a QR code on your machine changes.
Your deliveries
Machines or plants shipped with their own documentation set.
Operating manual, wiring diagrams, supplier docs, declaration of conformity.
Every language is printed and shipped separately today.
Your paper costs today
Including toner, paper and device share, or your print service provider.
Binder, dividers, binding, sleeve, cover sheet.
Minutes per machine: printing, sorting, filing, checking.
Fully loaded rate for staff in documentation, shipping or assembly.
Packaging, freight, customs and accompanying papers for the doc set.
Result
€9,767
Savings per year
from year two, once the setup fee is paid
Annual cost comparison
€4,877
Savings in year one
€81
Savings per machine
6.0 months
Payback
€43,946
Savings over 5 years
Your values are copied into the contact form.
How your paper costs add up
How the docks.io costs add up
Professional plan — €369 per month, plus a one-time setup fee of €4,890.
Side effect
38,880 sheets of paper per year that are no longer printed, shipped and archived — around 194 kg.
Methodology
How this calculator works
No black box: every item is listed individually and every value can be overwritten. What we deliberately do not do is set paper costs to zero.
01
Full cost, not just printing
The most expensive item is rarely toner — it is working time: sorting, filing, checking, packing. That is why the calculator uses your internal hourly rate and the minutes a documentation set actually consumes.
02
Changes cost twice
On paper, every correction after delivery means reprinting, shipping and following up on whether it arrived. Digitally it is one upload — with the previous version kept auditable. This difference accounts for the largest part of the savings.
03
Honest, not flattering
Some of your customers will still ask for paper — the Machinery Regulation even requires it on request. The calculator keeps this remaining share (default: 10 %) including printing, shipping and reissues in the docks.io column.
Note: the calculator provides orientation based on your inputs, not a quote. Starter and Professional prices match our published price list; above 250 machines per year an explicitly marked indicative figure is shown. All amounts net, excluding VAT.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which costs does the calculator include?
On the paper side: printing cost per page, binders and materials per set, working time for compiling and checking, shipping and logistics, reissues after documentation changes, and archiving of reference copies. On the digital side: the docks.io licence, the one-time setup fee, the remaining effort for upload and linking to the serial number, and the share of customers who still require a printed set.
Where do the default values come from?
The starting values are typical figures from machine and plant engineering: 180 pages of documentation, two language versions, 9 cents printing cost per page, 45 minutes of compilation per machine and an internal fully loaded rate of 68 euros per hour. Every value can be overwritten — run the numbers with your own figures.
Why does the calculator still include paper costs?
Because that is reality. Some of your customers will still require a printed set after the switch — authorities, export markets or internal policies. The calculator accounts for this remaining share with 10 percent by default so the result stays realistic rather than flattering.
Am I allowed to deliver the operating manual digitally at all?
Yes. From 20 January 2027 the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 explicitly permits digital provision of the operating manual. Safety information must still be supplied on paper, and on customer request a paper version must be provided free of charge within one month. That remaining share is exactly what the calculator models.
How binding is the result?
The Starter and Professional prices match our published price list. Above 250 machines per year the calculator shows a clearly marked indicative figure; the binding Enterprise price comes from an individual quote. The paper costs are based on your inputs — the result is as reliable as the figures you enter.
Next step
Numbers checked — now test it on your own machine type
Send us your calculation together with one set of your documentation. We will turn it into a pilot project with a real QR plate and a real machine file — so you can see whether the numbers hold up in your process.
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