This setup can be used for either a master or a standalone machine. The setup for both is identical, except that in the case of the master machine, the prepaid meter is on the master, and in the standalone case it is on the standalone machine. For this example, we will use a master.
Two black machines on a contract buy pages in 10,000 page blocks. The pages expire if they are not used in either the month they were purchased, or the following month.
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The black prepaid meter is not ticked as a master meter, and will not appear on the child machines. |
Machine 1 has an opening balance of 25,000 pages, and machine 2 has an opening balance of 50,000 pages. The first month there are reads of 29,000 (4,000 pages) and 52,000 (2,000 pages).
Machine 1
Machine 2
The master bills the prepaid block, and tracks the pages used on the child machines.
The prepaid pages are used on the master, offsetting the pages billed on the child machines, with the net effect that the client is only billed for any blocks purchased.
The following month reads of 32,000 (3,000 pages) and 54,000 (2,000 pages) are captured.
Machine 1
Machine 2
Because there are 5,000 pages billed, but only 4,000 prepaid pages remaining in the block, another block must be purchased.
Again, the net effect is the client is billed for one prepaid block at $100.00 excluding tax.
The following month, reads of 36,0000 (4,000 pages) and 57,000 (3,000 pages) are captured. This time, because there were 9,000 prepaid pages remaining in the block, the client is not charged an amount. The following job is generated for the master:
The next month, reads of 42,000 (6,000 pages) and 62,000 (5,000 pages) are received. Any remaining pages purchased in month 2 that were not used in month 2 or 3 are now expired. Looking at the master job, we see that 2,000 pages are expired. The 11,000 pages now require 2 blocks of 10,000 pages to be purchased.
Looking at the meter setup for the master, we can see that there are 9,000 prepaid pages remaining. The 2,000 in the under column refers to the total number of pages that have been expired over the life of the contract.
Further information: