Should you Buy your Office Photocopier when Leasing Options are Available?

The age old question of ‘buy or lease’ applies to many things in today’s economy and the office photocopier is no exception.

Yes, by buying your photocopier outright you can do with it what you will and use it as much or as little as you like, but is this the best course of action for your business?

Buying vs. Leasing

Colour copiers that are suitable for business use are a major investment. Even reconditioned copiers are a significant purchase so you need to make sure buying is going to be financially worthwhile for you.

When you buy colour copiers, or indeed mono copiers, you take on all of the added expenses that come with them. This means you have to pay for any necessary photocopier maintenance, any replacement parts if something goes wrong, any call out and labour charges and for replacement toner and ink when you run out. Of course most companies that sell colour copiers also provide optional colour copier servicing agreements and these are well worth purchasing along with the copier.

The main benefit of buying your new copier is that you aren’t tied into a leasing contract that specifies the minimum number of copies you have to make each month at a fixed price per copy to fulfil the lease obligations.

So for example, let’s say you want one of the new Konica copiers currently available on the market. If you buy the model you want it will cost a total of £4000 (this price is just used as an example and does not reflect the real price of Konica copiers). On top of this you will probably want to buy a colour copier servicing agreement and you will periodically need to replace the toner and ink.

If you choose to have the same model on lease however you will often get the service agreement free and unlimited toner and ink replacements. As part of the lease agreement though you will be required to make a minimum number of copies each month e.g. 3500 colour copies and 7000 black and white copies. Each colour copy will cost 5p (again just an example price) while each mono copy will cost 3p, and ultimately your monthly bill will be based on these numbers.

Businesses that make thousands of copies each month tend to benefit more by leasing their photocopier, whereas smaller businesses do better to buy. The pros and cons of both options need to weighed up carefully before making the decision and an expert in the field of office printing technologies can often help with this.


For more information on the ins and outs of photocopier lease agreements, or for expert advice on which option would suit your business needs best contact Collate Business Systems on 01425 484700 or click here − the number one supplier of photocopiers and multifunctional devices in Dorset and Hampshire.