It’s a question even the most experienced business owners can struggle with. Should I lease or buy a new photocopier? In real terms is there even that much difference?
In this post, we discuss the benefits of both leasing and outright purchase of a photocopier to your business.
We’ll explore the pros and cons of each scenario, along with our overall recommendation for any business looking to purchase this type of equipment.
Let’s dive straight in with a high-level overview of the pros and cons of buying or leasing a photocopier.
What is the difference between renting and leasing an office copier?
The main difference between leasing and renting an office copier comes down to the flexibility and cost.
Lease agreements tend to be long term and less flexible than renting, which is a better option if you know you’re going to need a copier for a long period of time, but you don’t want the initial cost of buying a copier outright.
If you’re an established business and you know you’ll consistently be using a copier for a long period of time, leasing is probably the best option for you.
If you don’t want to be tied into lengthy agreements, renting a copier will be the better option for you.
Renting means you’ll benefit from shorter term agreements, as well as more flexibility to upgrade or downgrade your equipment.
If you have projects which vary in time scale and the type of work, renting could also be the choice for you.
The difference between leasing and buying
If you lease a photocopier, you won’t own it. You will however, take possession of the item and pay in instalments in exchange for using it.
Alternatively, you could buy a photocopier in order to have full ownership of it.
How long does a photocopier lease usually last?
Photocopier leases can range in timescale, but most are between 12 and 60 months.
If your business has consistent copying requirements, leasing could be the most effective way forward.
How much does photocopier leasing cost?
Depending on the type of photocopier and how long you require it for, the cost may vary.
Purchasing a photocopier outright
Pros:
- Less paperwork and no monthly payments.
- Becomes an asset on your accounts.
- Can be written down year by year.
- You can still have a fully maintained service contract. ( managed print contract )
Cons:
- It uses up your liquid capital/cashflow.
- Office equipment is a depreciating asset; you may be wiser investing the money into your business somewhere else for a better return.
- No upgrade path – What happens when the equipment is superseded?
- Upgrades can be expensive, especially if equipment needs upgrading every 2-3 years
Leasing a photocopier
Photocopier leasing is the efficient way to enjoy the use of your equipment without having to own it outright.
Pros:
- Low upfront costs. Some leases even offer up to 3 months before the first payment is taken, at no extra cost.
- Rental Payments are fixed for the duration of the lease. Even if interest rates rise, your rentals stay the same. This means, with the effect of inflation, the real cost reduces over time.
- Payments can be structured to meet your cashflow needs. You can determine the length of your agreement and the rental payments at the outset.
- With a lease you won’t be stuck with old or broken equipment. If the machine does reach the end of its usable life you also won’t need to dispose of it as the leasing company will handle this.
- Leasing frees up your funds so you can use them to develop your business more effectively. As your business grows, your requirement for working capital only ever increases. Leasing offers an additional credit facility, which can’t be recalled, providing the conditions of the agreement are met.
- A finance lease is treated as a fixed asset on your balance sheet.
- Leasing is far more tax efficient than owning assets, since you are able to offset rentals against taxable profits.
- You can add to or upgrade your equipment as your needs change. After all, we know how fast technology evolves. That means you can always enjoy the benefits of the latest advances.
- Leasing is essential to business planning: 90% of Britain’s top companies use it to finance their equipment. With over 80% of Copy Print Services customers preferring to lease their equipment.
- In a constantly changing marketplace, leasing offers the flexibility a business needs.
Cons:
- It can be difficult to lease a copier if you are a new start-up or have a poor credit rating. That said, here at Copy Print Services we always strive to help; a massive 99% of proposals are accepted by us. That’s because we listen to the story and read between the lines when making a decision in terms of underwriting a new proposal.
- The equipment is never yours.
- You need to be careful of hidden clauses in the agreement regarding insurance and yearly administration fees. We select funders who offer the best overall package and always give advice on the small print.
What to look for in a photocopier lease
There are a few considerations you may want to take into account before choosing a copier to lease.
- The price: Although price isn’t always the main focus, it is a crucial factor. There are a number of products available, so it’s important to shop about and get the best price with all the requirements suitable to your business needs.
If a copier has extra features which you won’t use, it’s not worth splashing the cash on the more expensive models.
- Manufacturer and model: Ideally, you should look at independent reviews of the product you’re interested in to make sure all your requirements are met. You can check out our blog on Konica Minolta Photocopiers vs Canon.
- Copy speed and volume: Bear this in mind when deciding on a copier. If you have a heavy workload, it’s worth choosing a copier which has a high number of copies per minute. This can be found in the product specifications.
Ideally, your chosen copier will run at a suitable speed for all your printing requirements. Remember, some smaller copiers only print in A4, so ensure you choose one that will print/copy to the size you require.
Best photocopiers to lease or buy
At Copy Print, we offer a variety of printers and copiers to suit your business needs.
The Konica Minolta Bizhub i-series C300i is simple to use and highly secure. This machine works well for busy offices with a paper output of up to 10k sheets a month, and features both A3 and A4 printing.
The anti-virus programs automatically scans all data transmissions, so your mind can be put at ease knowing all your data is protected.
The Olivetti d-COLOR MF3302 laser colour printer is an intuitive machine, suitable for all users within an office space. The A4 multifunctional system allows you print heavy workloads whilst maintaining the highest standard of print quality in colour and mono.
Epson’s Workforce Pro WF-C878R multifunctional printer has a print speed of up to 25 pages per minute in mono and 24 in colour, as well as a 500 sheet capacity, so you don’t need to spend as much time refilling the drawer.
The workforce pro features a high level of reliability and performances, making it one of the best inkjet multifunction printers for business.
Leasing vs buying a photocopier with Copy Print Services
As you can see there are more pros in favour of leasing. We mentioned earlier a whopping 80% of our customers choose to lease. This is a statistic we think will continue to rise too.
Apart from a few circumstances, we’re of the opinion it’s better to lease wherever possible. Especially when it comes to technical equipment that depreciates heavily and moves forward fast.
As your business grows you’ll always need an ever-increasing amount of working capital. Leasing enables you to take advantage of keeping cashflow in the business.
When you lease, your payments will never rise and leasing also provides a credit facility to your business; a credit facility that won’t change or be recalled for the life of the agreement either.
That’s just one of many advantages you can gain from leasing your copier equipment.
What do you think?
We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have you tried leasing and gone back to buying for some reason?
Perhaps you’ve always purchased and are on the cusp of entering into your first lease agreement?
Whatever your thoughts or if you need expert advice as to what to do for the best, our team is always happy to help.
