Rent or Lease a Photocopier - 2021 Guide

A photocopier is an essential piece of office equipment when you need to make copies of documentation, brochures, data sheets, etc.  It can be an expensive investment to startups and small firms, in which case renting or leasing one makes better business sense, especially when photocopier rental and leasing in the UK can start from as low as £20 a month for a basic hardware. You can find more photocopier rental prices in the table below.

Here's a guide on the photocopier rental and leasing possibilities in the UK, along with various options best suited to your business needs. Most photocopier suppliers on the market can cater to all kinds of copying needs and leasing or hire agreements, and you can find all the information about renting and leasing costs, the difference between renting and leasing, and the factors to consider when you need to rent a copier or lease a copier.

If you are interested in finding more information on renting and leasing photocopiers, just fill in the form at the top of the page and we’ll make sure to provide you with up to four, free, non-binding quotes to help you make a well-informed decision.

Depending on the size and the needs of your business, you can end up spending anywhere in the range of £100 to over £4,000. High print speed, larger paper trays, huge LCD display and high RAM are just some of the features that are usually found in high-end photocopiers.

However, all features will come at a premium and it is also possible that an office photocopier with very high print speed may be limited by other features. It's important to assess your copying needs, and maybe even consider if your copier needs additional features, such as a colour photocopier, an A3 printer integration, or if you want to even get an all in one printer that has copying features.

Typically, any business will have specific needs and may not even use all the features they pay for. Further, with ownership, it is also essential to factor in the maintenance and supply costs. If purchasing is not your cup of tea, then take a look at the table below to find how much a photocopier hire will cost you. You can also see how much leasing printer costs based on your monthly print volume.

If we consider a mid-volume photocopier, we find that the photocopier rental costs (at £100 per month) can be close to £3,500 at the end of 3 years. Leasing, on the other hand, will be much cheaper - £1,800 (at £50 per month).

When it comes to choosing between renting and leasing a photocopier, there are certain aspects you need to think of such as the binding time, ownership, maintenance, etc.

Rental of photocopier machine is a short term contract which is more flexible as compared to photocopier leasing. It is best suited for businesses that have regular but short term copier needs.

Photocopier lease, on the other hand, is a relatively long term contract that usually runs for 3 years or more and is best suited for established small businesses who do not want to make big investments in the short term. There are numerous other differences that must be taken into consideration before deciding whether to rent or lease:

Renting a photocopier is suitable for companies that are looking for a mid-term agreement, ranging from a few months to a few years. Typically, photocopier rentals are associated with projects with high volume print periods such as tax season, auditing etc., and are flexible agreements that are also easily terminated with 30 days notice to the supplier.

Another reason is that the monthly hiring fee is based on a predetermined number of pages or a general copy volume. Renting a photocopier often involves an agreement on maintenance and repairs (parts, labour etc.) and sometimes also the replenishment of consumables such as toner and ink (paper, however, is almost never included).

For new businesses, renting may be the only option. With limited capital, startups may need to invest elsewhere to survive and grow, therefore buying a photocopier would be terribly taxing on the budget. Renting a photocopier, however, would allow them to acquire a better and more sophisticated machine than what they can afford, as you can easily upgrade to a newer model within your rental agreement. That way the company can enjoy the benefits of owning a top-shelf model with all its advantages at a minimum risk and expense.

However, renting a photocopier isn’t a viable option long-term if you print high volume for many years, as the monthly fees are typically higher than if you were to lease or buy a photocopier.

Photocopier lease periods typically span anywhere from three to five years. It usually involves paying a fixed monthly fee. Since you do not own the photocopier machine, the leasing fee paid to the supplier could be as much as 100% tax deductible.

One of the advantages of leasing is that it doesn’t tie up capital and is cheaper than renting in the long run. If you are confident about covering the monthly lease fee on time for the entire duration of the contract, then photocopier leasing is the way to go. However, if you decide to terminate the contract before the agreement is up, you will be required to pay the full contract fee.

There are two different types of leasing contracts to be aware of:

Before leasing a photocopier, you must be familiar with the different options and conditions of the leasing agreements. Normally, those options are provided by the photocopier supplier or a third-party company, which eases the process of leasing.

Another thing to be aware of is that the payment of the service contract goes together with the lease agreement. The service contract covers services such as regular maintenance, repairs, and toner replacements. Ensure the service contract covers not only the mentioned services but also includes parts and labour as well.

Unlike the monthly fixed lease, the service contract payments can either be fixed or be based on monthly usage. Some contracts even include elements of both. Therefore, getting to know the different options, suppliers, and agreements is a necessity, and careful consideration is highly recommended

When the agreement period comes to an end, you will have several choices:

This of course does not mean that upgrading of the machine cannot happen during the leasing period. However, you will be charged an additional fee for doing so.

Photocopiers can be hired for either short-term or long-term. Typically, short-term hiring is associated with renting, while long-term hiring is associated with leasing. Renting and leasing are two different mechanisms that allow businesses to meet their office needs. You need to consider the following factors before choosing to hire:

Nowadays, it’s really easy to hire photocopiers. Irrespective of the price range one can expect to find certain functionalities such as copying, scanning and faxing to be present.

Yet, with price range some features do change. The following table gives an approximation of what features to expect at different price points.

The purchase price here refers to the outright expenditure and full ownership of the product –excluding the supplies, and maintenance costs. However, it is possible to find many of these features on the photocopiers that are widely available for hire. Keep in mind that this table represents data for A4 photocopiers. A3 printers and Industrial printers are a separate category.

Finally, if you are convinced that hiring a photocopier is the right decision for your business needs, you can fill a quick form to get free quotes from various suppliers in your region. Market Inspector can provide you with up to four free quotes. This service is free and there are no hidden charges. Click the button below to hire photocopiers today!