Photo Copier Rental: Buying, Leasing or Renting?
We hear you, and all the people who came before you asking us, “What’s the difference between Renting, Buying, and Leasing?!”
At Euro Digital Systems, we spend a lot of time looking at what’s actually different between the options available and, more importantly, what those differences could mean when you’re deciding which one to go for.
Because on the surface, buying, leasing and photocopier rental can all look remarkably similar. So let’s forget the jargon and look at what actually changes.
Buying an Office Printer Outright
The attraction of buying is pretty obvious: you own the asset.
If you’re an established business with predictable printing requirements and you know the equipment is going to do the job for years, purchasing an office printer or multifunction printer can be a straightforward option. There is no leasing agreement or interest to manage and no question about who owns the equipment.
Pros: You own the equipment, there’s no lease term to commit to, and you can keep it for as long as it remains useful.
Cons: You’re paying for the equipment upfront, and you’re responsible for deciding when it needs replacing, as well as considering maintenance, servicing and consumables.
Who it’s for: An established business with predictable printing requirements that knows what it needs and expects to use the equipment for several years.
Photocopier Leasing and Leasing Printers
With photocopier leasing or leasing printers, you’re using the equipment over an agreed period rather than purchasing it outright, plus it’s a 100% tax-allowable expense
Instead of putting the full purchase amount into the equipment at the beginning, you’re spreading the acquisition across the agreement.
For a growing business, that can make a difference. Your team might be bigger in three years. Your print volumes might have increased. You might even have moved into a larger office.
When the agreement comes up for renewal, you have an opportunity to look at the equipment again and decide whether it still suits the business.
Pros: You don’t need to purchase the equipment outright, payments are spread over the agreed term, and you have an opportunity to reassess your equipment when the agreement ends.
Cons: You’re committing to an agreement for a set period, so you need to understand the terms and what happens if your circumstances change.
Who it’s for: Growing businesses, businesses that want to preserve working capital, or businesses that don’t want to commit to owning the same equipment indefinitely.
Photocopier Rental and Printer Rental
Printer rental is often about flexibility.
Perhaps you’ve taken on a temporary project and suddenly need another office printer. Maybe you’ve opened a temporary office. Or perhaps you simply don’t know yet how long you’ll need the additional equipment.
That’s where photocopier rental or office printer rental can be useful.
Pros: You get the equipment you need for the period you need it, without necessarily making a long-term commitment.
Cons: If you already know you’ll need the equipment for many years, rental may not be the arrangement that best fits your situation.
Who it’s for: Businesses with temporary projects, short-term offices, changing requirements or a need for additional equipment for a defined period.
Choosing the Right Office Printer
The way you acquire a printer is only part of the decision.
Two businesses might both ask for a photocopier, but they could need completely different equipment.
Are you a small office where the machine is mainly used for everyday printing, copying and scanning?
A straightforward multifunction printer may be all you need.
Are you a busy office where dozens of people rely on the same machine?
Speed, capacity and reliability become much more important.
Are you scanning hundreds of documents every week?
Then scanning capability could be a major part of your decision.
Are you producing customer-facing colour documents?
Then colour quality matters.
Pros: There is a huge range of equipment available, so you can choose around the way your business actually works.
Cons: More choice can make the decision harder, particularly when specifications start to blur together.
Who it’s for: Any business looking for new business printers, from a small office needing everyday printing and scanning through to larger organisations with demanding print requirements.
Euro Digital Systems supplies Canon, Xerox, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta equipment, including multifunction printers, single-function printers, production printers, wide-format printers and refurbished printers.
Printer Support and Managed Print Services
The machine is only part of the story.
If your printer stops working, who do you call? Is maintenance included? How is toner dealt with? What happens if your print volumes suddenly increase?
Pros: The right maintenance, printer support, consumables and service arrangement can take much of the day-to-day hassle away from your team.
Cons: Different service arrangements offer different levels of support, so it’s important to understand exactly what’s included.
Who it’s for: Particularly businesses that rely heavily on their printers and can’t afford for equipment downtime to become a daily headache.
For businesses with significant printing requirements, managed print services and cost-per-print arrangements can also be worth considering.
So, What’s Actually Different?
Quite a lot.
Buying gives you ownership. Leasing gives you an agreed way to use the equipment without purchasing it outright. Rental gives you another option when your requirement is temporary or likely to change.
Then there’s the machine itself, the support behind it and what happens when your business changes.
That’s why two agreements that look like photocopies of each other can actually work very differently for the businesses signing them.
At Euro Digital Systems, we provide outright purchasing, photocopier leasing, leasing printers, rental, cost-per-print and managed print options, alongside Canon, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, and Xerox equipment.
Tell us what your business looks like, what you’re printing and what you expect to change. We’ll help you work out which options are worth looking at.
