OFFICE COPIERS FOR LEASE | 5 MIN READ
If you're searching for office copiers for lease, then it's likely you fall into one of two categories: you know what you want and you're looking for affordable options for your organization, or you just started doing research and you aren't quite sure what to purchase yet. This article will educate you on how to find the best office copiers for lease and what to consider when making a purchase.
As one of the largest Canon, Sharp, and HP dealers in the country, Standard Office Systems has been assisting customers for over 50 years with their printing hardware and service needs. We have done this by becoming a trusted source of information, and in keeping with that tradition, we wrote this article to help consumers (whether they become customers or not) make the best buying decision for their organization.
Before we talk about where to find an office copier, let's first ensure we understand the difference between leasing, renting, or purchasing a copier.
Office copier Lease vs Rent Vs Purchase
Most assume that leasing a copier is the same as renting. After all, when you lease a car, you do so by paying a price that is lower than what a car payment would be to trade it in at the end of the lease for a newer model (or completely different model if you want). If you have no plans to drive your car longer than five years, then purchasing may not make sense to you.
Leasing a copier is different, as you are purchasing the copier - you're just doing int over the course of four or five years (in most cases). This means, if you sign a copier lease, you are obligated to finished making your payments until the machine is completely paid off... even if you choose to go with another machine before then.
In fact, your contract in most cases isn't even with the dealer. Most of the time, it is with the leasing company, which means that your dealer has no authority to stop payments on your machine and they aren't even permitted to take your copier back without the permission of the leasing company.
Leasing, however, does have the benefit of offering some flexibility, when compared to a cash purchase. In a cash purchase, your machine is yours and you have no payments (because you paid for the entire device upfront). You likely will still have a service contract based on your monthly print volume in this scenario, but that would remain your only payment.
The reason leasing is often preferred over a cash purchase is because technology is constantly improving, and newer machines are often cheaper to maintain, resulting in a cheaper monthly service cost. Additionally, by leasing a machine, you are often offered the option of upgrading a machine before your lease is finished, resulting in a lowered service fee and newer technology!
If you choose to use a copier rental, you will never own the machine. This is similar to renting a car. You negotiate and pay a monthly fee based on projected volume. You will never own the machine and you are often locked into a contract over the course of a certain period. Not every dealer (and no manufacturer) offers this, and it is often an option that is best for organizations doing minimal printing.
Where can I lease an Office Copier?
Office copier leasing options are available from local copier dealer to major manufacturers. The decision on whether to lease locally or with a large manufacturer will ultimately depend on your needs, but it is important to discuss a few things first:
Can Manufacturers save you money?
It would make sense to assume that working with the manufacturer directly will save you money by "cutting out the middle man" (aka the dealer). When it comes to hardware, the manufacturer offers the same discounts to dealers as they do to their own branches. So, they aren't any real savings when it comes to the actual copier purchase.
Where you will find more savings will be in terms of service pricing. It is true that a dealer is likely to be more expensive than a manufacturer when it comes to service, but it's important to consider what that service will get you.
Dealers are fortunate to not have to consider things like shareholders. This means that when your machine breaks down (and they all break down at some point), you won't have to wait until the month starts over for a manufacturer's parts budget to rollover. You can get your machine fixed immediately and be up and running again quickly.
Can Manufacturers service larger organizations better?
It is understandable to assume that a manufacturer can service a larger company better than a smaller dealer. This is because by their nature, manufacturers have locations throughout the United States.
But it would be naive to believe that even manufacturers have a presence in every major city. In fact, manufacturers lean on the same copier dealer network that dealers leverage when they don't have a location within a city. So, in terms of being able to service your company, both the dealer and the manufacturer is capable of doing so in most instances.
What Else?
There are other considerations when considering a copier lease with a manufacturer vs dealer, and we wrote an article going into more detail if you would like to read that.
RELATED: Copier Dealers vs Manufacturers
Other Factors to Consider
Make sure you read through your office copier lease when you get the service agreement. If you don't understand something within it, ask a question. When selecting your machine, get several quotes and look for the following when comparing:
- Are the models the same
- Are all copiers new (or used)
- Do they have the features I need (or do they have several features I don't need)
- Are the pricing terms equal
By considering the list above, you should be able to understand how your machine is priced and why there may be some pricing disparities between dealers. If you want to learn more about office copier pricing, check out our article: How Much Does It Cost to Lease a Copier?
If you have more questions that you would like to get answered before reaching out to a copier dealer, click the button below. Someone from SOS will get in touch with you to help (no strings attached).
