Photocopier leasing: what are the benefits?

A photocopier is an integral part of any office or working environment, but, they’re an expensive piece of kit with a lot of required upkeep.

However, we’ve got some great news for any start-up business in need of a photocopier: when it comes to finding the perfect copier for your business, you don’t have to make a hefty outright investment, you can lease your dream machine instead!

Leasing a photocopier is a more affordable, less concrete option that essentially allows you to make monthly payments to hire a photocopier. This frees up cashflow and gives you budget-friendly access to the best-of tech. And, what with more than 80% of businesses choosing to lease their copiers, it’s the popular choice for multiple reasons.

Read on to learn more about leasing, as well as which photocopier is best for your business.

What is photocopier leasing?

Leasing a photocopier is an attractive alternative to buying one outright. Leasing means that you pay a monthly sum, and, bit-by-bit pay the company back for the machine that they essentially lend to you for a contracted amount of time.

The lease method frees-up cashflow and proves an economically manageable option for start-up businesses. For example, instead of paying from around £1,000 up to £15,000+ upfront, you could pay as little as £40 per month.

To lease a photocopier you’re required to sign a lease agreement. This will tie you into paying a set monthly fee for a specific period of time, usually three to five years.

Note: if you choose to end the lease before the agreed date, you may be charged a significant fee as a lease is a legal agreement.

Leasing allows you to long-term hire a photocopier, which is ideal for those businesses looking for a happy medium between renting and buying. Leasing provides security but does away with the financial responsibility that comes with an outright purchase.

Although, it must be said that if you’re looking for a very short-term fix, you would be better off renting a machine, as leasing is usually a three-year minimum contract.

What happens when the photocopier lease ends?

Once the lease agreement comes to an end, you’ll usually have a number of options:

• Purchase the machine
• Return it to the supplier
• Sign a new lease for the same copier
• Upgrade to a newer machine

What’s the difference between renting and leasing a photocopier?

The terms leasing and renting are often interchanged freely. Although they are similar, there are some big differences between renting and leasing a photocopier.

Renting a photocopier is another flexible, affordable way to access costly equipment. Often set-up on a monthly rolling contract, when you rent your photocopier you can terminate that contract with as little as 30 days’ notice.

However, this works both ways. So, as convenient as the short-term fix is, your supplier can also recall their equipment with as little as 30 days’ notice, making renting a photocopier a conveniently temporary ,but much less secure, option.

Also, when you lease your machine, the option to buy the photocopier with a final lump sum at the end of the lease is often available – this is not the case with a rental contract.

The small-business benefits to photocopier leasing

By leasing a photocopier rather than buying one, a whole host of benefits – particularly for small businesses – are available. For example, you can use your (often limited) funds or assets to invest in other areas of your business, whilst still having access to the equipment you need.

Here are just some of the quick-fire benefits of leasing rather than buying a photocopier:

• No initial investment – photocopiers are expensive and not all businesses have the funds available to make the investment. Leasing removes the substantial initial outlay but still delivers the goods.
• Cashflow – cashflow is absolutely key in any business, start-up or otherwise, and leasing assets such as photocopiers helps to improve cashflow, keeping money where it matters rather than paying out a large sum in one go.
• Tax – did you know that leasing a photocopier can help to reduce your tax bill?
  As lease-fees can be deducted as a regular business cost, they are more beneficial than capital allowances (a claim you can make when you buy assets that are kept for use in your business). You may be able to claim the payments as a business expense, making your monthly payments 100% tax deductible.Note: for sole traders or partners with an income of, or less than, £150,000 a year, a different system may apply when it comes to tax. If you buy a photocopier outright, you can claim up to 40% of the purchase price against tax in one year, and 25% of the outstanding balance after that. When you lease, you can claim everything you pay on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.
• Flexibility – if you’ll only need the photocopier for a few years, you can opt for a contract that’ll suit your time frame rather than having to find a buyer once you no longer need the kit.
• Stay up-to-date – photocopiers depreciate in value very quickly due to fast-paced developments in technology. Leasing a photocopier will allow you to take advantage of technological developments at a time and cost that suits you, rather than having to pay to upgrade to a whole new model.
• Maintenance – photocopiers are complex pieces of equipment that can be a pain to try and fix. But, when you lease your machine, maintenance often comes as part of the package, taking the stress out of any admin hassle. Many contracts also offer the option of including toner refills.
• End of contract flexibility – Once you reach the end of your lease agreement, you’ll have the option to end, renew, or upgrade your lease, or buy the photocopier.
• Easy financing – Because the financing options for lease agreements are usually provided by the photocopier supplier themselves or their chosen third-party finance company, lease agreements are usually much easier and faster to secure than a bank loan.

How much will it cost to lease a photocopier?

The cost of leasing a photocopier will vary depending on a range of factors.

Whilst most photocopier leasing costs are only available upon request (see the form at the top of the page for quotes), we can detail the kinds of things that will have an impact upon the amount you can expect to pay each month, as well as providing a rough estimate of the price ranges associated with the functions and features you’ll need your photocopier to have.

Photocopier lease costs are typically based on copying volumes (measured in the number of copies you’ll be making), with low, medium, and high volume contracts available.

Another costly consideration is if you’ll want to copy in colour, or will black and white suffice? Finally, the quality of the copy and type of paper you choose to copy onto will impact the monthly costs you can expect to incur.

Naturally, the higher the volume of copies and the quality of the produce will cause costs to climb. See below for some rough price-bracket so you can estimate your kit’s cost region.

Volume	Function	Cost
Low	Low volume rental contracts cover between 700 – 5000 copies per month	For black and white low volume copying, you can expect to pay around £20 – £30 per month Low volume colour copying, the prices are usually around £30 – £40 per mont
Medium	Medium volume copying is based on around 10,000 – 40,000 copies per month	Based on black and white medium volume copying, you can generally expect to pay £40 – £70 per month Medium volume colour photocopying is usually priced between £70 – £100 per month
High	High volume rental contracts usually cover over 40,000 copies per month	For a high volume, black and white rental contract, you will pay between £100 – £250 per month For high volume colour copying, prices typically range from £250 – £350 per month

For more information regarding photocopier leasing costs, and to get tailored quotes, fill out our quick and easy online form.

Three of the best photocopier machines to lease in the UK

There are a number of different copiers available to lease. Choosing the best one for your business will depend upon many factors, including: the functionality and volume of copying you require, as well as your monthly budget and the length of your lease agreement.

Here are three different photocopier machines available with the kind of business they’d be suited to.

Epson WorkForce WF-2630WF

The Epson WorkForce WF-2630WF is a compact, multi-functional photocopier that offers an affordable choice for small businesses looking for wireless printing and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Offering 1200 dots per inch (dpi) scanning, copying, and faxing, this photocopier can print up to 34 ppm in black and white and 18 ppm in colour.

The copier also provides wireless, Wi-Fi, USB, and scan-to-cloud capabilities.

• Individual ink replacement – replace only colours that are needed
• Automatic 30 page document feeder
• LCD screen navigation

Best for: very small businesses looking for high-quality copy solutions.

Ricoh MP C2004exASP

The Ricoh MP C2004exASP is ideal for large workgroups and teams, providing high resolution colour print output on paper up to size A3.This machine can copy and print up to 20 ppm.There are also a range of finishing options available for your business needs, including a Single Pass Document Feeder (SPDF).

• Print, copy, scan and fax
• Wakes from sleep mode in 0.5 seconds
• Suitable for growing businesses with high-output requirements

Best for: larger teams with a high-volume of copying to do.

Xerox WorkCentre 6025

The Xerox WorkCentre 6025 offers printing, copying, and scanning up to 12 ppm in black and white and 10 ppm in colour.Featuring high-speed USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, 100 sheet output tray, and more, this copier is ideal for use in a whole host of different working environments.This is an excellent option for any small business in need of an efficient, quality photocopier.

• Copy, email, print and scan
• First page out in as quick as 19 seconds
• Mobile printing functions available
• Ideal for freelancers or small teams

Best for: a small-size team looking for a ‘gets the job done’ kind of copier.

Printer leasing: Key takeaways

Whatever the size and nature of your business, when it comes to photocopiers, leasing your chosen model offers a wide range of benefits, as detailed above.

Although leasing and renting differ slightly (a reminder that leasing offers long-term hire, whereas renting provides a short-term, but less secure, solution), they both allow you to avoid substantial initial expenditure. This keeps that all-important cashflow in your business looking healthy.

Leasing allows businesses to fully embrace tax benefits. When you buy a photocopier outright, you can usually only deduct the machine’s depreciation value for tax purposes. On the other hand, when you lease a photocopier, you’ll be able to deduct the entire payment each time it’s made.

Finally, leasing keeps you up-to-date with the latest technological developments as your equipment can be upgraded each time you renew your lease. This spares you from having to save-up for the latest model.

Compare photocopier lease quotes today

For more tailored information about whether photocopier leasing is right for your business, you should speak to experts today. If you take two minutes to complete our short form, we can put you in touch with up to four top UK photocopier lease suppliers. Find the right photocopier option for you today – this process is free, quick and easy, and it could save your business time and money.