Lease or buy an office printer?

Most offices can lease or buy the same machine. The machine does not change. What changes is how you pay for it, what you owe at the end, and who deals with it when it gets old.

Here is how to decide, the way our leases and purchases work.

What is the difference between leasing and buying a printer?

When you buy, you pay once and the machine is yours. When you lease, you pay a fixed monthly amount for a set term, and the leasing company owns the machine until the term ends.

Either way, the machine is delivered and set up on your network, with print drivers and scan to email or scan to folder. We haul away your old machine at install.

Service is separate from both. The Total Coverage Plan covers toner, parts, labor, maintenance and service calls on a per-page rate, with no minimums and no overages. It works the same on a lease and on a purchase.

When does leasing make sense?

Leasing fits an office that would rather keep its cash in the business than put it into equipment.

• You want one fixed monthly number you can budget.
• You want a newer machine every few years without selling the old one.
• You would rather not make a large payment up front.
• Your print volume is growing and you expect to need a faster machine.

Terms run 12, 24, 36, 48 or 60 months. Thirty-six months is the most common. Nothing is due before install. Your first lease payment starts after the machine is in.

Approval needs at least three years in business, or a personal guarantee. The answer comes back the same day.

When does buying make sense?

Buying fits an office that has the cash on hand and plans to keep the machine for three to six years or longer. There is no monthly payment for the machine and no term to track.

Our purchase price is one number, the same for every office. It includes delivery and setup, and it is quoted after you tell us what you print.

What you give up is the upgrade. When the machine ages, replacing it is your decision and your cost.

Is leasing more expensive than buying?

If you keep a machine long enough, owning it tends to cost less in total. A lease trades some of that for a fixed payment, no large payment up front, and the option of a newer machine when the term ends.

The larger cost is usually not the machine. It is the service contract behind it. Minimum page commitments, overage charges and automatic renewals apply whether you lease or buy, and they add up over years. Read the service terms as closely as the price.

What happens at the end of a lease?

Our leases do not renew automatically. At the end of the term the lease runs month to month until you sign a new one.

From there you can return the machine, keep it month to month, or move to a newer machine. On a lease to own, the machine becomes yours at the end of the term.

Can I get out of a lease early?

No. An equipment lease runs its full term, and that is true of any lease. The Coverage Plan is the part you can cancel any month, at no cost.

If you are in a lease now and want to know your options, see how to get out of a printer or copier lease.

What about month to month?

Month to month is a third option. A full machine, no term. Keep it as long as you need it, return it when you don’t.

There is no credit application. A setup deposit covers delivery, installation, setup and pickup.

How do I decide?

1. How long will you keep it? Three to six years or more points to buying. Less, or a planned upgrade, points to leasing.
2. Where should your cash go? If you would rather not spend it on equipment, lease.
3. How much do you print? Your pages per month decide the machine. The way you pay does not.
4. What does the service contract say? Minimums, overages and auto-renewal cost more over time than the difference between leasing and buying.

FAQ

Do I need good credit to lease?

Approval needs at least three years in business, or a personal guarantee. The answer comes back the same day.

Is service included if I buy?

Service comes from the Total Coverage Plan, billed separately, the same way it works on a lease. It runs month to month and you can cancel it any month.

How fast can the machine be installed?

In Dallas Fort Worth and Houston, 3 to 5 business days after approval.

Can you take my old machine?

Yes. We haul away your old machine at install.

Request a quote for your office. Tell us your pages per month and paper sizes, and ask for the lease and the purchase on the same machine. You get both in writing.

Related: buying an office printer outright, leasing one, month to month with no term, and the questions to ask before you lease or buy.