Photocopier Rental Cost: 2023 Hire & Lease Prices UK

In this guide, we will discuss photocopier rental costs along with factors that influence hire rates in the UK. We’ll also highlight the difference between renting a copier and leasing a copy machine.

When you decide to invest in a photocopier for your business it is important to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of leasing vs buying. There are some big differences between the two and we will briefly go over the main points.

Photocopier Rental Costs & Lease Prices

The price of renting a photocopier largely depends on the volume of copies required rather than the length of time the copier is needed. By calculating how many copies you need to make each month, you can determine the volume of photocopier required and the approximate rental cost of this.

The copier you choose will depend on the needs of your business, as mentioned earlier you can choose from low, medium or high volume models depending on how many copies you need to make. The price of the individual photocopier will depend on its functionality and abilities – the higher volume models tend to be able to handle over 40,000 copies per month and often come with advanced or optional features such as automatic stapling, stacking and binding.

The table above is a rough pricing guide, for accurate prices and the latest deals you can request a quote from us today.

Below are the typical rental prices you can expect to see with each volume of the photocopier.

• A low volume photocopier would cost £8 – £12 per month to rent.
• A medium volume photocopier would cost £80 – £100 per month to rent.
• A high volume photocopier would cost between £300 – £350 per month to rent.

See also: Our full guide on photocopier prices in 2021

Leasing Low Volume Photocopiers

Before you decide to lease a low volume photocopier do some calculations to work out if it will be cost-effective for you. Generally, low volume photocopiers do not cost a lot of money so it may be worth just buying one rather than leasing.

Think about how long you need the photocopier for and the volume of pages you copy each day in order to work out if leasing is really the most viable option for your business. A low volume copier can print about 20 prints per minute.

Leasing Medium Volume Photocopiers

Medium volume photocopiers tend to process about 40 prints per minute, they are perfect for offices with moderate photocopying needs. It can be difficult to decide whether a medium volume or high volume machine is best for your business, a high volume copier can copy 50 – 150 pages per minute so if your business is growing and your document flow is increasing you may want to go for a high volume photocopier.

Consider if you need a copier over a long period of time or if it is just for short term document management as you do not want to be paying for a copier for years when you won’t be using it to its full potential for most of that time.

Leasing High Volume Photocopiers

A high volume photocopier is designed to handle consistently high demands in a busy office, they are usually fast producing between 50 and 150 prints per minutes, the average month would see several hundred thousand copies being produced by a high volume photocopier. Take a look at your average document output volume and decide if a high volume photocopier is suited to your needs.

Also consider if the large volumes is a short term situation or if you expect to be copying large amount consistently, generally, longer leases are offered at the best rates and you should take into account your needs before jumping to the cheapest option.

Who Owns The Photocopier At The End Of The Lease Term

The general agreement within leasing contracts is that the leasing company will own the copier at the end of the leasing period.

This is more often the case but you can come to an agreement where you own the machine at the end if that is what you would like to do, sometimes the photocopier company will offer you a deal to buy the photocopier at the end of the lease anyway.

Advantages Of Leasing A Photocopier

When you lease a photocopier you spread out the cost over a specified contract term. The biggest advantage of leasing is that you do not have to pay a large upfront fee for the copier, it is smaller payments spread out over time making it more manageable.

When leasing a photocopier your contract generally include maintenance costs and toner refills, this helps to keep the cost of leasing cheaper than buying as when you own the machine you are responsible for all extra costs. It is also easy to choose a new lease or copier upgrade at the end of the contract without having to worry about selling or getting rid of the old copier.

Disadvantages of Leasing A Photocopier

The photocopier does not usually belong to you at the end of the leasing contract, for this reason, you may find it more cost-effective to buy a photocopier because at least then it is an investment you have ownership over.

If you purchase the photocopier you have full control of it and can decide when it needs to be serviced or replaced, this means you can organise repairs etc directly and you do not have to go through the leasing company in order to get things done.

Also, most of these lease rental contracts have a minimum term for the lease meaning you cannot just back out and not pay if you have not leased for the agreed term.

Difference Between Photocopier Rental and Leasing

When you lease a photocopier it is generally a long term agreement (usually several years) that involves you paying set amounts each month for the use of the office photocopier.

When you rent a photocopier it is usually a short term agreement where you pay a fee for the use of a machine for a set amount of time. If you are unsure about whether you should rent or lease a photocopier think carefully about the period of time you need the photocopier for.

Things To Consider When Requesting A Quote For A Photocopier

• Black and white vs colour – This has a big impact on the cost of the photocopier as colour makes a big difference to the end product, the upkeep costs are also impacted due to needing more ink cartridges for the colour photocopiers.
• Print Speed – This can be very important for some businesses who need to produce high volumes very quickly. Whereas some, often smaller businesses, will be happy with the standard print speed. The faster machines will cost more.
• Functionality –  Do you require a lot of functions? Does your copier need to be able to copy, scan, print, email and fax? Do you need finishing options such as stapling? Do you need to copy and print from or onto larger paper sizes?
• Fax/Scanner – Do you need just a copier or do you need to be able to fax and scan from it too? Not all machines are fax and scan compatible so make sure to specify this when requesting a quote.
• Wireless Connectivity – Do you require wireless connectivity from your copier? Many fixed connections can be restricting for bigger businesses where many use one photocopier with a printer.
• Duplex Printing –  Duplex printing is a feature that allows printing to happen on both sides, helping to save paper and reduce costs.
• Network Printing – Network printing allows people to print documents even when they are not near to the printer this helps to increase productivity and is useful when you have multiple employees using one printer.
• Automatic Document Feeder – This is useful if you are printing higher volumes as it increases the speed and consistency of the workflow.

Photocopier Rental Summary

Leasing a photocopier is a great way to benefit from the features and capabilities of a photocopier without having to pay large upfront fees. Renting a photocopier is a perfect and cost-effective solution to short term copying needs such as marketing material or internal memos.

If you want a long term solution, depending on your requirements, it may be best to invest in buying a photocopier.