Photocopier vs Printer: Which Is Cheaper For Your Office?
At some point every growing office has this conversation. You've got a couple of desktop printers that were fine when there were four of you. Now there are twelve, the toner bill keeps climbing, someone's always waiting, and a copier salesperson has told you a leased machine would save money. Would it?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends almost entirely on how much you print. This guide sets out the key differences and then runs the numbers at three volumes.
Key differences
| Office printer (A4) | Leased photocopier (A3 multifunction) | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low to moderate, usually bought | Usually none, leased |
| Ongoing cost | Toner and parts, bought as needed | Quarterly lease plus click charges |
| Service | Usually your problem, or a separate contract | Usually included in click charges |
| Speed | Typically 30 to 40 ppm on office models | 20 to 80 ppm depending on model |
| Paper | Up to A4 | Up to A3 |
| Finishing | Limited | Stapling, hole punching, booklets available |
| Scanning | Basic to good | Usually fast, with document feeder |
| Contract | None if bought | Often 3 to 5 years |
The big structural difference is how you pay. With a printer, you pay a small amount upfront and then for toner as you go, so costs rise directly with volume. With a leased copier, you pay a fixed lease whatever you print, plus a lower cost per page. Low volume favours the printer; high volume favours the copier.
Cost at 1k, 5k and 20k pages
To compare, we need some assumptions. These are illustrative, not quotes, and your numbers will differ. We assume 80% mono and 20% colour.
Leased copier: lease of £49 a month, in line with Midshire's published guide for a new mid sized A3 colour machine (checked October 2026). Click charges of 0.8p mono and 7p colour, mid range figures within published UK ranges of 0.35p to 1.5p mono and 3.5p to 10p colour (Digital Office, checked October 2026). Toner and service included.
Office printers: bought outright. Toner cost per page of 2p mono and 10p colour, an illustrative figure for small office devices (always calculate yours from cartridge price divided by ISO yield). We add an allowance of £10 a month for parts, repairs and replacement over time, and £8 a month for the purchase cost spread over the life of the printers.
At 1,000 pages a month
| Printer | Copier | |
|---|---|---|
| Machine | £8 | £49 |
| Mono (800 pages) | £16 | £6.40 |
| Colour (200 pages) | £20 | £14 |
| Parts and repairs | £10 | Included |
| Total per month | £54 | £69.40 |
The printer wins, by about £15 a month. At low volume the copier's lease is too big a share.
At 5,000 pages a month
| Printer | Copier | |
|---|---|---|
| Machine | £8 | £49 |
| Mono (4,000 pages) | £80 | £32 |
| Colour (1,000 pages) | £100 | £70 |
| Parts and repairs | £10 | Included |
| Total per month | £198 | £151 |
The copier wins, by about £47 a month, or around £560 a year. The lower cost per page now outweighs the lease.
At 20,000 pages a month
At this volume one desktop printer won't cope, so assume you'd need several, and double the machine and repair allowances.
| Printers | Copier | |
|---|---|---|
| Machine | £16 | £49 |
| Mono (16,000 pages) | £320 | £128 |
| Colour (4,000 pages) | £400 | £280 |
| Parts and repairs | £20 | Included |
| Total per month | £756 | £457 |
The copier wins clearly, by about £300 a month. In practice an office printing this much would probably want a faster copier with a higher lease, but the gap is still large.
Where's the crossover?
Under these assumptions, the crossover sits somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 pages a month. Most offices printing more than a couple of thousand pages a month should at least get a copier quote. Below that, good printers are often cheaper.
Change the assumptions and the crossover moves. Cheap toner pushes it higher; a low lease or low click rates push it lower. Our office printing cost calculator lets you run your own numbers.
Hidden costs on both sides
The tables above leave out a few things that can tip the balance.
For printers: staff time spent ordering toner, clearing jams and arranging repairs; the cost of a printer dying at a bad moment with no loan machine; and the spread of different cartridges across several models, which makes bulk buying harder.
For copiers: minimum volume charges if you print less than agreed; annual increases on click rates; finishing options added to the lease; and the cost of leaving early if your needs change. A copier that looks cheaper on day one can lose its advantage if the contract terms are poor.
Put a rough value on each before you decide.
Features
Cost isn't the only factor. A copier usually also gives you:
- A3 for spreadsheets, plans and posters
- Faster scanning with a document feeder, often duplex
- Finishing: stapling, hole punching and booklet making
- Bigger paper capacity, so fewer refills
- Service included, so breakdowns are someone else's job
- Print management, such as secure release and user tracking
A printer usually gives you:
- No long contract
- Lower upfront commitment
- Placement flexibility, on desks close to the people using them
- Simplicity, with no lease paperwork
Many offices end up with both: a copier as the main workhorse, plus one or two small printers where convenience matters. If you go that way, make the copier the default printer for everyone so most volume runs at the lower cost per page.
Our photocopier with printer guide explains how multifunction devices combine the two.
Verdict
For low volume offices, printing under a couple of thousand pages a month, good A4 printers are often cheaper and simpler. Above that, a leased copier usually wins on cost per page and adds features printers can't match. The exact crossover depends on your toner costs, lease and click rates, so run the numbers with real quotes.
Whatever you choose, watch the contract on a copier: term, notice period, automatic renewal and click escalators. Our click charges guide explains what to look for.
FAQs
Is a photocopier cheaper than a printer?
At higher volumes, usually yes, because the cost per page is lower. At low volumes, a printer is often cheaper because there's no lease.
At what volume is a copier worth it?
Under our illustrative assumptions, somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 pages a month. Run your own numbers.
Can a copier replace all our printers?
Often most of them. Some offices keep one or two small printers for convenience.
Do copiers cost more to maintain?
Not to you, usually. Service is normally included in click charges on a leased copier.
Compare copier and printer costs
Use the form on this page to tell us your monthly volume and we'll put you in touch with suppliers who can quote, so you can see where your crossover point is.