How Much Does It Cost To Lease A Copy Machine?

What Should I Consider When Purchasing a Copier?

A lot has changed in two years. Prices for office copiers have changed a bit, as well.

If you haven’t already bought one, or it’s been a couple of years since your last purchase, things have changed. In fact, in 2017 we wrote an article on this topic but it changed enough that we decided to publish an update.

So, why is it so hard to get straight answers on questions about copier costs?

Because the response to the question depends on a range of factors. Over the years, copiers might not have changed a lot, but the reality is that the manufacturers often make significant improvements.

Consider a car purchase.

When you purchase a car, you weigh a variety of factors:

• Price
• Make and Model
• Features
• New vs. Used
• Maintenance Costs

As you can imagine, the copier thoughts are very close. There is a major price gap between the Kia Sorento and the Mercedes-Benz GLS, after all.

There’s also a major difference in the apps and facilities that you get for each, too.

But not everyone wants a brand new high-end SUV and not everybody wants a high-end copier, either. Your budget is the most important consideration but it must also be a top priority to ensure that your machine does what you need to do.

There’s no point in buying a copier that won’t be able to complete the required business functions.

Let’s breakdown the costs associated with the following considerations:

• Equipment/Hardware
• Features
• Black and White vs Color Copies
• Service

Later, we’ll discuss new copiers vs used copiers, as well as choosing to work directly with the copier manufacturer or dealer.

Copier Cost Considerations

The numbers below are total costs for individuals who wish to purchase a machine directly and do not include higher-end production printers. Prices can vary from seller to seller but this guide can serve as a standard selection.

Copier Equipment/Hardware Costs ($2,500 – $60,000+):

That’s quite a lot of money! Fortunately, most service companies offer lease schemes where you can make reasonable payments on your office copier each month. Earlier in the post, we will talk about the benefits of a lease plan.

Your hardware (what copier model you choose) is extremely important to remember. A consideration as important as the overall price is ensuring that your copier will be able to keep up with the demand you place on it.

Why?

Because if your machine can handle only 100,000 impressions (pages) before servicing, but you need to run 500,000 impressions each month, you may be spending more money on servicing the machine than the upgraded model would cost you.

The solution to a volume problem can be a combination of copier model upgrades and/or extra units. Convenience considerations also fall into the equation here, but finding a good balance can better fit the budget needs.

Features ($200-$2,000):

Yes, you have selected the machine(s) that can handle the monthly volume needed by your office. What now?

Making copies is nice, but more than basic copy functions are needed by most offices. There’s a reason why copiers are now commonly referred to as multi-function printers, and that’s because they provide users with so much more than one feature.

Copiers can send emails, scan documents directly from their displays to the shared folders and edit documents directly. Some may even intuitively sort individual receipts that are scanned during the same job, and all offer significant security upgrades.

Features that you should consider include:

• Finishers: staplers or corner folders; a necessity for most offices that does not come standard on machines
• Hole Punch: most are available in single or triple whole punches depending on what is required by the user
• Letter Folding: The ability to fold letters/documents, making your office more efficient by not wasting time on simple manual labor
• Booklet Making: A combination of different features enabling to build small booklets by folding, hole punching, and stapling features
• Faxing: older technology that is still commonly used by firms transmitting a great deal of sensitive information (ex: hospitals, law office, CPA’s, etc.)
• Large Capacity Paper Tray: Increases the standard tray capacity to allow more paper reams to be loaded, and increases the efficiency of the office
• Document Feeder: Document feeders can be configured to include single passes and reversal options for most copier users
• Fiery: An important addition for organizations needing the highest color match available for their print media
• Card Readers: Enables security cards to be implemented for users to gain access to a machine, especially in situations where security needs to be higher or departmental spending needs to be closely monitored
• Follow-Me-Printing: The ability to build a print job from a laptop or smartphone, and release the job from any computer connected to the network of an organization
• Software Upgrades: this may include popular software like:

e-Copy
Uniflow
Drive
Infodynamics