Printer/Copier Leasing: Picking the Right Machine for You
The unsung hero of the typical office setting is the humble printer/copier. While it may be the last thing on your mind, it plays a crucial role in your daily operations. In fact, the average employee prints about 10,000 documents every year. Because of its importance, it’s necessary to be discerning when choosing a machine for your company. In this blog, we’re going to go over printer/copier leasing and how you can find the right equipment for your business needs.
Printer/Copier Leasing: Why Leasing Is Better
If your organization needs a new printer or copier, you may be wondering if you should buy it or lease it. As companies try their best to remain under budget, this is a common question that many business leaders often have. It’s not an easy decision to make and to find the answer, you’re going to need to weigh your options. But you should know that a rapidly growing number of workplaces are choosing to lease.
Why has commercial printer leasing become so popular recently? The shift can be attributed to the variety of benefits that are associated with copy machine leasing. These benefits include:
- Lower Upfront Costs: Printers and copiers can be quite expensive and can tie up lines of credit that could be used to cover other expenses related to your operations. Printer/copier leasing allows you to acquire these machines for a much lower price.
- Maintenance: When you lease your printer or copier, you’re not responsible for the upkeep of your hardware. Instead, the printer leasing company takes care of maintenance for you.
- Cutting-Edge Technology: Leasing allows you to choose from the best equipment on the market. If you’re not happy with the machine you leased, you have the ability to swap it out with a different solution.
- Easier Budgeting: When you choose to do printer/copier leasing, a set monthly payment is established. Knowing what you’re going to pay every month makes it easier to plan out your budget.
Printer/Copier Leasing: What To Look For
While they may perform the same main function, it’s important to remember that not all printers and copiers are the same. Some offer additional features, others may be more reliable, and some may offer better security. So before you go out and start shopping, here are a few things you should consider when printer/copier leasing:
Features
It would be nice to have a printer or copier that has all the bells and whistles, but usually the more features something has, the more expensive it is. Too many features can also make using the machine overly complicated for some people. To find the right device for your office, you need to think about the essentials. What features are a must-have for your organization, what features would be nice to have, and what features would be useless to you?
To define the features that would help your business, you can ask yourself a few questions about your operations. For example, do you run off high volumes of copies or faxes regularly? Do you need high-quality color photo or image reproduction? Do you present a lot of formal reports to clients?
If your operational needs are more demanding, then you’re going to want a more upscale machine capable of meeting those needs. If your printing and copying habits are on the lighter side, then something more budget friendly would suffice.
Security
Your printer isn’t going to contain the kind of sensitive information found in your computer or server, but security is still an issue you need to consider with printer/copier leasing. Let’s say that you have to print out a page that has a client’s confidential information on it. If your office printer is on the other side of the room, anyone nearby could view that information or even steal the document.
If you frequently work with sensitive data, you’re going to want a printer or copier that has security controls. For example, some printers have a feature where you’re required to enter a password manually before the system prints anything.
Compatibility
Initially, networked devices had questionable performance, but that has changed dramatically over the years. While performance has greatly improved since then, compatibility can still be a bit of a problem for some technology, including printers and copiers. When selecting your next machine, pay attention to its compatibility. You can usually find this information on the manufacturer’s website. Otherwise, you can do an internet search on if the machine you’re considering has any compatibility issues.
Price
The price is often used as the main deciding factor on whether or not a company chooses a particular machine. Price is important because you don’t want to go over your budget, but at the same time, the cost is something that should be considered together with other factors. It doesn’t make sense to get the cheapest option if the hardware can’t do what you need it to do.
Ideally, you want to find a good balance between the features and price. You may not find equipment with a perfect balance between these two factors, but you can get close. If the printer has everything you need, but is a little more expensive than you would like, its functionality can justify the price. If there’s a machine that’s affordable, but is missing a few nonessential features, it may be worth it to sacrifice those features for the affordability.
Printer/Copier Leasing for New York
If you need a printer or copier for your New York-based office, look to Superior Office Solutions. We have a variety of popular brands to choose from. Our experts can help you find the best printer or copier for your operations.
Contact us today to learn more.