Should Small Businesses Buy or Lease Printers?

When you're a small business or a new start up business it's often hard to decide whether or not to purchase important business equipment or to lease it.

A printer is one of the most valuable and essential tools in every office and must have all of the features you require plus be efficient with its usage of ink cartridges. Deciding on whether to buy or lease is often a difficult decision.

Below we've outlined the most important points to consider when choosing between buying or leasing a printer for your small business so you can weigh it up for yourself, and make the right decision.

The advantages/disadvantages of buying a printer

Obviously one of the main advantages of buying a printer is that although you have to pay upfront, you will pay less for it in the long run than if you were to rent the same item.

Printers carry out specific tasks and may be used for the same tasks for years to come. If you purchase a quality printer you can use for a specific purpose there would be no need to upgrade it's technology and therefore the printer becomes an important investment.

If upgrading was needed, if it is your printer you can modify it as per your business requirements. For example, rather than having to rent a whole new system and having to decide on which model to upgrade to, you can simply alter your current unit with more RAM or whatever is required and you will only have to pay for the cost of the upgrade.

On the other hand, if constant upgrades is something you think your business would require, leasing would allow you to be upgraded with a newer printer probably without renegotiating lease terms.

If you own the printer you can use it as required within your business and utilise it for different purposes as you see fit. If you decide to purchase a new printer down the track, you can always sell the old one.

Advantages/disadvantages of leasing a printer

If you are a start up business it might be better for you to lease a printer for cash flow reasons.That way you have a set amount to pay each week or month with no large initial cost. This will free up your finances to be distributed into other areas of the business however you will be paying more in the long run for the item.

Do not get caught in a leasing contract that will tie you into unnecessary service contracts and purchase of consumables through the leasing company (generally 2-3 years) at which point your printer will be obsolete.

Service contracts are unnecessary as most modern printers, rarely if ever require service. The manual that comes with your printer will provide you with a troubleshooting guide, and only at a last resort should you consider a technician.

Consumables are better purchasing independently where you have a choice of price through high street store or on line company. Either way the price will be more competitive - Do not agree to a pay per page contract.

If you are a business that requires a printer with the latest in printing technologies leasing may be a good solution as often leasing companies allow you to upgrade the item you are leasing without renegotiating the lease payment. This would be especially useful for business's who need to keep up to date with photo printing and graphics printing technologies. Do keep in mind though at the end of the lease you will not own the item and you will have to rent another one.

If leasing is a more feasible option for your business the most important thing to remember is to really understand your contract. Know how long you want to be locked into a lease agreement and how the payment will be made. Double check any service fees or add on costs that may incur.

If your business has peaks and troughs throughout the year leasing might be a good option for you. That way you could rent a printer for the part of the year that you need it.The only disadvantage to this would be having to organise the lease agreement and having the unit installed and uninstalled as required.

When leasing or buying, your printer should meet all of the needs of your small business and have a built-in duplexer coupled with an efficient system that optimises the usage of printer cartridges. That way you are getting the most out of your printer without using unnecessary amounts of paper and ink in the process.

Every business's needs are different, but I hope what we have outlined above about the most important advantages and disadvantages when deciding on buying or leasing a printer have helped you make a valuable decision for your small business.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com