Before you sign a photocopier lease
Photocopier Lease Checklist What to Check Before Signing
A photocopier lease can run for three, four or five years, so the time to check the detail is before you sign. A low monthly rental does not necessarily mean the lowest overall cost once equipment specification, service CPC, print volumes, settlement, additional charges and end-of-term obligations are taken into account.
Looking for general leasing information rather than a pre-signing checklist? See our photocopier leasing guide.
Check the actual finance document
1. Does the Lease Match What You Think You Are Getting?
Do not assume the finance agreement matches the quotation or what was discussed. Check the document itself before signing and make sure every important field is completed accurately.
- New, used, refurbished or ex-demonstration? Is the relevant box or description actually completed, and is it correct?
- Exact equipment? Does the agreement identify the correct manufacturer, model and important accessories or options you believe are included?
- Service or prints included? If service, maintenance or print allowances are not meant to be part of the finance agreement, has any wording suggesting they are included been clearly crossed out, removed or marked not applicable?
- Any blank commercial fields? Do not sign an agreement with important sections left blank for somebody else to complete later.
- Start-of-agreement fees? Check for document, setup, administration or processing charges due at the beginning.
- Annual or recurring administration fees? Check for yearly administration, review, invoice or other recurring charges separate from the quoted rental.
- End-of-agreement fees? Check for collection, documentation, return, termination, settlement, data-wiping or other charges at the end.
- Everything important in writing? If a salesperson has told you something that materially affects your decision, make sure the signed agreement or accompanying written documentation supports it.
Do not sign on the assumption that the paperwork will be corrected later. The agreement you sign should already represent the equipment, condition, costs and structure you believe you are agreeing to.
Start with the equipment
3. Confirm the Exact Photocopier You Are Leasing
Do not compare quotations based only on monthly rental. First establish whether the suppliers are quoting genuinely comparable equipment.
- Exact manufacturer and model.
- New, used, refurbished or ex-demonstration.
- A3 or A4 capability.
- Mono or colour.
- Print speed.
- Paper capacity and additional trays.
- Scanning specification.
- Finishing equipment such as stapling or booklet making.
- Authentication, secure printing and software.
A cheaper quotation is not genuinely cheaper if it removes functionality your organisation needs. Equally, there is no benefit in financing features staff will never use.
New or used
3. Check the Equipment Condition
Used photocopiers can provide excellent value, but the age, meter count, condition and support life should be understood before signing.
Machine History
Ask how old the individual machine is, its meter reading, where it has previously been used and what preparation has been completed.
Future Support
Consider how old the machine will be at the end of the proposed lease and how long parts, firmware and manufacturer support are expected to remain available.
For full used-equipment due diligence, read our used photocopier buying guide.
Finance term
4. Check the Lease Length
A longer agreement can reduce the headline rental while extending your commitment to the same equipment.
- Is the agreement 36, 48 or 60 months?
- Are payments monthly or quarterly?
- How many payments will be made in total?
- Is the term appropriate for the expected life of the equipment?
Camelott would normally avoid committing office photocopier equipment beyond five years.
Look underneath the monthly payment
5. Find Out What Amount Is Actually Being Financed
- What is the equipment selling price?
- What amount is being financed?
- What is the total amount payable across the agreement?
- Has settlement from an existing agreement been added?
- Have other costs been included within the finance?
Keep the two costs visible
6. Finance and Service Are Different Agreements
The equipment lease and service agreement may be shown together on a proposal, but they should be compared separately. In most cases Camelott recommends keeping service charges and print usage outside the equipment finance.
Equipment Finance
Covers the equipment and agreed finance rentals over the lease term.
Service Agreement
May cover toner, parts, labour, engineer support, monitoring and mono/colour CPC.
A low equipment rental can be offset by high service costs. In most cases, do not put service charges or a fixed number of prints into the equipment lease. Keep the equipment finance separate from service/CPC so the true cost of each element remains visible.
Service cost per copy
7. Check Mono and Colour CPC
- What is the mono CPC?
- What is the colour CPC?
- How is a colour page identified and charged?
- Are A3 pages charged differently?
- What happens if your print volumes change?
If you already have lease, CPC and volume figures, use our photocopier quote comparison calculator.
Headline CPC is not enough
8. Check Minimum Billing and Included Prints
- Is there a minimum monthly or quarterly charge?
- Are you paying for a minimum number of pages?
- Does the agreement contain an included-print allowance? If prints are not meant to be financed, check that any wording suggesting otherwise has been crossed out, removed or marked not applicable.
- What happens if your actual print volume falls?
- Do unused prints carry forward?
Multiply actual pages by the stated CPC and compare the result with what the service agreement says you will really be invoiced. If prints are bundled into the lease, ask for the equipment finance and print/service elements to be shown separately.
Service coverage
9. Check Exactly What the Service Includes
Typical Areas to Check
Toner, parts, labour, engineer attendance, remote support and monitoring.
Technical & Workflow Support
Drivers, firmware, scanning configuration and any separately chargeable software or support.
Also identify what is not included so it cannot become an unexpected recurring charge later.
Charges around the proposal
10. Look for Additional Costs
- IT support charges.
- Scanning or software subscriptions.
- Administration or document fees. Check for charges at setup, on invoices, annually, on amendments, on settlement and at the end of the agreement.
- Toner-delivery charges.
- Separate device service fees.
Future price exposure
11. Check Price-Increase Clauses
- Can CPC rates increase annually?
- How is the increase calculated?
- Is there a maximum increase?
- Can any other recurring charges change?
Do not rely solely on what has happened historically. Check what the written agreement allows.
Existing agreement
12. Check Settlement Before Replacing Equipment
- Obtain the current settlement position.
- Check how many rentals remain.
- Confirm any notice requirements.
- Identify whether settlement is being incorporated into the replacement proposal.
- Compare replacing now against waiting.
Plan the exit before signing
13. Understand the End-of-Lease Process
- What notice must be given and when?
- Who owns the photocopier?
- Does the equipment need to be returned?
- Who arranges and pays for collection?
- Is secure data wiping required?
- What happens if the required notice is not provided?
- Can rentals continue after the initial term?
Never assume the photocopier automatically becomes your property at the end of a finance agreement.
Protect important commitments
14. Get Important Sales Promises in Writing
- Equipment condition and specification.
- Replacement promises.
- Service inclusions.
- Price protections.
- Settlement arrangements.
- End-of-term commitments.
If something materially affects your decision, make sure the written documents reflect it.
Compare like with like
15. Compare Photocopier Quotes Properly
Equipment & Finance
Match machine specification, condition, finance term, number of payments and settlement position.
Service & Usage
Match mono/colour CPC, print volumes, service coverage, additional charges and end-of-term obligations.
Only after these items are aligned does the headline monthly price become genuinely useful.
Before committing to finance
16. Recheck Whether Leasing Is Actually the Right Option
Leasing can make sense where an organisation wants to spread the equipment cost over several years, but it should not be selected automatically. Buying outright, professionally prepared used equipment, short-term rental or retaining the existing machine may sometimes make more commercial sense.
The short version
Photocopier Lease Checklist in 60 Seconds
- Does the signed finance document match the quotation and what you believe you are getting?
- Is new / used / refurbished status completed correctly?
- If service or prints are not financed, has any contrary wording been crossed out or marked not applicable?
- Are start, annual and end-of-term administration fees clearly identified?
- Exact make and model?
- New or used?
- Correct specification?
- Correct lease term?
- Total amount financed?
- Total number of rentals?
- Mono and colour CPC?
- Minimum billing or included prints?
- Annual increases?
- Service inclusions?
- Additional monthly charges?
- Existing settlement?
- Notice period?
- Return and collection requirements?
- Ownership position?
- Important promises confirmed in writing?
Before you sign
Already Have a Photocopier Lease Quote?
Camelott can help review the equipment, term, CPC, volumes, settlement and service structure before you make a long-term commitment.