Does Photocopier Rental Make Sense For Your Business?

Businesses feeling the crunch of a tight budget may not have the extra funds lying around to buy a large volume photocopier outright. But what is a company supposed to do when the cost of running to Kinko's for copies becomes even more expensive than buying a copy machine?

Start by Negotiating Photocopier Lease Rates

For businesses stuck between a rock and a hard place, many companies are now considering photocopier rental as a temporary solution for their copying needs, especially if they are on a limited budget.

In fact, photocopier rental has been used to save school systems and government departments significant money by cutting down on expensive copier costs that are eating into yearly budgets.

The Crawfordsville's Park Department in Alabama reported that they were able to save hundreds of dollars a year by renegotiating their copier lease. By switching models to a more efficient machine, photocopier rental costs were cut by $35 per month, saving $420 in government money per year.

• Maintenance, repairs, and toner are provided. Depending upon the lease agreement that you enter into, all maintenance, repairs, and even toner may be provided to you. When you are examining your business budget to decide if it is a better deal to rent or buy, consider the fact that you won't have to spring for any routine maintenance costs when renting a small or even large commercial machine. On top of that, if a photocopier rental company decides to throw in toner for free, you'll be saving even more money each month on inventory expenses.
• Free upgrades may be available. Depending upon the specials advertised by a photocopier rental company, you may be able to upgrade to a newer model of copier for the same rental price. Many photocopier rental companies run specials that allow businesses to upgrade to a new model at no charge, meaning that you will have access to the latest photocopying technologies without having to shell out the extra cash.
• Take advantage of the tax write-off. Don't forget about the fact that renting or leasing a photocopier will allow you to write off the payment as a business expense in your taxes each year. If you purchase a photocopier, you can deduct 40% of the retail cost from your taxes. Although leasing may be more expensive than buying at face value, you have the opportunity to fully deduct each lease payment made to balance out your tax return at the end of the year.

If you're still on the fence about renting a photocopier for your business needs, take the time to crunch the numbers and weigh out the benefits listed above. For many businesses on a limited budget, renting provides access to new photocopier equipment without the commitment or expense of buying a brand-new machine at full price.