Copier Lease Calculator
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Three free calculators. No email. Nothing stored.
3 calculators, no email required, and nothing you type is stored. The first shows what your escalation clause will cost, the second whether leasing or buying is cheaper for you, and the third whether your page allowance fits how much you actually print.
Calculator 1 — What will your escalation clause cost?
Your escalation clause will cost you an extra $1,584 over the remaining 48 months.
- Total remaining cost with escalation
- $15,984
- Total remaining cost if the payment were flat
- $14,400
| Year | Monthly payment | Months | Paid that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $300 | 12 | $3,600 |
| Year 2 | $321 | 12 | $3,852 |
| Year 3 | $343 | 12 | $4,122 |
| Year 4 | $368 | 12 | $4,410 |
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1 sentence in a lease contract can raise your payment every year: the escalation clause. It says the monthly payment goes up by a fixed percentage on each anniversary of the lease, even though the machine is a year older and worth less than it was.
The increase compounds. A 7 percent rise in year two is calculated on the original payment, but the rise in year three is calculated on the already-raised payment, and so on. That is why small-sounding rates add up to real money by year five. The table below shows the same $300 starting payment at five common rates.
| Rate | Payment in year 5 | 5-year total | Extra vs flat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $300 | $18,000 | $0 |
| 3% | $338 | $19,110 | $1,110 |
| 5% | $365 | $19,891 | $1,891 |
| 7% | $393 | $20,703 | $2,703 |
| 10% | $439 | $21,978 | $3,978 |
Worked example 1 — Escalation
A lease starts at $300 a month with a 7% annual increase.
Year 1: $300 a month, $3,600 for the year.
Year 2: $321 a month, $3,852.
Year 3: $343 a month, $4,122.
Year 4: $368 a month, $4,410.
Year 5: $393 a month, $4,719.
Five-year total: $20,703. The same lease with no escalation: $18,000. The clause costs $2,703.
To find your own rate, look in the payment schedule or rent adjustment section of your contract. For a full explanation, read our guide to the copier lease escalation clause.
Calculator 2 — Is it cheaper to lease or to buy?
Leasing costs $4,260 less over 5 years.
- Lease total over 5 years
- $16,740
- Buy total over 5 years
- $21,000
- $12,000 purchase + $9,000 service
Break-even: Buying costs less from year 8 onward.
This compares cash cost only. Buying ties up capital, carries the resale and obsolescence risk, and leaves you to arrange service yourself. Leasing costs more in total on most machines and includes those things. If the number says buying is cheaper for you, it probably is.
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2 different things are being compared when you weigh leasing against buying: cash and risk. Buying usually costs less in total cash if you keep the machine long enough. Leasing costs nothing upfront, bundles service and toner into one payment, and leaves the resale and obsolescence risk with the lessor.
Buying wins in a specific set of cases: you have the capital, your print volume is low, and you plan to keep the machine for 7 years or more. If that describes you, buying is likely the cheaper choice. For most offices that want fixed costs and current equipment, leasing is the simpler one.
| Factor | Leasing | Buying |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cash | $0 | $7,000–$17,000 |
| Monthly cost | $209–$349 all in | $0, plus service contract |
| Service, parts, labor | Included | Contracted separately |
| Toner | Included | You buy it |
| Obsolescence risk | Carried by the lessor | Carried by you |
| Resale value | Not yours | Yours, and it depreciates fast |
| Total cost over 5 years | Higher | Usually lower |
| Best when | You want fixed cost and current equipment | You have capital, low volume, and will keep it 7+ years |
Worked example 2 — Lease versus buy
A machine leases for $279 a month, all inclusive. The same machine costs $12,000 to buy, plus roughly $1,800 a year for a service and supplies contract.
Leasing for 5 years: $279 x 60 = $16,740.
Buying and servicing for 5 years: $12,000 + $9,000 = $21,000.
Leasing costs less over 5 years in this case.
At year 8, buying totals $26,400 and leasing totals $26,784, so the lines cross around year 8. If you will genuinely keep the machine that long, buying wins.
For the full price picture by machine class, see how much it costs to lease a copier.
Calculator 3 — Is your page allowance sized correctly?
Estimated $244 a month on a mid-volume color mfp (35–45 ppm).
- Recommended machine class
- Mid-volume color MFP (35–45 ppm)
- Included pages
- 5,000 B&W + 500 color
- Estimated overage this month
- B&W: 0 pages over x $0.01 = $0
- Color: 0 pages over x $0.07 = $0
- Estimated total monthly cost
- $244 base (midpoint of $209–$279) + $0 overage = $244
Estimate based on published Printree pricing. Your actual quote depends on machine selection and term.
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2 numbers decide whether overage becomes a monthly habit: the pages included in your plan and the pages you actually print. When a plan is sized for last year's volume, or sized small to make the monthly payment look lower, the overage bill quietly grows every month.
Overage is charged per page beyond the allowance: $0.01 for black-and-white and $0.07 for color on Printree. A few hundred extra color pages cost more than a few thousand extra black-and-white ones, so color volume matters most when sizing a plan.
| Class | Speed | Monthly range | Included B&W | Included color |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop multifunction | 25–30 ppm | $89–$149 | 2,000 | 200 |
| Mid-volume color MFP | 35–45 ppm | $209–$279 | 5,000 | 500 |
| High-volume color MFP | 45–60 ppm | $279–$349 | 5,000 | 500 |
| Production class | 65+ ppm | Quoted | Quoted | Quoted |
Worked example 3 — Overage
Your plan includes 5,000 black-and-white and 500 color pages.
You print 6,400 black-and-white and 900 color.
B&W: 1,400 over x $0.01 = $14.
Color: 400 over x $0.07 = $28.
Total overage: $42 on top of a $279 base, so $321 that month.
Every month. That is $504 a year for being on the wrong plan.
If you want to see specific machines in each class, you can browse machines and prices without a sales call.
How copier lease pricing actually works
4 components make up every copier lease payment. The first is equipment cost: what the dealer paid for the machine. The second is financing cost: what the leasing company charges to spread that cost over the term. The third is service and supplies: technician visits, parts, labor and toner. The fourth is dealer margin.
The first three are largely set by the market. Machines of the same class cost dealers roughly the same, financing rates move together, and service costs follow volume. The fourth, margin, is the only part that is really negotiable, and it is the one that is never disclosed. Because all four are rolled into one monthly number, you cannot see how much of your payment is the machine and how much is profit.
That is why two quotes for the same copier can differ widely, and why published prices matter: once the number is visible, the margin has to be competitive.
What to check in your own contract
6 clauses decide what a lease really costs over its full term. Each one is usually short, and each one is worth finding before you sign or renew.
| Clause | Where to find it | What a good version says |
|---|---|---|
| Escalation | Payment schedule or rent adjustment section | No annual increase for the full term |
| Auto-renewal | Termination or expiration section | Ends on the final date with no automatic extension |
| Overage rates | Service or maintenance addendum | A stated per-page rate, not "prevailing rate" |
| Service response | Maintenance agreement | A stated number of hours, not "reasonable efforts" |
| Toner supply | Supplies section | Included at no additional charge |
| Early termination | Default and remedies | A stated buyout formula you can calculate yourself |
If the early termination section is what is keeping you in a lease, a copier lease buyout may be the way out.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the total cost of a copier lease?
4 numbers give you the total: the monthly payment, the months remaining, the annual escalation rate and your typical overage. Multiply the payment by the months, apply the escalation on each 12-month anniversary, then add expected overage. Calculator 1 on this page does the escalation part for you.
What is a normal copier lease escalation rate?
5 to 10 percent a year is a common escalation rate in copier leases. On a $300 monthly payment, 7 percent adds $2,703 over five years. A 0 percent rate means the payment never changes for the full term.
How do I know if my copier lease is overpriced?
3 checks tell you most of it: compare your monthly payment with published prices for the same machine class, check your escalation rate, and check whether toner and service are included. A full-size 45ppm color copier leases for $209 to $349 a month on Printree with toner and service included.
Is it cheaper to lease or buy a copier?
8 years is roughly where buying catches up in a typical example: a $279 monthly lease against a $12,000 purchase plus $1,800 a year for service. Keep the machine shorter than that and leasing usually costs less in cash; keep it longer and buying usually wins. Calculator 2 runs your own numbers.
How are copier overage charges calculated?
2 rates apply on Printree: $0.01 for each black-and-white page and $0.07 for each color page beyond the included allowance. For example, 1,400 extra black-and-white pages cost $14, and 400 extra color pages cost $28.
What happens if I go over my page allowance every month?
12 overage bills a year add up. Going over by 1,400 black-and-white and 400 color pages every month adds $42 a month, or $504 a year. The fix is a plan sized to your real volume, not a bigger overage bill.
Can I renegotiate a copier lease mid-term?
1 common route is a buyout: the remaining payments are paid off, often by a new provider, and you move to new terms. Some providers will also adjust your allowance mid-term. Start by asking for your current payoff figure in writing.
How do I find my copier lease buyout amount?
1 request usually does it: ask your leasing company for the current payoff amount in writing. The early termination section of your contract should state the formula, so you can check the figure yourself.