How Much Does It Cost to Lease a Copier?
Last updated
Real prices. Everything included. No sales call.
What does a copier lease cost per month?
$209 to $349 a month is what a full-size 45ppm color copier leases for, with 5,000 black-and-white and 500 color pages included. Smaller desktop machines start at $89 a month, and production-class machines start around $400.
| Machine class | Speed | Monthly lease | Pages included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop multifunction | 25–30 ppm | $89–$149 | 2,000 B&W + 200 color |
| Mid-volume color MFP | 35–45 ppm | $209–$279 | 5,000 B&W + 500 color |
| High-volume color MFP | 45–60 ppm | $279–$349 | 5,000 B&W + 500 color |
| Production class | 65+ ppm | $400+ | Quoted per volume |
3 things move you around inside that range: speed, color capability and monthly volume. A faster machine costs more to build and more to finance. Color adds a second set of toner and parts. Higher volume means more service visits and more supplies. None of those depend on how well you negotiate, which is the point: the same machine at the same volume should cost the same for everyone.
If you want to see where specific machines land, you can browse machines and prices without a sales call.
What is included in the monthly payment?
9 of the 10 items below are included in a Printree lease payment. The only thing not included is paper.
| Item | Included with Printree | Typical dealer |
|---|---|---|
| The equipment | Included | Included |
| Delivery | Included | Included |
| Professional installation | Included | Included |
| Service calls | Included | Included |
| All parts | Included | Included |
| All labor | Included | Included |
| Toner and supplies | Included | Usually billed separately |
| On-site technician | Included | Often a surcharge |
| Full warranty | Included | Varies by contract |
| Paper | Not included | Not included |
3 rows are where quotes quietly diverge: toner, on-site technician visits and warranty. A dealer quote that looks $30 cheaper often bills toner separately, and that difference disappears within the first few months. Delivery and installation take 3 to 5 business days in all 50 states.
How much do overage charges actually add?
$0.01 per black-and-white page and $0.07 per color page is what you pay beyond the included allowance. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Example 1 — slightly over on black and white
You print 6,000 black-and-white pages in a month. 5,000 are included.
1,000 overage pages x $0.01 = $10 added to that month's invoice.
Example 2 — over on color
You print 800 color pages. 500 are included.
300 overage pages x $0.07 = $21 added.
Example 3 — over on both
6,000 B&W and 800 color in the same month.
$10 + $21 = $31 over a $279 base, so $310 that month.
If you are consistently over, the allowance was sized wrong and the fix is a different plan, not a bigger overage bill.
What is an escalation clause and what does it cost you?
5 to 10 percent a year is the industry norm for a copier lease escalation clause: a line in the contract that raises your monthly payment every year, even though the machine is getting older. It is usually one sentence, buried in the terms, and rarely mentioned in the sales conversation.
7 percent sounds small. Compounded over five years on a $300 payment, it is not.
| Year | Competitor at 7% | Printree at 0% | Cumulative difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $300/mo · $3,600 | $300/mo · $3,600 | $0 |
| Year 2 | $321/mo · $3,852 | $300/mo · $3,600 | $252 |
| Year 3 | $343/mo · $4,122 | $300/mo · $3,600 | $774 |
| Year 4 | $368/mo · $4,410 | $300/mo · $3,600 | $1,584 |
| Year 5 | $393/mo · $4,719 | $300/mo · $3,600 | $2,703 |
| Five-year total | $20,703 | $18,000 | $2,703 |
At the top of our range, $349 a month, the same clause costs more than $3,100 over five years.
0 percent is what Printree charges in escalation. The payment on day one is the payment in month sixty. Before you sign anything, search the contract for the words "annual increase", "adjustment" or "escalation". For a deeper look, read our guide to the copier lease escalation clause.
Should you lease, rent, or buy?
4 options exist, and each one wins in a different situation.
| Option | Upfront | Monthly | Service | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lease, 36–63 months | $0 | $209–$349 | Included | You want fixed cost and current equipment |
| Rent, short term | $0 | Higher | Included | You need it under 12 months |
| Buy refurbished | $7,000–$8,000 | $0 | Contracted separately | You have capital and low volume |
| Buy new | $12,000–$17,000 | $0 | Contracted separately | You will keep it 7+ years |
1 case clearly favors buying: you have the capital, you print at low volume, and you plan to keep the machine for 7 years or more. In that case you avoid financing costs, and a low-volume machine needs little service. For most offices, though, $0 upfront, a fixed monthly cost and included service make leasing the simpler and more predictable choice. You can compare copier lease options side by side.
What drives the price difference between two quotes?
6 factors explain most of the gap between two honest quotes for similar machines.
1. Equipment tier
A 25ppm desktop and a 60ppm floor model are different machines at different prices. Make sure both quotes are for the same speed and the same color capability.
2. Lease term length
Terms of 36, 48, 60 or 63 months spread the same cost over different periods. A longer term lowers the monthly payment but keeps you on the machine longer.
3. Monthly page volume
More pages mean more toner, more wear and more service visits. Quotes should be based on your real volume, not a guess.
4. Included-page allowance
One quote may include 5,000 black-and-white pages and another 2,000. The cheaper payment can cost more once overage is added.
5. Service response tier
A faster guaranteed technician response costs more to provide. Check what response time each quote actually promises.
6. Finishing attachments
Staplers, hole punches and booklet makers add to the price of the equipment. Only pay for the ones your office will use.
7 is the factor nobody lists: dealer margin. It is built into every quote, it varies more than any other factor, and it is the one that is never disclosed.
How copier lease pricing actually works
4 parties sit behind a typical copier lease: the manufacturer, the dealer, the leasing company and you. The dealer buys the machine from the manufacturer. A leasing company pays the dealer and finances the machine over the term. You pay the leasing company every month, and the dealer provides service.
- Equipment
- Financing
- Service and supplies
- Margin
Your monthly payment is equipment cost plus finance cost plus service cost plus margin. Because all four are rolled into one number, you cannot see how much of your payment is the machine and how much is the dealer's profit. That is why two quotes for the same copier can differ by a wide amount, and why most dealers want to present pricing on a call instead of in writing.
A marketplace changes that by putting prices next to each other. When machines from 9 brands (Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Toshiba, Sharp, Xerox, Canon, Epson, Lexmark and Ricoh) and a network of 15,000 dealer partners are listed with published prices, the margin has to be competitive because the comparison is one click away.
If you have more questions, we have answered 120 questions about copier leasing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to lease a copier per month?
$209 to $349 a month for a full-size 45ppm color copier. That payment includes 5,000 black-and-white and 500 color pages, plus service, parts, labor and toner. A desktop multifunction model runs $89 to $149 a month with 2,000 black-and-white and 200 color pages included.
Is it cheaper to lease or buy a copier?
$0 upfront makes leasing cheaper in the first years for most offices, because service and toner are included. Buying wins if you have $12,000 to $17,000 in capital for a new machine, print at low volume, and plan to keep it 7 years or more.
What is a typical copier lease term?
36, 48, 60 or 63 months are the available terms. Longer terms lower the monthly payment; shorter terms let you upgrade sooner.
Are toner and supplies included in a copier lease?
100% of toner and supplies are included in a Printree lease, with automatic delivery. Many dealers bill toner separately, so check the contract. Paper is the only thing not included.
What happens at the end of a copier lease?
3 options usually apply: return the machine, renew into newer equipment, or buy it out. Read the end-of-term clause before signing, because some contracts auto-renew if you do not give notice.
Can I get out of a copier lease early?
1 route is a buyout: the remaining payments are paid off, often by the new provider, and the old machine is returned. Request a quote with your current payment and remaining term to see whether the numbers work.
How much does a used or refurbished copier cost?
$7,000 to $8,000 buys a refurbished full-size copier outright. A new one costs $12,000 to $17,000. Service is contracted separately in both cases.
Why do copier dealers not publish their prices?
4 components make up every lease payment: equipment, financing, service and supplies, and dealer margin. Margin is the only one that varies much between quotes, and publishing prices would expose it.
$209 to $349 a month, all in.
See what your office would actually pay