Whether you’re opening a new office or expanding its footprint, the cost of acquiring supplies, furniture and hardware can represent a significant investment for your business.
Even as paperless communications become more commonplace in the business world, office printers remain a crucial resource for printing manuals, presentations, contracts and a wide range of other materials used in your day-to-day operations. Whether you need a single printer, multiple printer units, and/or specialty wide format print hardware, you have a choice between buying these devices outright, or renting them from an office systems partner.
The best option between renting and buying is different for every business, and can depend on your current cash flow, the scale of your print needs, your long-term office plans and other considerations.
Struggling to decide? Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons of renting vs. buying office printers.
The Benefits of Buying Your Office Printers
For some business offices, buying printers makes the most sense—and it may be the method of equipment procurement you’re most familiar with.
Buying can offer the following benefits:
- Lower long-term costs. Compared to the long-term cost of renting or leasing, buying a printer outright can offer the best value for your investment.
- Tax benefits due to depreciation. Owned equipment like printers can be used to write off depreciation on your tax returns, lowering your net tax obligations.
- The ability to sell your printer if your needs change. If you decide to upgrade your printer or no longer need that device in your office, reselling can help you recoup a portion of the costs, lowering the overall expense even further.
- The flexibility of financing your purchase. Even if you don’t have the cash-on-hand to support an up-front purchase, affordable financing can spread out this cost over time.
Why Some Business Offices Prefer Printers for Rent
While some business leaders may have never considered renting print hardware instead of buying, renting can offer a number of unique benefits both in terms of your up-front acquisition, and in your ability to maximize the performance and value of your printer hardware over time.
These benefits include:
- A lower up-front investment. Instead of putting down a chunk of money to purchase the entire unit, rented printers can be placed in your office at a much lower cost. This reduces your initial expense and gives you greater financial latitude to procure office supplies and solutions that will benefit other aspects of your operations.
- A fixed cost over time. A steady, monthly rental rate may be preferable when budgeting your office expenses over time.
- More flexibility in changing your printer hardware as your needs evolve. If you rent from an office systems supplier, you may have the option to swap out one printer for a different model. This can offer excellent long-term value as your print needs change over time, giving your business the agility to keep its office supplied with the best print hardware to serve its evolving needs.
- The option to outsource printer maintenance to a trusted provider. Many services that rent out print hardware also offer managed print services to provide maintenance and repairs over time. This further streamlines your printing costs, while giving you a trusted partner to call if any of your print hardware develops an issue.
Where I Buy a Printer?
When buying printers for your office, businesses have a number of options they could consider. While the average consumer might simply Google “where to buy a printer near me” to find local office supplies retailers, your business may benefit from seeking out a specialized office systems provider that offers a more expansive inventory of print hardware designed for office use.
An office systems provider may also be able to offer lower prices than other office retailers, due to their access to wholesale pricing and their expertise in negotiating lower rates for their clients. The savings on these printers may grow as the number of print devices ordered for your office increase.
Are There Options to Rent Printers Near Me?
If you’re interested in renting printers—or if you haven’t decided which option for acquiring print hardware you prefer—your best bet is to consult a local office systems provider that offers print devices both for sale and for rent.
As you explore your options, you may want to seek out a print rental option that comes with an option to pay for managed print services. Whether renting or buying, this monthly service fee can offer peace-of-mind in your print hardware investment, extending the lifespan and improving the performance of your print devices—which results in better ROI for your office equipment investments.
Ready to see what print hardware options are available for your business? Contact Sissine’s today to discuss your print needs and solution options with a trusted expert.