Pay as You Go or Copier Service Contracts?

As much as we strive to become a paperless nation, printers and copiers are indispensable to almost every business or organization. Modern copy machines that handle a multitude of tasks can be a big investment. Rather than deal with the frustration of having your most essential piece of office equipment break down at an inopportune moment, consider getting a copy machine service contract as a hedge against inefficiency. Before deciding if this option is good for your company, there are several things to think about.

Do You Own or Lease Your Office Equipment?

Leased equipment usually comes with an option to add managed print service. The reasons to exercise this option are many and include:

• Decreased downtime

• Reduced overall maintenance cost

• Budget compliance

• Lower overhead

If you own your equipment, technical considerations become even more expensive. All repairs and maintenance are your responsibility. That means time wasted hunting for a printer repair shop and lost productivity while your copier is down. When you have time-sensitive materials to process, the ultimate cost to your business can climb even higher.

What Is Your Average Output Capacity?

Organizations that do very little copying or printing don’t need to worry so much about copier servicing. However, that leaves out all but the smallest businesses. Printing is the third largest expense for most companies, even at a relatively low capacity like 3,000 copies per month. That puts wear on your printer and means more need for replacing toners and ink cartridges. A service contract can be tailored to anticipate your usage based on your history or an average of similar companies to make sure you have the supplies and accessories you need when you need them. Many contracts also include technology upgrades and replacement parts.

Think of Maintenance Contracts as Insurance

You pay into health or auto insurance as a hedge against an expensive medical procedure or auto repair. Printer repair contracts are much the same. Your printer may work just fine for a few months, but some components can cost nearly as much to replace as the cost of a new copy machine. Preventative servicing helps prevent that.