Getting the right printer set up for your business is crucial. Why? Well, depending on the setup you choose, your printing costs could differ wildly. Your first conundrum is usually deciding whether you should buy or lease a printer for your business. In my experience, leasing is a much more cost-effective option – especially for small or medium-sized businesses.
Opting for printer leasing in conjunction in with an MPS contract, removes the headache that comes with the need for maintenance, a lack of technical support or hardware becoming outdated.
Your next big decision is how long your printer lease should be. You can generally opt for a short lease (around 12-36 months) or a longer lease (around 48-60 months). While your instinct may be not to commit to a longer lease, there are actually many benefits of longer leases that your business should be aware of before making this decision.
Benefit 1: Predictable costs
The first, and probably one of the most important benefits of a longer printer lease as opposed to a short one, is cheaper costs. Purchasing over a longer time reduces the monthly costs of the machine.
This makes budgeting more predictable and reduces the financial burden of capital expenditure (CapEx).
A 2024 Deloitte study has also found that the total cost of hidden printing expenses (such as hardware, consumables and indirect labour) can reach two to three times the purchase price of the hardware over the course of five years.
Benefit 2: Reduced admin
Longer printer rental agreements equal less time spent renegotiating contracts. This means that you can spend more time and energy running your business, and less on reinstating your printer lease agreement.
There’s also the added bonus that you don’t need to worry about the day-to-day running of your printers. MPS takes away the hassle of managing your printer fleet, automatically outsourcing it to your vendor, so you can focus on other operations.
Don’t have a dedicated IT team? Then shifting the responsibility of looking after your printers will be even more valuable. (We’ve all got better things to do than spend our evenings sifting through printer instruction manuals.)
Benefit 3: Maintenance, servicing and technical support
If you’re not a business owner by day and experienced printer engineer by night, being able to rely on expert technical support for all your printing needs is going to be a big plus.
MPS gives you maintenance, servicing and technical support over the full term of your lease. This significantly lowers the operating costs for your printers and is more likely to keep them running effectively for longer.
It’s also worth noting that some MPS come with ongoing optimisation, whereby your fleet will be assessed regularly to ensure it’s working in the right way for your changing needs.
Finally, on hand technical support usually means minimal downtime for your business. At Archway, we stand by our promise that we’ll send an engineer out within 8 business hours.
Benefit 4: Sustainability
Well maintained printers last longer – and the longer your printer lease, the better the continuity of your printer maintenance. There’s also less ink and toner wastage. As an MPS provider, we automate the delivery of your ink and toner without you having to lift a finger. When you’re running low, we’ll send you more, meaning you’ll never over-order or choose the wrong supplies – or end up being left without ink or toner completely. Plus, you don’t have to store it – and that’s always a bonus.
All this is great if you’re on a sustainability journey too, as many MPS providers have their own sustainability schemes to make the whole process even greener. We’re proud to partner with Brother, who offer their industry-leading Renew Programme. They remanufacture and recycle 100% of all returned ink and toner cartridges, promoting a fully circular process and ensuring nothing goes to landfill.
Lastly, using an MPS platform makes it easy to track and control your print usage, so you can identify areas where your business can optimise its printing. Did you know that the average employee leaves 600 pieces of paper at the printer every year²? You can actually shave 10% to 30% off your print budget by actively managing printing behaviour1, which is far easier to do when your print usage is monitored.
Benefit 5: Security
Ensuring your security risks are minimal is vital for any business, no matter what size you are. MPS agreements can include ongoing security optimisations to ensure you’re covered against evolving threats.
A longer office printer lease will ensure that there’s less likely to be breaks in the security protocols provided by your MPS provider. Regular monitoring, upgrades and maintenance will also reduce the security risks imposed by outdated hardware and software.
Benefit 6: Room to grow
Have a growth strategy for your business? I imagine the answer is probably yes. However, if your strategy doesn’t account for expanding your resources to accommodate the extra business, you may struggle to execute it.
This is where MPS really excels. MPS gives your business the platform it needs to grow by allowing you to adapt to utilising the latest technologies and hardware. As your business expands and print operations increase, you can optimise your printer fleet to accommodate your business needs without forking out for a whole new setup.
A common misconception is that a shorter printer lease is the only way to retain flexibility in times of growth or decline. But the reality is that a longer lease as part of a managed print service provides the ultimate flexibility to adapt the service as you grow, making it the choice to make printing simple now and in the future.
Key takeaways
To summarise, a longer printer lease can save your business time, money and unnecessary stress:
• Longer printer leasing arrangements keep your business benefiting for longer. The benefits – such as efficiency improvements and limited downtime – also accumulate over time, meaning there are bigger wins for longer commitments.
• A longer printer lease with MPS gives you the flexibility to adapt the service within the leasing period, dialling features up and down as your needs change.
• Monthly printer leasing costs over five years can be more competitive than upfront purchase plus ongoing costs arrangements. This is especially true when service and consumables are included.
• Working with a flexible and trusted provider such as Archway will mean that your business gets the exceptional level of service it needs, whenever it needs it.
Want to know more about MPS for your business? Talk to Archway about Brother MPS today to find out how we can help your business thrive.
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