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Before you sign anything
The printer lease trap checklist.
Ten questions that decide whether a printer lease is a good deal or an expensive five year mistake.
Take it to any supplier, including us.
Print this page to keep a copy.
Australian owned since 2010.
How to use it
Ask every question and write the answer down.
Any supplier who will not answer in writing has already told you something useful.
- 01
Does the term renew on its own?
Many agreements roll over automatically unless you cancel inside a short window, often 60 or 90 days before the end.
Ask for the exact notice period in writing, and diarise it the day you sign.
- 02
What happens at the end of the term?
Ask whether the machine is returned, bought out, or kept.
Ask what the buyout figure is and how it is calculated, not just that one exists.
- 03
Is there a minimum monthly volume?
Some agreements bill a minimum number of pages whether you print them or not.
Ask what happens in a quiet month, and whether unused pages carry forward.
- 04
What does a page over the allowance cost?
Get the excess rate for black and white and for colour.
Both should be written on the quote before you sign, not quoted verbally.
- 05
Is toner genuinely included, or capped?
Ask whether toner is unlimited within your allowance.
Ask whether the supplier can refuse a delivery if you are printing above the plan.
- 06
Are parts, labour and call outs inside the payment?
Ask specifically about drums, fusers, rollers and travel.
These are the items most often excluded and invoiced separately later.
- 07
Does the price escalate each year?
Some contracts allow annual increases of a set percentage.
Ask whether your figure is fixed for the full term, and get that in writing.
- 08
Who owns the finance agreement?
The supplier and the financier are often different companies.
Ask who you are actually contracting with, and who you call when something goes wrong.
- 09
What is the response time, and what happens if it is missed?
A response time with no consequence is a preference, not a commitment.
Ask what you are entitled to if it is not met.
- 10
Can you exit early, and what does that cost?
Ask for the early termination formula.
If a supplier will not put it in writing before you sign, treat that as the answer.
Where we stand
Our answers to all ten.
One monthly figure with toner, parts, labour and onsite service inside it.
Nothing to pay upfront.
No automatic renewal at the end of the term.
Excess page rates written on every quote before you sign.
This checklist is general information about printer lease agreements, not legal or financial advice.