Photocopier rental means you pay a monthly fee to use a copier that the rental company owns. Terms are often shorter or more flexible than a lease, sometimes month to month, and the machine can usually be swapped when your needs change. Most rentals come with a click charge for every page printed, billed from the meter. This page covers what the monthly fee includes, how click charges and minimum billing work, short term hire for exams, events and elections, and what to check before you sign with an independent rental company.
What the monthly fee usually covers
A rental quote normally has two parts. The rental itself is a fixed monthly amount for the machine. The service part is a click charge per black page and per colour page, read from the meter each month, and it usually includes toner, parts, labour and the technician's call-outs. Paper is not included, and neither is damage, so keep a stock of copy paper.
Some companies quote one combined monthly figure with a set number of pages included. Others bill the rental and the clicks on separate invoices. Either is fine, as long as you can see what each page costs you at your real volume.
Minimum billing and escalations
Many rental contracts have a minimum monthly billing: you pay for a set number of pages even in a quiet month. That suits a busy office but hurts a small one in December. Ask for the minimum in writing and compare it with the page count you really print. Ask too whether the rental and the click rate go up each year, by how much, and from which month.
Short term hire for exams, events and elections
Some companies hire out copiers for a few weeks or months: schools in exam season, a conference or sports event, a site office on a building project, or election work. Short term hire usually costs more per month than a long rental, and delivery, setup and collection may be charged separately. Give the dates, the address and the number of pages you expect, and ask whether toner for the whole period is included. For one big job, a copy shop may be cheaper.
Swapping or ending a rental
A rental is still a binding contract. Read the cancellation terms before you sign: how much notice you must give, whether you pay for the remaining months, and who pays to collect the machine. If your volume grows, ask whether you can move to a faster or A3 model during the term. If you want fixed payments over three to five years, compare a lease as well.
When the machine goes back, ask for its hard drive to be wiped. Scans and copies of personal information stay on it, and POPIA requires you to protect that data.
What to put in your request
- Pages a month in black and in colour
- How long you need the machine
- A4 or A3, and finishing such as stapling
- The delivery address and access
- Your current machine and contract end date
Photocopier Rental for offices, schools and home offices
- Home offices: a small rented multifunction printer for a busy home business, if the volume justifies it
- Small businesses and shops: one rented copier with toner and service on a single monthly bill
- Corporate and head offices: a fleet of rented copiers swapped and upgraded as departments grow
- Schools, colleges and universities: a rented A3 copier for the year, plus extra short term hire in exam season
- Medical practices, clinics and hospitals: a rented colour multifunction copier for forms, scans and referral letters
- Law firms, accountants and agents: a rented A3 copier for contracts and plans, swapped when the practice grows
- Government and municipalities: copiers rented for projects, elections or temporary offices for a set period
- Factories, mines and warehouses: a rented mono copier for a site office or depot, returned when the project ends
- Churches, NGOs and community groups: a modest rented copier for weekly bulletins with a low minimum billing
Frequently asked questions
Is renting a copier cheaper than buying one?
Can I rent a printer instead of a big copier?
What do I need to apply for a rental?
Do you rent out copiers yourselves?
Photocopier Rental by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg