How Much Does It Cost to Lease a Photocopier in the UK? (2026 Price Guide)
- Jul 13
- 4 min read
If you have searched for photocopier lease prices, you will have noticed something frustrating. Almost nobody publishes them. Most suppliers want you to fill in a form first so a salesperson can call you.
At XOS we think that wastes everyone's time. So here are the real numbers, based on nearly 20 years supplying Xerox and Lexmark devices to UK businesses.
The quick answer
Most UK businesses pay between £15 and £250 per month to lease an office photocopier, plus a cost per page charge for the prints they make. Where you land in that range depends on three things: the size and speed of the machine, whether you need colour, and the length of your lease.
Here is a realistic guide for 2026:
Machine type | Typical monthly lease | Best for |
A4 desktop multifunction printer | £15 to £50 | Small offices, 1 to 5 staff |
A3 colour multifunction (entry) | £50 to £120 | Growing offices, 5 to 20 staff |
A3 colour multifunction (mid range) | £120 to £200 | Busy offices, schools, print heavy teams |
£200 to £500+ | Print rooms, design agencies, large sites |
Leases typically run for three to five years, and longer terms bring the monthly payment down.
The part most suppliers gloss over: cost per page
The lease payment covers the machine. The cost per page (sometimes called cost per click or CPC) covers everything else: toner, parts, engineer callouts and servicing. This is where the real value, or the real sting, lives.
Typical UK rates in 2026:
Mono (black and white): 0.3p to 0.8p per page
Colour: 2p to 5p per page
A3 multifunction devices (MFDs) tend to be cheaper per print than A4 devices for a few key reasons. A3 machines are built around larger, more heavy duty engines designed for higher print volumes, which means their components (drums, toners, fusers) last longer and cost less per page over their lifetime. Because they're aimed at busier offices, manufacturers and dealers also negotiate lower click charges and toner yields are typically much higher, spreading the fixed costs across more pages. A4 devices, by contrast, are built for lower volume use, so their consumables are smaller and more frequently replaced, pushing the cost per print higher even though the machine itself may be cheaper to buy upfront.
Sometimes and dependant on your print use it may be cheaper overall to opt for an A3 device, even if you print very little A3 Pages. A good supplier will look at your print use and advise you of the best option.
A page rate that looks cheap can hide an expensive lease, and a cheap lease can hide inflated page rates. Always look at the total monthly cost across both.
Worked example: an office printing 2,000 mono and 1,000 colour pages a month on a mid range A3 device might pay £120 lease + £10 mono clicks + £40 colour clicks = £170 per month all in, with toner and servicing included.
What affects your price
Print volume. The more you print, the more machine you need, but higher volumes also earn lower page rates. Tell your supplier your real monthly volumes and ask them to price accordingly.
Colour vs mono. Colour devices cost more to lease and more per page. If 90 percent of your printing is mono, consider a mono device with a small colour printer alongside it.
Lease term. A five year lease costs less per month than a three year lease, but you are committed for longer. If your business is changing quickly, the flexibility of a shorter term is often worth the extra few pounds.
New vs refurbished. Refurbished devices can cut lease costs by 30 to 50 percent and, from a reputable supplier, come with the same service cover as new.
Extras. Finishing units (stapling, booklet making), extra paper trays, follow me printing software and scanning workflows all add to the price. Only pay for what you will actually use.
The hidden costs to watch for
This is the section that will save you money. Before you sign anything, check for:
Minimum billing volumes. You may be charged for a set number of pages whether you print them or not. Make sure the minimum reflects your genuine usage.
Delivery, installation and return charges. Confirm upfront what you pay at the start and at the end of the term.
Toner shipping and "excess" charges. A good managed contract includes all consumables except paper. Postage & delivery of the consumables should be included
Lease, rent or buy?
Leasing suits most businesses. No capital outlay, payments are tax deductible as an operating expense, and servicing is bundled in.
Rental offers shorter commitments (sometimes rolling 90 days) at a higher monthly cost. Useful for temporary sites and projects.
Buying outright makes sense for very low volume users, but you carry the servicing risk and the technology ages on your balance sheet.
How to get the best deal
Get your last three months of invoices and your actual page volumes before you speak to anyone
Ask every quote to be broken into lease cost and page rates so you can compare like for like
Ask whether page rate increases are fixed, capped or open ended
Do not be dazzled by a free upgrade offer without seeing the total contract value
Frequently asked questions
Can I lease a photocopier with no deposit? Yes. Most UK photocopier leases require no deposit, just the first payment by direct debit.
Can a new business lease a photocopier? Usually yes, though finance companies may ask for a director guarantee for businesses trading under two years.
Is a photocopier lease tax deductible? Lease payments are normally fully deductible as a business operating expense. Confirm with your accountant.
What happens at the end of the lease? You typically choose between upgrading to a new device, extending on reduced payments, or returning the machine. Check return conditions before signing.
How quickly can a leased photocopier be installed? With credit approval in place, most devices can be delivered and installed within 5 to 10 working days.
Get a real price today
XOS has supplied and serviced Xerox and Lexmark devices across the UK since 2007. We will give you a clear, itemised quote with fixed page rates and no hidden extras.
Call us or request a quote online and we will price your exact usage, not a guess.
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