First printer for a small office, buy or lease
For one to five people, buy. For ten plus with high print volume, calculate a lease.
Try this first
- 1Inventory what you actually print. Most small teams print less than they think. Accounting is digital, contracts go via e-sign, brochures rarely get printed.
- 2Under 100 prints per month: a decent multifunction laser bought outright (HP, Brother, Canon) is cheaper than leasing. Plan for three to five years of use.
- 3Above 1,000 per month: a cost-per-page calculation pays off. Lease contracts are not automatically more expensive, but they often lock in for 36 or 60 months, awkward at growth or move.
- 4Set up scan-to-mail or scan-to-SharePoint. Otherwise the printer becomes an island and people end up taking phone photos of documents.
- 5Put the printer on a fixed network port, not wifi. Wifi printers stutter precisely when someone needs a quick print for a client visit.
When to bring us in
At print volumes above 5,000 per month or special requirements (A3, colour calibration, finishing), you go beyond standard multifunction. Then comparing two to three vendor-independent quotes pays off.
See also
- First IT setup as a freelancer, what do you actually needNot everything at once. One laptop, a mailbox on your own domain, a password manager, a backup. That covers the first year.
- Hiring your first employee, what IT to arrange before day oneLaptop, account, mailbox, access to the right folders. In that order, not all of it at 9 a.m. on day one.
- Moving to a new office, IT checklistInternet and power have the longest lead times. Plan at least three months out, not three weeks.
None of the above fits?
Describe your situation below. We pass your input plus the steps you already saw to our AI and return tailored next-step advice. If it's too risky to DIY, we'll say so.
Or skip the DIY entirely
Our Managed IT clients do not look these things up. One point of contact, a fixed monthly price, resolved within working hours.