Buying vs. Leasing Wide Format Printers

A wide format printer is a significant investment, whether you lease or purchase it outright. But there are a few pros and cons to consider that might make your next decision a lot easier. I’ve spent almost nine years as a wide format printer specialist, so I thought I’d take a bit of time to put them in writing. 

What Are the Pros of Buying?

Your best option might be to purchase a new wide format printer. If you do, you’ll get these benefits: 

• Total ownership over the new device
• Getting your new device will take some time if you’re using financing
• The opportunity to earn more ROI over time
• Helps create a stable print environment 
• Employees can become more familiar with how to use your equipment 

What Are the Cons of Buying?

There are other cons to consider besides the obvious one:

• Wide format printers require a significant upfront investment
• You’ll be responsible for the management and upkeep, including software upgrades and operating system changes
• Your business could outgrow the quality and output of your device
• Owning your equipment means you’ll be taking on the risk should your equipment fail
• Your wide format printer will become obsolete at some point, and you’ll have to buy another

What Are the Pros of Leasing?

Buying isn’t always better, even if you have the budget for it. Leasing has a few pros of its own: 

• More financial stability with no significant upfront investment
• You might be able to take advantage of more flexible leasing terms, like deferred payments
• You can eventually purchase your device at a discount, or upgrade without another big hit to the budget
• You won’t be in charge of all of the maintenance and upkeep
• It’s easier to always have the latest and greatest devices  
• You will have less risk to your business should your equipment fail

What Are the Cons of Leasing?

Most of the cons of leasing are largely operational:

• New equipment will require some additional training
• Your wide format printers may end up costing thousands more over time
• Productivity may temporarily dip when equipment is updated

What Would a Print Provider Do?

Managed print providers and dealers such as Marco consider leasing wide format printers as a positive, predictable investment. The money your company invests each month helps keep you up to date on the latest print technology, provides flexibility in your print environment as your company grows, and allows for outdated equipment to be replaced as it ages.

But the decision to buy or lease ultimately comes down to the internal operations of your business. If your company has the financial ability and stable productivity levels that suit buying, then that may be in the best interest of your business. Conversely, if you want to protect your cash reserves or you envision rapid growth in the coming years, leasing provides you the flexibility to still have the latest in technology.

Of course, if the decision were this easy, you probably wouldn’t still be reading. If you want to skip over quite a bit of research, you can always talk with one of our experts. And here’s a hint: because we have strategic partnerships with top manufacturers throughout the world, we’re able to lean on them to give our clients highly competitive pricing either way.