Read it first

Copier lease agreements in Sydney: 14 clauses to read before you sign

Copier contracts run for years, and the expensive parts are usually in the small print. Here are the fourteen clauses worth reading, in plain English. Or send us the contract: there are more than 100 years in copiers between the four of us, and we will tell you plainly what you have signed up to.

14 clauses, plain English
What the law now says
The cost of leaving early
A second read of yours

(02) 8313 0670 Which copier fits?

Which clauses matter in a copier contract?

Length. How many months, and the exact first and last dates.
The real price. The payment multiplied by the number of payments. That total is what the machine costs you.
Page rates. The mono and colour rates, and what they pay for: toner, parts, labour, call outs.
Increases. Can the page rates rise during the term, how often, and by how much?
Minimum billing. Does a monthly minimum apply, in pages or in dollars, even when the office is quiet?
Coverage. How much toner per page the rate assumes, and what happens when your pages carry more.
Toner freight. Does every toner order attract a delivery charge?
Response. How quickly a technician turns up after a breakdown, and whether the contract puts that in writing.
Data. Whether the hard drive is wiped when the machine goes, who does it, and whether there is a fee.
Automatic renewal. Does the contract roll on by itself? How much notice stops it, and does it have to be in writing?
The ending. Does the copier go back, get swapped for a newer one, or stay with you for a final payment?
Payout. What it costs to leave early, and the formula behind it.
Insurance. Who must insure the copier, and who carries a repair bill caused by damage?
Upgrading part way through. Does the remaining balance get paid out, or added to the new agreement?

The clause nobody reads is usually the one that costs money.

Is the law on your side?

More than it used to be. Small businesses on standard form contracts are protected by Australia's unfair contract terms laws. From 9 November 2023, penalties can apply to a business that uses or relies on an unfair term, and the term itself is void.

The Federal Court dealt with this in 2022. After the ACCC took a major copier supplier to court, terms in its standard contracts with small business customers were declared unfair and void: exit fees, automatic renewals and price rises the supplier could make on its own say so. Something in yours look one sided? Ask.

General guidance only; for legal advice, see a lawyer.

What does it cost to get out of a copier lease?

Usually a payout: whatever is still owing on the agreement, sometimes discounted, plus any outstanding service charges. Get the figure in writing and ask how it was worked out. When you are moving to a new machine, that payout can sometimes be folded into the next agreement.

Quicker by phoneAsk the question, get a plain answer, then decide.Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm

(02) 8313 0670 Get a price

Plain reading

Not sure what you signed? Send it over.

Locked into a lease, rental or managed print deal, or holding a quote that does not add up? Send the paperwork. The reply sets it out plainly: your cost per page, any minimum each month, when it ends, how much notice it needs, and what a change would cost.

Phone photos of the pages are fine. No obligation.

Send the agreement

Up to four files: PDF or photos.

Worth reading

Sign With Your Eyes Open: The Copier Agreement Checklist

How long the term runs, the page rates, any minimum, how prices can rise, the notice you owe and what the last day brings, read in plain English, plus a checklist to carry in.

Download the PDF

Shortlist

A clause you are not sure about?

Send any copier agreement, from any supplier, and ask about any term. You get a plain answer in writing. No obligation.

Or ring (02) 8313 0670, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Have a question about a contract?

Ask here, or attach the contract with the upload form further up the page. Send it on a business day and you hear back that same day.

Questions

Copier contracts: what to ask before you sign

Is there a way out of a copier lease?

Yes, in most cases, by paying it out. How much depends on what is left and how the agreement is written. Send us a copy and we tell you roughly what it would cost and what else you could do.

What choices do I have when the lease term is up?

That is set by the lease. The usual choices: return it, extend the term, move to a newer machine, or make a final payment and keep it. Write down the notice date, because some agreements carry on by themselves if it slips past.

Do we get to read your contract first?

Yes. Every clause in ours is shown to you and explained before anything is signed.

What should I look at first in a copier lease agreement?

The total you will pay over the term; it is the number most people never work out. After that: page rates and their inclusions, minimums, increases, renewal and notice, what happens at the end, and the payout. Each one is in the list above.