Category: Printing News

At KISS, we understand the ins and outs of the printing industry and know exactly what to look for when it comes to photocopier contracts.

It’s important for customers to be aware that contracts are usually separated into two parts:

-the rental agreement held with a finance company

-the service contract held with the photocopier supplier

And while the rental components are straightforward, customers can often find nasty surprises within the service section. We are regularly meeting with prospective clients and drawing attention to one-sided contractual terms held with our competitors.

So, whether you are looking at your existing service contract, or weighing up options in front of you, these things are worth looking out for!

  • What is included? Most suppliers include service calls, maintenance, parts, toner, labour and repairs within their terms. If your contract is missing any of these then you should ask why.
  • Cost per-page printed: This forms the basis of the contract and is usually around .8-.15c for black and white and 8-15c for colour (A4).
  • Volume agreements: This type of agreement is becoming less common but can be extremely costly. The risks here are twofold: they commit the customer to paying for a certain number of prints REGARDLESS of whether they use them; they often include inflated print costs for any prints EXCEEDING the agreed volumes. They also mean extremely costly payouts for any customer who wishes to change supplier mid-contract.
  • Increases: The cost-per copy will increase over the duration of your contract in line with the cost of maintaining older technology. This is standard across the industry, but look to negotiate a fixed increase to prevent surprises.

With so many different options in today’s printing and photocopying market, choosing the right supplier can often be a tedious and overwhelming task.

Here is a list of some crucial things to look for and enquire about when assessing your options:

  • Specific expertise: Suppliers now offer a wide range of products from 3D printers to large format and production machines. It is important that your supplier has expertise in the machine type that YOU are interested in, and is capable of looking after them.
  • Location of supplier and their capacity to service your machine/s: With many suppliers now operating nation-wide, head-offices are often interstate, and customers can have difficulty getting an efficient level of service. It is important to be aware of your supplier’s location and their response time in addressing your service calls (it should at the least be same-day service!)
  • Track record: In an industry built solely upon customer service, references of the supplier’s past and existing customers should form a crucial part of your decision making. As well as testimonials, you should consider how the supplier dealt with issues and problems specific to your situation. For example, as a school, you might enquire about how a supplier ensures accountable printing for staff and students.

Whether you’re purchasing a new device for a small office, or upgrading several machines for a large organisation, the process of acquiring photocopiers can be a daunting one!

 

Here is a simple step-by-step breakdown to save you time and worry.

  • Consider your needs: Without worrying too much about the nitty-gritty details, it is worth considering the basic requirements of your print environment. These include the number of machines, predicted volumes, colour and paper size outputs and required print speed. Even just a rough outline of these facts will be enough to determine the best option for your situation.
  • Get in touch: Call or email our sales team and we will get to work on your recommended solution.
  • Weigh up options: We will present our strongest recommendation as well as some viable alternatives (for example: in a low volume print environment, a refurbished device might represent a much cheaper option without compromising on quality.)
  • Implement the solution: We will arrange a date and time for our technical team to swiftly install your new machine and make sure that you feel completely comfortable using it. This happens with minimal or no interruption to your workflow.
  • Ongoing support: Our helpdesk will be just a phone call away and our technicians will be on-site on the same day as lodging a service call.

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