29 October 2026 · Document Services Australia
Two copier quotes for the same office can be $5,000 apart over the term and look identical on the first page. This is the checklist we use when an office sends us a quote to look at, and it is the same one we would want you to run over ours. Go through it with the quote in front of you; if a line is not answered anywhere on the quote, that is your first question back to the salesperson.
1. The machine
- Brand, exact model, and whether it is new, refurbished, renewed or ex demo. "Refurbished" and "renewed" mean different things, and a quote that does not say which is hiding one.
- Pages a minute, and whether that suits how much you print. Ask what the machine's monthly volume rating is and compare it with your real pages.
- Age and page count for a used machine. A machine with 400,000 pages on it is not the same buy as one with 80,000.
- What is physically included: document feeder, the cabinet or paper feeder, a finisher, extra trays, a fax card, a wireless card.
2. The money
- The outright price, even if you are renting, so you can see what the monthly figure was worked from.
- The monthly figure, the term in months, and the total of those payments.
- Whether the monthly figure includes service, or whether service is a separate agreement with its own figure.
- The copy charges for black and colour, in cents a page, and whether toner is included in them.
- Any minimum monthly volume or minimum monthly charge, and what you pay if you print less.
- Annual increases: a percentage on the copy charges, the rental, or both.
- Delivery, installation, network setup, training and removal of the old machine, each either included or priced.
3. The agreement
- Who the agreement is with: the dealer, or a finance company whose name you have not seen before. Both are normal; you should know which.
- Who owns the machine at the end of the term, and what it costs to keep it.
- Return conditions at the end: who pays to collect it, and what counts as fair wear.
- Automatic rollover: whether the agreement renews by itself, and the window in which you must give notice.
- Early termination: what you pay if the office closes, moves or shrinks.
- Upgrade terms: what happens to the balance of this agreement if you upgrade in two years.
4. The service
- Who services the machine: the company selling it, or someone else.
- Where the nearest technician is, and the response time promise in hours.
- What the warranty actually promises if the machine cannot be fixed. Ours replaces it for the term of the service agreement.
- How toner is ordered and how fast it arrives, and whether freight on toner is charged.
- What is not covered: consumables, paper jams caused by paper, damage, software.
5. The total
Add the monthly figure over the term to the copy charges at your real volume over the same term, plus anything priced separately. Do it for every quote. The total is the only fair comparison, and it is often not the quote with the lowest monthly figure.
What each machine usually rents for a month is on copier prices by model.
If you would rather we did the sum, send us the quote and we will do it in writing, with our own figure beside it, within one business day.
Independent, and on the tools
