22/08/2026
THE COST-PER-COPY TRAP: DO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOUâRE PAYING FOR?
Cost-per-copy agreements can sound simple.
One monthly bill. One rate per page. Equipment, service and printing bundled together.
But the structure behind some of these agreements can be far more complicated â and businesses need to understand what happens to their money.
Many cost-per-copy agreements include a minimum monthly volume. Part of that minimum effectively contributes towards paying for the equipment.
But what happens when you print more than the minimum?
Those additional pages are often called âovers.â
If the agreement is structured so that those additional payments contribute towards the equipment, you would reasonably expect that printing substantially above the minimum would mean:
More paid each month â equipment paid off sooner â agreement finishes sooner.
But that isnât always what happens.
Weâve investigated agreements where customers had consistently exceeded their minimum volumes, yet those additional payments had not resulted in the agreement finishing when the underlying calculations suggested it should have.
In some cases, our analysis indicated the equipment component should have been satisfied years earlier.
The customer simply didnât know.
Then thereâs another practice businesses should watch for.
A customer needs an additional copier halfway through their agreement.
Instead of financing just the new equipment, the outstanding balance from the existing agreement can be rolled into a completely new finance arrangement.
So the cycle becomes:
Existing equipment â new device added â remaining balance refinanced â new contract term begins
A few years later, another upgrade occurs and the process can happen again.
The result can be a customer who has been paying for equipment for many years but still faces a substantial settlement figure when they want to leave.
Thatâs why businesses should ask some very simple questions:
How much did my equipment actually cost?
How much of my monthly payment is paying for that equipment?
Where do payments from volumes above my minimum go?
Do those payments reduce the equipment balance or contract term?
If equipment has been added, was my existing balance refinanced?
What is my current payout figure?
If those questions canât be answered clearly, thatâs a problem.
At SCBM, we believe equipment finance and cost-per-copy charges should be transparent and understandable.
Your printing agreement shouldnât be designed so that the more complicated it becomes, the harder it is for you to leave.
Know what youâre paying. Know what you owe. And know where your money is going.
