Why leasing office equipment may be the best option for your company.

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Businesses come in all sizes and regardless if its a small company, or a major corporation, many companies prefer to lease office equipment. Leasing provides customers a flexible financial option without sacrificing quality when it comes to operating their business. We are going to focus on why leasing may be a good idea for your company, and why you should consider a lease with us the next time you make an equipment purchase.

What are the benefits of leasing?

We have already stated an obvious one, and that’s cash flow management. Not all companies have or want to invest possibly five figures down on an office equipment overhaul. Those same companies however, can easily afford a smaller monthly payment in say the $200.00 range. Another reason to consider leasing is obsolescence, and how that impacts your initial investment. Business equipment is technology, and technology upgrades at a rabid pace. Because of this, office equipment purchased only a year ago may be worth less than half its purchase price. So its a huge investment for something that really doesn’t retain its value very well. Leasing allows you to manage that investment over a period of time. Terms typically last between 3-5 years, and by that time your equipment has likely already been surpassed by something more superior on the market, thus compelling you to upgrade your equipment.

What can you expect when leasing from us?

The biggest and most important point I can emphasize here is that we hold our own leases. This benefits you by the fact we don’t apply any document processing fee’s or escalation clauses. This means your lease price on the first day is the same price on the last day. When possible we try to include all of your maintenance into that rate as well so you pay just one easy to understand price every month. We also provide fair market and $1.00 buyout purchase options, giving you the flexibility to own the equipment at the end of the lease if you do not want to take another one. Finally, we provide early upgrade options for customers leasing with us. We don’t want you to be stuck in a machine that no longer serves a proper role in your business, and you don’t have to be with us.

For more info about our leasing, contact us.

Compatible or OEM Toner?

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This is a subject that we cover with our customers frequently, and one we think is important to blog. When a business is looking to find the best efficiency for the lowest investment, going with compatible toners is a way to cut costs with little impact to their printing performance. We are going to cover what the terms “OEM” and “Compatible” mean. What real differences between the two are. And why in the end, we recommend “compatible” in most situations.

What does OEM & compatible mean?

The first thing we need to address is how we define what is OEM and what is compatible. Let’s start with OEM. The acronym OEM represents ‘Original Equipment Manufacturer.’ This represents that this toner is from the company who also made the machine. Compatible implies that the part is not made by the company who made the machine and are also made with aftermarket cores. Typically the manufacturers of compatible toners are looking to provide a more aggressive price than the OEM as an incentive for taking a risk on buying their product instead of the OEM.

What’s the difference?

Outside of the fact that they are made by two different entities? Not as much as you think. The biggest mistake people often make is assuming that “OEM” also means “new.” This isn’t always the case. Somewhere on most OEM boxes is text that will indicate parts on the toner may have been used from their recycling program. So you could very well be buying a rebuilt aftermarket toner from that company. Rebuilding returned cartridges allows them to keep their cost low since they wont have to make new units. That savings however isn‘t usually passed on to the consumer. You pay the same price regardless if they used parts from their recycle program or if it was a brand new cartridge. Compatibles tend to be significantly cheaper as well. We sell many compatible toners for less than half what an OEM would cost.

So which toner should I buy?

I am always weary of compatible toners found on the internet, even websites like E-Bay or Amazon. You have no idea who is rebuilding them or the quality assurance testing that is going on with them. In instances where you can’t be sure if the compatible cartridge is reliable it’s best to stick with the OEM. M&M Office Products provides both OEM and compatible. We buy compatible toners from reputable companies who we can depend on and will perform good QA testing to make sure the toners are up to standard. We also provide a full 100% guarantee on our compatibles so if they fail for any reason we have you covered.

To find out more about our toners contact us today!

Humidity

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Summer is in full swing in the Ohio River Valley, and that means fun, sun, and humidity. While summer is meant to be a carefree time, you need to be aware of how extreme humidity can affect your business equipment.

How to tell if this is happening?

If you notice an increase in paper jams or noticeably poor print quality, it’s likely that the summer humidity is to blame. Humidity levels of 45% or higher can also cause your paper to curl, and makes it difficult for printer rollers to properly feed your paper through the machine. If your prints and copies are coming out of your office machines looking like a medieval scroll, you probably have a humidity problem. To check for this before beginning a print job, simply open the paper drawer, pull out the top sheet and crinkle it into a ball. If it does not make a sound it is likely you will experience issues due to the humidity.

What can you do about it?

If you suspect that your copy paper is holding excess moisture there are a couple of remedies to get back up and running in the hot summer months. First, make sure you are storing your paper 2-4 inches off the ground and preferably in a temperature-controlled room. Second, only load your equipment full of paper if you intend to use all of it in a timely manner.  Paper left in printer trays overnight can absorb moisture. If you are experiencing severe humidity and nothing seems to work, place a dehumidifier in your storage room or by your copier; this will most likely keep your store room and printing areas dry and functioning at maximum efficiency.