A R60 000 printer costs far more than R60 000 by year five, and a R1 200 monthly rental is not always the cheaper path either. This page breaks down the true total cost of ownership (TCO) of office printing for South African businesses: toner, servicing, downtime and depreciation included, with honest maths on both sides.
When finance teams compare a purchase price to a rental fee, they are usually comparing half the picture to the whole one. These are the costs that surface after the machine is on the floor.
An office printing 5 000 pages a month can spend R2 000 to R4 000 monthly on toner alone at retail prices. On rental, it is inside the fee.
Out-of-warranty repairs run R1 500 and up per incident, plus parts. Two or three callouts a year is normal for an ageing machine.
A dead printer in a law firm or medical practice stalls filings, records and dozens of staff. Nobody budgets for it. Everyone pays it.
A purchased machine loses most of its value within 5 years and then needs replacing, another capital event your budget must absorb.
R60 000 sunk into a printer is R60 000 not working in stock, staff or marketing. Rental keeps that capital in the business.
Driver issues, toner orders and supplier wrangling quietly consume hours of internal IT time that a managed plan absorbs.
Take a 15-person Gauteng office printing 5 000 pages a month on an A3 colour multifunction printer. Buying looks cheaper on day one. By month 60, the picture is usually much closer than expected, and the difference is what your business does with the capital and the risk in between.
There is no universally right answer, only the right answer for your volumes, cash flow and appetite for admin. Here is where each option genuinely wins.
Volumes are growing or uncertain, capital is precious, and you want toner, servicing and upgrades to be someone else's problem.
Explore rentalsVolumes are stable, you have in-house IT, and you prefer owning assets on a planned 4 to 5 year replacement cycle at importer pricing.
Explore purchaseYou want genuine toner, parts and servicing billed on the pages you produce, on rented or owned Toshiba machines, with two clear invoices.
Explore Service & Toner Plan* Every formal quote from us shows rental and purchase side by side. Compare, then choose.
A versatile colour multifunction printer from TOSHIBA. With an output of 20 Pages per minute in Full Colour and Black and White, A3 and A4 Paper Size Compatible, this model is perfect for businesses needing professional-quality colour prints in a compact design.
A fast and efficient colour multifunction printer from TOSHIBA. Producing 30 Pages per minute in Full Colour and Black and White, A3 and A4 Paper Size Compatible, it’s designed for offices requiring consistent, high-quality output.
A robust black-and-white multifunction printer from TOSHIBA. Producing 55 Pages per minute, this model combines high-speed printing with Copy, Scan, and Fax functions, ideal for large offices with heavy workloads.
Use our online calculator for an indicative monthly figure in 30 seconds, based on office size and print volumes.
Actual volumes, colour mix and workflow needs. Real numbers make the comparison honest instead of theoretical.
Rental and purchase on the same machine, over the same period, with all costs visible: hardware, toner, servicing and support.
No pressure toward either option. We make money both ways, so our only agenda is that the numbers are right.
Anything else, call, WhatsApp, or drop your details and we'll come back within the hour.
Ask us anythingTell us your volumes and we will send rental and purchase side by side, with every cost visible and no pressure either way.