Repair or Replace? How to Decide

Five questions worth asking first

1. How has the machine behaved until now?
A machine that has run reliably for years and has developed one fault is usually worth fixing. A machine that has needed attention several times in the last twelve months is telling you something, and the next fault is rarely the last.

2. Is this a wear item or a major component?
Rollers, separation pads, fusers and drums are consumable parts on a business machine. They are expected to be replaced and they are not a sign the machine is finished. A main board or a laser assembly is a different conversation.

3. Are parts still available?
This is the one most people never think about, and it matters more than the age of the machine. Once a manufacturer stops supporting a model, the next fault may not be fixable at any price. A machine with good parts availability can be worth a substantial repair; one without is a risk regardless of what it costs today.

4. Does the machine still suit how you print?
Offices change. A machine bought for four people struggles with twelve, and one bought for occasional colour becomes expensive when colour becomes the norm. If the machine is undersized for the workload, repairing it only restores a machine that was already the wrong fit — and undersized machines break down more often,
because they are being worked beyond what they were built for.

5. What is it actually costing you to run?
Consumable cost per page varies enormously between machines. A copier with expensive toner and a heavy workload can quietly cost more per year than the repayments on a newer one.

When repairing is usually the right cal

• The machine has a good history and this is an isolated fault.
• The failed part is a normal wear item.
• Parts are readily available for the model.
• The machine still matches your print volume and the type of work you do.
• The repair costs a modest fraction of what an equivalent replacement would.

In this situation a repair typically buys years rather than months, and it is comfortably the cheaper option.

When replacing usually makes more sense

• The same machine has failed more than once in a short period.
• Parts are becoming difficult to source for the model.
• The machine no longer suits the volume or type of printing you do now.
• Running costs per page are high compared to current machines.
• The repair cost is getting close to a meaningful share of a replacement.

The mistake worth avoiding

The most expensive outcome is not repairing a machine that should have been replaced, and it is not replacing one that could have been repaired. It is repeatedly spending small amounts on a machine that was never going to last, because each individual repair looked cheap at the time.

If you have had a technician out more than twice in a year for the same machine, that is the moment to stop and add up what the year has actually cost.

A repair we would talk you out of

If you call us about a machine that is old, has failed before, and needs a part that costs a large share of what a newer machine would, we will tell you.

There is nothing in it for us in taking money for a repair that puts you back in the same position by Christmas. Our reputation is worth more than one job.

Common questions

How long should an office printer or copier last?
A business machine that is serviced and is not being worked beyond its rating should give you many years of service. Machines that are undersized for their workload, or never serviced, do considerably less.

Is it cheaper to repair or replace a printer?
A repair is nearly always cheaper today. Whether it is cheaper over the next two years depends on the machine's history and whether parts are still available.

My printer keeps breaking down — is that normal?
No. Repeated breakdowns usually mean one of three things: the machine is undersized for the work, it has never been serviced, or it is genuinely at the end of its life. All three are worth diagnosing rather than fixing again.

Can you tell me over the phone?
Often, roughly. Give us the make, model and rough age, and describe what it is doing, and we will tell you which way we would be leaning before anyone attends.

Not sure which one you are?

Call us with the make, model and rough age of the machine and a description of the fault. We will give you a straight answer on which way we would go.

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