Buying a colour photocopier sounds straightforward – until you start looking. Suddenly you’re knee-deep in specs, jargon, and price tags that range from “that’s not bad” to “wait, how much?!”
Whether you’re running a small business, upgrading your office setup, or just tired of sharing the ancient communal printer, this guide’s here to make sense of it all – no tech-speak, no fluff. Just straight answers to the questions most people actually ask.
How Much Should You Expect to Pay?
The price of a colour photocopier in the UK varies wildly. Here’s a rough idea of what you’re looking at:
- Home or Small Office Models: £100 – £400. Great for occasional use or light admin work.
- Mid-Range Business Use: £400 – £2,000. More speed, more features, and better print quality.
- Heavy-Duty/Corporate Machines: £2,500 – £20,000+. Designed for large teams and serious daily volumes.
- Leasing or Renting: If buying isn’t your thing, you can lease from around £30/month for light use, or £250/month+ for high-volume machines. Contracts often include toner and maintenance, which helps with budgeting.
Quick tip: if your monthly print volume is low, buying outright might make more sense. But if you’re churning out loads of pages every day, leasing with a service contract could save your bacon long term.
If You’re Buying a Colour Photocopier, are they Expensive to Run?
Short answer: if you’re comparing to black-and-white machines, colour photocopiers can cost more. But, it all depends on what you need. More of that later.
Colour photocopiers use four toner cartridges (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black), which means more money spent when things run low. Add to that:
- Higher electricity use (particularly with larger models)
- More complex maintenance
- Pricier parts
- Fancy paper for good-quality prints (if that matters to you)
However, you can soften the blow by choosing a model with a low cost-per-page, getting a solid service plan, and going easy on colour-heavy print jobs (maybe rethink printing those full-page party posters in the office…).
What’s the Best Colour Photocopier for a Small UK Business?
No single machine fits every business. It depends on what you’re printing, how often, and whether you need extras like scanning or A3 printing.
Most small businesses go for a multifunction printer (MFP) – one machine that prints, copies, scans, and sometimes faxes. They’re space-saving and generally better value.
That said, here are a few copiers worth a look:
Colour Office Copiers, Printers and MFDs (A4)
(Great for vibrant documents in a smaller footprint)
Not everyone needs A3 – but many teams do want crisp, vibrant colour. These A4 colour printers strike a nice balance: compact enough to sit in smaller spaces, but still fully equipped to produce great-looking reports, brochures or customer-facing documents. Perfect if your work relies on visual punch but you don’t want to take up too much room. Models like the bizhub C4050i are fast, sleek, and built to impress.
Colour Office MFDs (A3)
(High-performance colour, multifunction A3)
This is where things get serious. These A3 multifunction printers and photocopiers are designed for teams that live and breathe design, detail or delivery. If you need large-format colour printing with scanning, copying and advanced finishing options, this category’s for you.
Whether it’s for marketing materials, creative proofs or just everyday office needs with a higher visual standard, devices like the bizhub C450i or C650i are built for demanding environments that don’t cut corners.
Where Can You Actually Buy One?
You’ve got a few solid options here:
- Direct from Brands: Big names like Konica Minolta sell through authorised dealers.
- Office Equipment Dealers: Specialists like Evolve Document Solutions offer comprehensive, no-pressure insights, advice, support, and leasing deals.
- Online Retailers: Amazon, Curry’s/PC World, and other electronics stores stock smaller MFPs perfect for home or micro offices.
- Refurbished Market: Want to save big? Go for a second-hand or refurbished model – more on that shortly.
Can You Rent or Lease One Instead?
Absolutely – and it’s often the smarter choice for businesses.
- Leasing is ideal if you want a reliable, modern copier without dropping thousands upfront. Contracts usually run 1-5 years and often include toner, servicing, and repairs.
- Rental is more short-term and flexible. Great if you’ve got a one-off event, a temporary office, or just want to trial a machine before committing.
Leasing is like getting a car on contract – you get the good stuff, minus the headache of ownership. We’ve written a short guide on leasing copiers that will help.
What Features Should You Actually Care About?
With so many buttons and blinking lights, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here’s what actually matters:
- Pages Per Minute (PPM): How fast does it go? 20–30 PPM is decent for small offices.
- Paper Handling: Can it do A3? Duplex (double-sided)? Does it hold enough sheets?
- Scan + Copy: Want a scanner? Most MFPs include one. A dual-scan feeder is handy for big scanning jobs.
- Colour Quality: 1200 DPI or higher is ideal if you’re printing graphics or marketing material.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, mobile printing, USB – make sure it plays nice with your setup.
- Security: For sensitive info, look for user logins, encryption, and secure print release.
- Cost Per Page: What will each page actually cost you in toner?
- Interface: Touchscreen displays make life easier – especially for teams.
- Finishing Tools (Optional): Stapling, booklet making, hole punching – nice extras if you need them.
Colour vs Black & White – Is It Worth It?
A colour photocopier gives your documents impact. It’s great for:
- Reports with charts
- Presentations
- Marketing materials
- External documents where first impressions matter
But if all you’re doing is churning out invoices and contracts, a black-and-white machine might do just fine for far less.
What’s the Difference Between a Photocopier and a Multifunction Printer?
Old-school photocopiers used to just, well, photocopy.
Multifunction printers (MFPs) do it all: print, scan, copy, fax (sometimes), and email. They’ve basically taken over the market.
Most businesses now go for MFPs because they’re:
- More compact
- Easier to manage
- Often cheaper overall than buying several separate machines
Unless you’re running a high-volume print centre, an MFP is the way to go.
What About Refurbished Machines?
Buying a refurbished copier can save you a lot of money – sometimes up to 70% compared to a new one.
Just make sure:
- It’s from a trusted photocopier supplier who offers a warranty and service plan
- It’s been properly refurbished (not just wiped down and relabelled)
- It hasn’t hit the end of its expected print life
- Parts and support are still available for that model
- It works with your current IT setup
Done right, refurbished can be a smart, sustainable move – especially for growing teams or tight budgets.
How Do Colour Photocopiers Actually Work?
Nerd alert (skip this bit if you just want to hit “buy”):
Colour photocopiers use a process called electrophotography. Basically:
- Your document is scanned and turned into a digital image.
- That image is used to charge a drum with static electricity in the shape of the image.
- Negatively charged toner sticks to the drum where it’s been charged.
- The toner is transferred to paper using another static charge.
- Heat and pressure fuse the toner onto the page.
- The process repeats for each colour: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK).
It all happens in seconds. Magic. Or science. Or both.
Final Thoughts: What’s Right for You When You’re Buying a Colour Photocopier?
If you’re printing colour documents regularly, want everything in one machine, and don’t fancy spending half your life fixing paper jams – then yes, investing in a proper colour photocopier makes sense.
Here’s what to do next:
- Work out your monthly print volume and how much colour you really need
- Decide on a budget (including running costs, not just purchase price)
- Choose whether to buy, lease, or rent
- Pick a trusted supplier – ideally one that offers support and maintenance
- Keep an eye on toner costs and service plans
And finally, don’t just buy the flashiest machine. Pick the one that fits your office, your team, and your actual workload.
Now, go print something beautiful. You’re office colleagues will love you for it!
