You would not buy a car without driving it. You would not lease office space without walking the building. But somehow, most businesses sign 60 month copier leases on a 20 minute showroom demo. There is a better way: a real trial period on the exact machine you plan to lease.
Here is everything to know about trial period copier leases, including which dealers actually offer them and what to watch out for in the fine print.
Do Trial Period Copier Leases Really Exist?
Yes, but you have to ask. Dealers will not volunteer a trial program. They want you to sign a 60 month lease the first week. But many dealers will offer a 30 to 90 day trial for the right account.
Trials are most common for:
Offices replacing more than one machine at once. Big accounts (40 plus employees). Buyers switching from a competing dealer. Industries with heavy specialty needs (legal, medical, design).
If your annual print volume is over 75,000 pages, you have leverage to ask for a trial.
What a Real Trial Looks Like
A real trial has these features:
The dealer delivers the exact machine you plan to lease to your office, installs it on your network, and trains your team. You use the machine for 30 to 90 days. Service is included. Toner is included.
At the end of the trial, you sign the long term lease or the dealer picks the machine back up at no charge. Some dealers will roll the first 30 days of trial use into the lease if you sign.
What a Fake Trial Looks Like
Reps sometimes “offer a trial” that is actually a short term rental with a hidden conversion clause. Watch for these tricks:
Trick one: the trial is “free” but you sign a lease document on day one that auto converts to a 60 month lease if you do not write a cancellation letter on day 30. Many buyers miss the window and are stuck with the lease.
Trick two: the trial is free but service and toner are billed separately at much higher than market rates. You get a $700 bill for 30 days of “service.”
Trick three: the trial requires a non refundable deposit of $300 to $1,000 that you only get back if you sign the full lease.
If a “trial” requires you to sign anything more than a brief evaluation agreement, it is not really a trial.
How to Negotiate a Real Trial
Use these exact words: “I am evaluating three dealers and we will not sign a 60 month commitment without a 30 to 60 day onsite trial on the exact machine. Can you offer that?”
The rep has three possible answers. Yes, and here are the terms. Yes, but only after a credit check (fine). No, but we can offer a same day take back if you are dissatisfied within X days of installation (acceptable backup).
The “absolutely not, sign first or no deal” answer means the dealer is afraid of letting you actually use the machine. That is information.
What to Watch For in the Trial Agreement
Read every line. Specifically look for:
Auto conversion to long term lease at end of trial (must be opt in, not opt out). Daily, weekly, or monthly fee during the trial period (should be zero). Required minimum print volume during the trial (some dealers charge if you do not print enough). Insurance and damage liability during the trial (usually on the dealer, not you). Return shipping after the trial (must be the dealer’s expense).
What to Do During the Trial
Print at your real volume. Do not baby the machine. Run paper jams. Run mixed paper sizes. Run heavy color jobs. Run after hours unattended print jobs.
Time the service response. Call in a fake issue at noon on Tuesday and see how fast a tech shows up. This is the most important test of the trial. The copier might be great. The dealer might be terrible. You want to find out before you sign.
Track uptime. Note any jams, errors, or breakdowns. If the machine is down for more than two hours in a 30 day trial, escalate.
What Most Guides Miss
Almost no guide on trials mentions the right to extend. If the trial machine works well but you need more time to get budget approval or compare to other quotes, ask the dealer to extend the trial 30 more days at no charge.
Most dealers will say yes. Once a machine is installed at your office, the cost of pulling it back is real. Reps would rather extend the trial than lose the deal. Use this. A 30 day trial can easily turn into 75 days if you ask politely at the right time.
One more underused move: ask for a written option to return mid lease if specific service metrics are not met. This is essentially a trial that extends through the first six months of the real lease. It is not common but a motivated dealer with monthly quota will sometimes write it in.
For the larger context on lease commitments, see our lease vs. buy guide. For exit risk if a trial converts into a bad lease, see copier lease early termination fees.
Ready to Compare Copier Lease Quotes?
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