Brand comparison · Australia
Ricoh vs Brother Printer Lease in Australia
We lease Kyocera, HP, Toshiba and Brother. We do not lease Ricoh, so this page shows what a Brother lease gives you instead.
These two sit in different device classes, so the useful comparison is a sizing question.
Ricoh IM C is an A3 colour multifunction range built for in house production.
The Brother MFC-L range is A4, compact and built around simple deployment.
Before you enquire
Is there a short term option?
Terms run 36 to 60 months and nothing shorter is offered.
You pick the length at the start, and most businesses take 60 months.
Am I stuck with the equipment at the end?
You decide between upgrading to a newer model, continuing on the same device, or returning it.
Nothing renews on its own, and any new agreement is quoted in writing first.
Can the equipment be swapped later?
The agreement allows a move to a bigger printer or a different model.
A swap is re priced and confirmed in writing, then delivered usually within about 10 business days of a confirmed order, installation included.
Are we too small for this to be worth it?
Small offices lease as often as large ones.
Past roughly 500 pages a month, the comparison usually starts to favour leasing once cartridges and unplanned service calls are counted in.
Cartridges and unplanned service calls stop arriving separately and become one monthly set plan.
What if we are partway through an existing agreement?
Yes.
It is common for businesses who contact us to be partway through an existing agreement.
We prepare your quote now and time the new installation to your current lease end date, so there is no overlap and no print outage.
It is worth checking your existing contract notice window early, because those dates are easy to miss.
Call us or submit the form and we will map the changeover with you.
Enquired on Monday and had a printer installed by Friday. Fast, easy, and exactly what we needed.
We have been using Global Document Solutions for about eight years now and would not go anywhere else.
Get a Brother lease quote
Quick form
Cyrus Dickie
Founder, Global Document Solutions
You deal with the founder directly, from first quote to ongoing support, since 2010.
Authored by Cyrus Dickie, Founder at Global Document Solutions. In the industry since 2010.
Last updated: September 2026
Ricoh or Brother for a printer lease: which size fits your office?
Ricoh IM C is an A3 colour multifunction range (25 to 60 pages per minute) built for in house production and booklet finishing.
The Brother MFC-L range is A4 (31 to 50 pages per minute), built around a compact desktop footprint and super high yield toner options.
LeasemyPrinter leases the Brother range from $160 a month ex GST on a 36 to 60 month term.
Maintenance, parts, service labour and genuine consumables are included, and you only buy paper.
The words change, the agreement does not: hire, rental and leasing all mean 36 to 60 months on a set monthly payment covering toner, parts, service labour and call outs. There is no short term hire.
Talk to a Brother leasing specialist
We have leased printers to Australian businesses since 2010, with 150 verified Google reviews.
1300 873 460Ricoh vs Brother: side by side
Class of device
- Ricoh
- A3 colour MFP (IM C range)
- Brother
- A4 mono and A4 colour MFP (MFC-L range)
Largest sheet size
- Ricoh
- A3
- Brother
- A4
Speed band
- Ricoh
- 25 to 60 ppm common configurations
- Brother
- 31 to 50 ppm across the MFC-L range
Device security
- Ricoh
- Self encrypting drive, data overwrite, secure print
- Brother
- Secure-print release and NFC card authentication on advanced models (e.g. MFC-L8900CDW)
Scan workflow
- Ricoh
- Scan-to-encrypted-folder, RICOH Smart Integration
- Brother
- Scan-to-folder, email and the Brother iPrint&Scan app
Mobile / cloud print
- Ricoh
- AirPrint, Mopria, RICOH Smart Device Connector
- Brother
- AirPrint, NFC tap to print, WiFi Direct, Brother iPrint&Scan
Finishing
- Ricoh
- Stapler, hole punch, booklet on most A3 models
- Brother
- Automatic duplex and multi-tray paper handling; no booklet finishing
Footprint
- Ricoh
- Floor-standing A3 multifunction
- Brother
- Compact desktop footprint
Available via LeasemyPrinter
- Ricoh
- No
- Brother
- Yes, from $160 a month ex GST on a 36 to 60 month term
| Factor | Ricoh | Brother |
|---|---|---|
| Class of device | A3 colour MFP (IM C range) | A4 mono and A4 colour MFP (MFC-L range) |
| Largest sheet size | A3 | A4 |
| Speed band | 25 to 60 ppm common configurations | 31 to 50 ppm across the MFC-L range |
| Device security | Self encrypting drive, data overwrite, secure print | Secure-print release and NFC card authentication on advanced models (e.g. MFC-L8900CDW) |
| Scan workflow | Scan-to-encrypted-folder, RICOH Smart Integration | Scan-to-folder, email and the Brother iPrint&Scan app |
| Mobile / cloud print | AirPrint, Mopria, RICOH Smart Device Connector | AirPrint, NFC tap to print, WiFi Direct, Brother iPrint&Scan |
| Finishing | Stapler, hole punch, booklet on most A3 models | Automatic duplex and multi-tray paper handling; no booklet finishing |
| Footprint | Floor-standing A3 multifunction | Compact desktop footprint |
| Available via LeasemyPrinter | No | Yes, from $160 a month ex GST on a 36 to 60 month term |
How we compare: this table is based on published manufacturer specifications and publicly available product documentation, reviewed September 2026, not independent lab testing.
Brand and product names on this page are trade marks of their respective owners. LeasemyPrinter is an independent printer leasing business. We are not an authorised dealer for, affiliated with, or endorsed by any brand we do not lease.
How Ricoh and Brother weigh up
Each side's device class, weighed on the same points, resolving to the brands we lease.
Where the two ranges meet
Ricoh and Brother on pages per minute
Both ranges cover 31 to 50 pages per minute, so speed on its own rarely decides this. Volume, sheet size and service cover usually do.
Ranges as published by each manufacturer for common configurations, the same figures shown in the comparison table above. Not independent testing.
Ricoh strengths
- A3 sheet size for plan sets, spreadsheets and oversized client documents.
- Booklet finishing on most A3 models for in house report production.
- Scales well past the compact desktop class into departmental and production volumes.
Brother strengths
- Compact desktop footprint that suits small offices and satellite sites without a dedicated print room.
- Super high yield toner options, so cartridges last longer between changes than standard yield cartridges on steady A4 workloads.
- NFC card authentication and secure print release on advanced models such as the MFC-L8900CDW.
When Ricoh is the starting point
- Workflows that genuinely need A3, such as plan sets, large format spreadsheets or oversized client documents.
- Practices producing bound or booklet client report packs in house.
- High volume centralised print rooms already standardised on Ricoh.
When Brother is the starting point
- Offices that print A4 almost exclusively, where the extra A3 production capability would sit unused.
- Small sites and satellite offices with no room for a floor standing multifunction.
- Teams wanting card based secure print release without a full production device.
Still weighing the two brands for your office?
Answer 11 quick questions about your print volume, colour needs and budget.
The free quiz takes about 2 minutes and matches you to a Kyocera, HP, Toshiba or Brother lease with estimated monthly costs. No obligation.
Sheet size decides this one
Ricoh is A3, Brother is A4: see the difference
Flip the same document between A4 and A3. If nothing you print needs the larger sheet, the extra production capability sits unused.
A3: dimensions, mark-ups and RFIs stay legible
Full plan sets, marked-up drawings and RFIs print at the scale the trades actually read on site, with no squinting, no misread dimensions, no re-prints.
Pre-configured for this
A3 colour multifunction, 45 to 55 ppm, with an A3 bypass tray for plan sets and drawing revisions.
How to choose between Ricoh and Brother
- Check the largest sheet size your workflow actually uses, because this is the decision that separates these two ranges before anything else.
- Estimate your monthly print volume and your colour-versus-mono split, then match it to a device class rather than to a brand.
- List your finishing requirements. Ricoh IM C offers stapling, hole punch and booklet finishing on most A3 models; the Brother MFC-L range offers automatic duplex and multi-tray paper handling but no booklet finishing.
- Measure the space you have. An A3 multifunction is floor standing, while the MFC-L range sits on a desktop footprint. LeasemyPrinter leases the Brother range, not Ricoh.
- Request a Brother lease quote for your volume and term, and compare the total monthly cost with maintenance, parts and genuine consumables included against your current arrangement.
Before you sign
Seven things to check on the quote, whichever of Ricoh and Brother you pick
Brand comparisons tend to stop at speed and price.
The complaints that show up a year later are usually about none of that.
These are the operating details that decide whether a device suits your office, and the exact question to ask about the model you are quoted.
We have not bench-tested these machines, so the figures below are the ones to request rather than ones we assert.
1. Warm-up and first-page-out time
A device that sleeps deeply saves power and then makes everyone wait. In an office of short, frequent jobs this is felt more than the headline speed.
Ask: Ask for first-page-out time from sleep, not just pages per minute, on the exact model quoted.
2. Scan resolution and duplex scanning
If paper enters your document system through this machine, scan quality and whether it captures both sides in one pass matter more than print speed.
Ask: Ask for the optical scan resolution and whether the feeder is single-pass duplex.
3. Recommended monthly volume, not maximum duty cycle
Maximum duty cycle is a survival figure. The recommended monthly volume is the one the device is built to run at without accelerating wear.
Ask: Ask for the recommended monthly volume and compare it to your actual monthly pages.
4. Toner yield and what a full set costs
Yield varies widely between models at similar prices. On an all-inclusive agreement this is our cost rather than yours, but it tells you how the device was specified.
Ask: Ask for the rated yield per cartridge at 5 per cent coverage for the model quoted.
5. Driver and firmware support on your systems
The most common post-install complaint in IT forums is not hardware. It is a driver that fights a particular operating system, print server or scan-to-folder setup.
Ask: Name your operating systems and whether you use a print server, before you sign, not after.
6. Finishing fitted at install
Stapling, hole punch and extra trays are fitted to the device. Adding them later is not a simple upgrade on a three to five year agreement.
Ask: Describe the documents you actually produce so the finisher is specified once, correctly.
7. Who attends, and how fast
Two identical machines differ entirely depending on whether a technician is local or dispatched from a capital city.
Ask: Ask where the nearest technician is based and what the onsite response commitment is in writing.
Interactive · Right-size your printer
Find the right printer in 10 seconds
Three quick taps and we will point you to the device class that fits how your team actually prints. Then request a tailored quote.
Indicative guide only
- This tool suggests a device class. It does not quote a price.
- Leases start from $160 a month ex GST on a 36 to 60 month term (entry tier published price).
- Your final monthly cost is set by the finance provider when the lease is signed.
Your suggested fit
A4 colour multifunction
An everyday A4 colour multifunction for client-facing documents and general office printing at low to moderate volumes.
Get a quote for your Ricoh or BrotherMatch this device class to a written quote
We'll match this device class to a written lease quote for your business, sent the same business day, Monday to Friday.
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Tell us your monthly print volume and we'll match you to the right device. The form takes under 2 minutes.
Get your printer lease quote
Quick formBefore you enquire
Is there a short term option?
Terms run 36 to 60 months and nothing shorter is offered.
You pick the length at the start, and most businesses take 60 months.
Am I stuck with the equipment at the end?
You decide between upgrading to a newer model, continuing on the same device, or returning it.
Nothing renews on its own, and any new agreement is quoted in writing first.
Can the equipment be swapped later?
The agreement allows a move to a bigger printer or a different model.
A swap is re priced and confirmed in writing, then delivered usually within about 10 business days of a confirmed order, installation included.
Are we too small for this to be worth it?
Small offices lease as often as large ones.
Past roughly 500 pages a month, the comparison usually starts to favour leasing once cartridges and unplanned service calls are counted in.
Cartridges and unplanned service calls stop arriving separately and become one monthly set plan.
What if we are partway through an existing agreement?
Yes.
It is common for businesses who contact us to be partway through an existing agreement.
We prepare your quote now and time the new installation to your current lease end date, so there is no overlap and no print outage.
It is worth checking your existing contract notice window early, because those dates are easy to miss.
Call us or submit the form and we will map the changeover with you.
Frequently asked questions
Does LeasemyPrinter lease Ricoh?
LeasemyPrinter leases Kyocera, HP, Toshiba and Brother.
We do not currently lease Ricoh.
If your workflow genuinely needs A3, the closest match in our range is the Toshiba eStudio or Kyocera TASKalfa A3 colour family.
If your printing is A4, the Brother MFC-L range leases from $160 a month ex GST on a 36 to 60 month term.
Can a Brother MFC-L replace an A3 Ricoh device?
Only if your workflow does not use A3.
The MFC-L range is A4, so anything larger than A4 would need to go elsewhere.
The practical test is to look at what you actually printed last month above A4 size.
If that is nothing, an A4 device covers the work.
If it is regular, stay in the A3 class.
What is included in a Brother lease and what do I still pay for?
The monthly fee covers the equipment, toner, parts, service labour and call outs.
You only buy paper.
Leases start from $160 a month ex GST on a 36 to 60 month term.
Tell us your monthly volume and whether you need colour, and we will quote the matching MFC-L configuration.
What you get
Imagine one bill that never surprises you
Your Brother multifunction lease bundles the hardware and the running costs into a single set monthly payment, so the only thing you buy is paper.
No separate toner orders.
No surprise service bills.
Just one predictable line on the books.
Included in every lease: the device, scheduled maintenance, genuine Brother toner and consumables, and remote diagnostics for the contract term.
Not ready for a quote yet?
Book a time for us to call you, or read the buyer's guide first.
From Ricoh against Brother to one quote
You are weighing Ricoh against Brother. Tell us your volume and term, and we quote the Brother configuration that matches.
Print security and procurement: the numbers behind a Ricoh or Brother lease
Independent, sourced data on why a managed, single vendor print fleet matters and how the lease versus buy decision is treated for tax.
Each figure links to its source.
Australian businesses are small
97.3%
Of Australia's 2,729,648 actively trading businesses were small businesses with fewer than 20 employees at 30 June 2025.
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That is the segment a printer lease is built for.
It trades a large upfront purchase for a predictable monthly cost.
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics · ABS Counts of Australian Businesses, 30 June 2025 (n = 2,729,648)
Print related data loss
56%
Of organisations reported at least one print related data loss in the past year.
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An unmanaged printer stores and routes confidential documents.
For medical, legal, accounting and local government offices, that is a genuine exposure.
According to Quocirca Print Security Landscape 2025 · Quocirca, July 2025. International survey of 400 IT decision makers (US and Europe)
ATO instant asset write off, 2025 to 2026 window now closed
$20,000
If you bought equipment outright, the write off applied to eligible small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover under $10 million.
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It covered the business portion of eligible assets costing less than $20,000.
The asset had to be first used, or installed ready for use, between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.
That window has closed.
The threshold for 2026 to 2027 is not yet law, so check the current figure at ato.gov.au.
Genuine operating lease payments are instead deductible as a business expense each period.
General information, not tax advice.
Confirm the right structure for your situation with your accountant.
According to Australian Taxation Office · Australian Taxation Office, 2025 to 2026 income year