When a Leased Printer Breaks Down, and What Happens Next
Last updated: September 2026
On a bundled lease, break fix service, parts, labour and call outs are inside the monthly fee, so a breakdown is logged with the supplier rather than paid for separately.
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.
Tell us how your fleet runs today
Quick formCovered, and not covered
- Covered: the device failing through normal use, parts wearing out, and the labour and call out to put it right.
- Covered: toner and the consumables the device needs to keep working.
- Not covered by service: damage, fire, flood or theft. That is an insurance matter.
- Not covered: paper, which is the one running cost outside the monthly figure.
Who arranges that cover is set out in who insures a leased printer.
Your first ten minutes
- Note the exact error shown on the panel, including any code. It is the one detail that helps the help desk most.
- Note the device serial or asset number, which is normally on a label at the front or side.
- Try the one restart, but do not keep power cycling. Repeated restarts can turn a simple fault into a longer one.
- Log the fault rather than waiting to see whether it clears. The clock on any response commitment starts when it is logged.
Keeping the office working
Redirect jobs to another device if there is one, which is far easier where the fleet is consistent.
Ask about a loan device where the repair is likely to run long. Whether one is provided depends on the agreement.
For anything urgent, a phone call reaches a person faster than a form does.
If the office cannot print at all, say that when logging it. It changes how the fault is triaged.
If you already lease from us and the machine has stopped, call us on the number above rather than filling in a form. A live fault is handled by the service team, not by a quote.
What an agreement usually promises is set out in printer service level agreements and response times.
Common questions
Who pays to repair a leased printer?
On a bundled agreement the repair is inside the monthly fee, covering parts, service labour and the call out.
Damage, fire, flood and theft are insurance matters rather than service ones.
What should I have ready when reporting a fault?
The exact error message and any code shown on the panel, and the device serial or asset number from the label.
Those two things let the help desk triage the fault instead of asking you to go and look.
Will I get a loan machine while mine is repaired?
It depends on the agreement.
Some provide one after a stated number of days, some on request, and some not at all.
It is worth confirming when the agreement is signed rather than during an outage.
Should I keep restarting a printer that has an error?
Try one restart, then stop.
Repeated power cycling can turn a straightforward fault into a longer repair, and the time is better spent logging the fault so any response commitment starts running.
Related reading
If the way the fleet runs today is costing time, you can compare managed print services against a plain printer lease.