Thank you for all of the input! It seems like it depends on the school district as to the degree of hassle that goes with it. I'm kind of liking the idea of leasing a copier. That way there isn't an unforseen expense down the road that we didn't think of. And if the money isn't there to renew the lease at the end of it or if we find that the additional copier is as beneficial as we thought it would be there isn't this $10,000 piece of equipment that we are stuck with.

Anyone else who wants to offer up their experiences and or opinions I'd love to hear them!

I work in purchasing, please do not buy any copiers, with the high cost of maintenance the older the machine the higher the maintenance and maintenance agreement. I suggest leasing a new copier for 1-2 yrs only. You usually get free supplies with the purchase of a maintenance agreement, or with the a new machine on lease. Most corporations do not buy office equipment over $3000.00 they normally lease. New models come out every year just like a car and they also depreciate.

Hope this helps.

Our school has 420 students and we have 4 copy machines located in different parts of the school. The PTO bought one of them about 3 years ago. if you've got the money i don't see the problem. It makes life easier for the teachers and everything they copy is for the kids!

Also, we get to use the copy machine for free because we bought it. We just bring our own paper.

Our PTO purchased a copier for our school 4 years ago. I believe we spent around $6000. In our district we have to "gift" large purchases to the school so that it becomes district property and not PTO property. Our district also required that we pay a 3 year maintenance agreement on the copier before they would "accept" the item. We were under the assumption that the district would then, after 3 years, take over the annual maintenance fees. We found out in August that the district now expects the school to use part of its budget to pay for the maintenance fees for the copier. So our gift, 3 years later, is actually an expense to our school. I would suggest you ask lots of questions and get things in writing for what happens down the road.

Regarding who benefits from the copier, I think the teachers are usually copying worksheets or tests or whatever for the children to use to learn. I think copies are definitely benefiting the students.

We have 1100 students and 3 copiers - which one is usually broken and there is usually a line - I guess those issues never go away!

Hope this is helpful.

This is hugely complex decision. I'd ask that the district investigate options and perhaps the PTO contribute funds towards a solution. There are so many factors to consider, this could be very difficult for a PTO to make a good choice.

Many copiers now are multi-function machines that can be integrated into the computer network, used to scan images, print from various desktops, AND make copies. Even just on the copying side, there are lots of options in terms of sorting, stapling, duplexing, folding, speed, capacity, etc.

Yes, copiers can easily cost as much as house! Low end/low volume models probably start at $2000 and can go up to more than $100,000.

When an organization plans for new a copier, you have to estimate the potential volume (which no matter what you think you know - it will be more). Youll need to know if it's better to lease or buy, what features are required, if it needs to follow other standards - such as using the same toner cartridges as existing equipment or be a certain brand or model that can be supported as an extension of an exisiting service contract. And definitely you need to figure out how service/repairs will be handled.

An organization can totally own the copier, buy supplies as as needed and repair services as needed. It could be in a situation where everything is included and you get billed a per image cost. Or any hybrid in between - often where you have a plan that allows for X number of copies per month and certain services/repairs.

The on-going cost of toner and paper can be extreme, so knowing who will handle that is important as well.

There is so much to investigate on this, I'd be hesitant to take on the procurement piece as a PTO.

That being said, if your group has the funds and feel a new copier would benefit the kids (more/better handouts, teachers spending more time in the classroom and less waiting for copies, better communication, etc.), then helping pay for it could be justified as a PTO expense.

I wasn't sure where to post this question, so I figured here is as good as any. My son's school has one photo copier for 573 students, that I believe is 2 or 3 years old. And it seems like everytime I am in the faculty lounge (where the copier is located) there is a problem with it. There have been a few people suggest that the PTO buy an additional copier for the school.

The copier is almost always being used and sometimes there is a line of 3-4 people waiting for it. So maybe another copier is what the school needs.

I have some questions though.

First, how do you explain a new copier qualifying under our "all the money goes directly back to the students and school" policy we promote? Personally, I feel if it benefits the teachers and makes their life easier then it benefits the students. And I know that any parent that has volunteered and had to use the copier at least once will say, 'Heck yeah, buy a new copier!' I'm not sure others would agree.

Second, is one copier for a school our size pretty standard? Or do we really need 2?

Thrid, I haven't a clue how much copiers cost. Our Treasurer mentioned it to the principal who told her that the district paid $60,000 for the copier! Is that even possible? Like I said I'm clueless about this. And the principal also told her that when they buy a copier it has to be through one particular vendor who the district has a contract with. She said she wasn't sure if that had to be honored were the PTO to be the ones to buy the copier.

Fourth, what is the cost of maintaining the copier for a year? I know that a service/maintenance agreement would be necessary. But what about things like toner and paper? We don't want to get into a situation where we can't afford to maintain it every year.

So there you have it. Any help anyone has to offer would be greatly appreciated!