Independent copier, print and phone consultants
DMC compares copiers and printers from across the market, negotiates the price, the service rates and the finance, then reads the agreement line by line before you sign. We're completely independent, so the only side we're on is yours.
Rather talk it through? 01206 272150 Colchester, with local lines in Chelmsford, Ipswich and London.
Clients have included
Why independent matters
Most businesses sign a copier agreement every few years. The people selling them do it every day. That's why the expensive parts of a deal tend to live in the small print: the term, the price rises, the minimums and the way out. Our consultants have worked inside the copier industry, so we know exactly where to look.
This Agreement shall continue for further periods of 12 months unless terminated by written notice received not less than 90 days before the end of the Minimum Term.
Many agreements don't simply end. Unless written notice arrives inside a set window, they carry on. The Department for Education's advice to schools is that you can give notice as soon as the lease is signed.
What we do: We find your notice dates and put them in the diary, months ahead.
Service and cost-per-copy charges may be increased annually by 8% or RPI, whichever is greater.
Service and cost-per-page charges often rise every year. Over a five-year term, a small percentage compounds into a big number.
What we do: We negotiate fixed rates or a cap, in writing, before you sign.
Minimum billing: 4,500 mono and 1,500 colour impressions per quarter.
Some service agreements charge for a minimum number of pages every quarter, whether you print them or not.
What we do: We size your volumes from a print audit of what you really print.
Any balance outstanding on existing agreements will be settled within this Agreement.
A new machine part-way through a lease usually means the old balance is settled into the new one, where it attracts interest all over again. The Department for Education's guidance is blunt: don't add a settlement cost to a new lease.
What we do: We show you exactly what is being settled, and what it costs, before you decide.
Minimum Term: 60 months from the date of installation.
The minimum term is fixed, whatever happens to your business or to the technology. A five-year agreement is a five-year commitment.
What we do: We match the term and the finance to your plans, and say so when shorter is smarter.
Collection, removal and data erasure will be charged at the prevailing rate.
Copiers keep data on their drives, and the ICO says a reformat isn't enough to delete it securely. Collection charges can also appear only at the end.
What we do: We agree exit costs up front, plus certified secure erasure of your data.
Sources: Department for Education, leasing equipment for schools; ICO, deleting your data from devices; Finance & Leasing Association business checklist. The clauses shown are illustrations.
Already signed? We can still help, from your next notice date onwards.
Check Your ContractThe two-minute Contract Check
Put in the numbers from your last invoice and answer seven quick questions about your agreement. You'll see your true cost per page, what each tenth of a penny is worth, and which terms deserve a second look. Nothing is sent unless you choose to send it.
What we do
Copiers are where most clients start with us. Plenty stay for the rest, because the same rules apply: compare properly, negotiate hard, check the paperwork, and stick around afterwards.
The right machines for how your office really works, sourced from across the market and matched to what you print.
A second pair of expert eyes on what you have now and what you're being offered.
Scan it, file it and find it again in seconds, with one secure place for the documents your business runs on.
Hosted telephony that runs over the internet, so your phones are ready before the old network is switched off.
Finance, arranged for you. DMC Consultancy Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker (FRN 670898), not a lender. We can arrange lease or rental finance and explain every term before you commit.
How it works
You get one adviser from the first conversation to the day the machine is replaced. No call centre, no hand-offs.
Your machines, your agreements and what you really print, from your invoices or a full print audit.
Equipment and service from several manufacturers, matched to your office rather than to anyone's sales target.
The equipment price, the cost per page, the service terms and the finance, in writing.
Every term, notice period and charge, before anything is signed. You'll know your dates.
Installation, office moves, service problems and your next renewal. One number to call.
They spec'd what we needed, approached suppliers, negotiated rates, arranged the finance and saved us a fortune every time. Knowing we were moving a month or two after installation, they also negotiated free relocation of the machines for us.
Dealer or independent?
A good dealer will sell you a good machine. It just has to be one of theirs. We're free of manufacturer ties, so our job is to find the right one, wherever it comes from.
| What you get | Buying from a single-brand dealer | Buying with DMC |
|---|---|---|
| Choice | One manufacturer's range | Equipment from across the market, compared side by side |
| Advice | From the people selling that brand | From consultants free of manufacturer ties |
| Price | One quote to accept or haggle | Competing quotes, then negotiated |
| The small print | Their agreement, for you to read | Checked line by line, with your dates diarised |
| After the sale | Their service desk | Your DMC adviser as well, for as long as you need us |
What clients say
In their own words, from the organisations that have trusted us with their equipment and their contracts.
What is so refreshing about DMC is that they not only offer excellent after care service but are able to provide solutions from multiple manufacturers with a number of different service options rather than being limited to a one size fits all approach.
We were looking for the right equipment at the right price but probably more importantly transparent contract terms, amended to suit us which DMC were able to deliver.
We've developed a great relationship over the years. DMC have helped us choose the equipment and functionality that is right for our needs and supported us every step of the way.
DMC gave very competitive pricing and their attention to detail was second to none. The after sales personal touch they offer is very important to us.
It saved time, money and gave access to all of the manufacturer solutions. Our requirements were evolving and nothing ever seemed too much effort.
Business phones
Openreach is switching off the UK's old copper phone network on 31 January 2027, and it has said there will be no extension. ISDN goes too. Lines that haven't moved by then may be put on a temporary, emergency, voice-only service.
The switch-off deadline
31 January 2027
107 days to go
Sources: Openreach, 31 July 2026 and BT Business.
Document management
Contracts, invoices, HR files and client records belong in one secure, searchable place, not in filing cabinets, inboxes and somebody's desktop. We set up document management that fits the way your team works, including Filestar Cloud, a UK-built system.
Source: GOV.UK: company and accounting records.
Ask About Document ManagementLocal, independent, established
DMC has been helping organisations across Essex, Suffolk and London since 2005, from Langham Barns, a few minutes from Colchester, since 2008. We are still independent, still local, and still on the end of the phone long after the machines are installed.
Our consultants have worked in the photocopier industry, in sales and marketing. We know how the deals are put together, which is exactly why our clients want us on their side of the table.
Proud to support Colchester United. The club has called DMC “one of the U's longest standing friends”. We sponsored its Young Player of the Year award five years running, and were match ball sponsors the night the U's knocked Tottenham Hotspur out of the Carabao Cup in September 2019.
Questions
Can't see yours? Ask us. We'll give you a straight answer, even if it's that you don't need us.
Ask a QuestionNo. DMC is completely independent and free of manufacturer ties, so we can compare equipment from across the market and recommend whatever suits you best.
We're tied to none of them. Over the years our clients' machines have come from manufacturers including Canon, HP, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Ricoh, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox, matched to the job rather than to a brand.
We won't promise that before we've read it, because every agreement is different. We'll tell you your real options and dates, what it would cost to change, and the cheapest way forward, including when to give notice.
Talk to us first. Upgrades part-way through a term usually settle your old balance into the new agreement, so the new machine is rarely free. We'll show you what is being settled and what it really costs.
Yes. DMC Consultancy Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker (FRN 670898). We are a broker, not a lender, and we explain every term before you commit.
A look at every printer and copier you have, what each one prints and what it costs you. It shows where to cut machines, cost and waste, and gives you real volumes to negotiate with.
You keep the same adviser. We help with service problems, office moves and relocations, and we're in touch well before your notice window so nothing rolls over by accident.
Yes. Our clients have included law firms, chambers of commerce, a county cricket club and a housing provider, and plenty of smaller offices with one or two machines.
We're based at Langham, just outside Colchester, and look after clients across Essex, Suffolk and London, with local numbers in Colchester, Chelmsford, Ipswich and London.
Yes. Openreach switches off the old copper phone network on 31 January 2027 and has said there will be no extension. ISDN lines go too, and anything that still relies on them, such as alarms, lift lines and card machines, needs a plan.
Free contract review
Tell us what you have and what you've been offered. We'll look at it properly and tell you plainly what we'd do, with no obligation to go any further.
