Introduction
Once you have decided a production envelope press belongs in your shop, one question remains: buy it outright or finance it?
There is no universal answer. There is, however, a small set of questions that decides it for most operations — and a clear picture of what is actually on offer, which is where a lot of confusion starts.
Key Takeaways
- iJetColor sells manufacturer-direct and arranges financing through Synergy Financial Resources
- It does not lease, rent or supply copiers or general office printers
- Financing can start with zero payments upfront and 90-day deferred payments
- End-of-term options include $1.00 buyout, 10% PUT and FMV
- Early payoff discounts exist, and there is no blanket lien on business assets
- The press should be sized on volume before the payment method is discussed
First, What Is Actually On Offer
Worth being precise, because the office-equipment market has trained everyone to expect something different.
iJetColor manufactures HP thermal inkjet envelope presses and sells them direct. There is no dealer in between. For customers who would rather not pay cash, it arranges equipment financing through its partner Synergy Financial Resources.
What it does not do is lease, rent or supply copiers and office printers. If you are looking for a multifunction office device on a monthly contract, this is the wrong supplier — and saying so early saves everyone time.
The Case For Buying Outright
Paying cash is simple, and simplicity has value:
- No finance agreement, no term, no end-of-term decision
- No interest cost over the life of the asset
- The press is yours from day one
- Nothing to unwind if the business changes shape
It works best when the capital is genuinely spare, when the press will run for many years, and when the business has no higher-return use for the same money.
The Case For Financing
Financing exists to solve a timing problem: the press earns from month one, but paying for it in month zero takes capital out of the business at exactly the wrong moment.
The Synergy Financial Resources terms are built around that:
- Zero payments upfront — the press arrives without an initial outlay
- 90-day deferred payments — installation, commissioning and the first production runs happen before the first payment
- Early payoff discounts — a good year does not lock you into the full term
- No blanket lien on business assets — the financing is tied to the equipment, not to everything you own
That last point is more significant than it looks. A blanket lien can constrain other borrowing; its absence keeps the rest of your balance sheet free.
End-Of-Term Options
Three routes, chosen at the start:
- $1.00 buyout — you own the press at the end for a nominal payment. Effectively a purchase spread over time; payments are higher, ownership is certain.
- 10% PUT — a defined 10% payment at the end, sitting between the other two.
- FMV (fair market value) — the lowest payments during the term, with a fair-market purchase, return or renewal decision at the end.
Pick on how confident you are that you will still want this specific press at the end of the term. If you know you are keeping it, $1.00 buyout usually costs less overall. If you want flexibility, FMV buys it.
The Questions That Actually Decide It
How is your cash flow shaped? Seasonal operations often prefer financing with a deferral that lands the first payment after a busy period.
How quickly does the press start earning? Envelope work brought in-house typically starts contributing immediately. A 90-day deferral can mean the press has generated revenue before it costs anything.
How long will you run it? Long horizons favor ownership, whether direct or via $1.00 buyout.
What else could the capital do? If the same money could fund finishing equipment, a hire or a marketing push with a better return, financing the press is the rational choice.
Does other borrowing matter? No blanket lien means the financing does not tie up assets you may need to leverage elsewhere.
Size The Press First
None of this matters if the machine is wrong. Payment method is the second decision; capability is the first.
- HP iJetColor 1175 — compact benchtop, up to 7,000 #10 envelopes per hour, 110V 15A, 9 ft by 3 ft
- HP iJetColor 1175C — console, 6,210 to 10,000+ per hour, built for 100,000+ envelopes a month
- HP iJetColor 1175 Pro + PXG — 10,000+ per hour plus packaging to 14" x 20" and 1/2" thick, for 150,000+ envelopes a month
- HP iJetColor 1275 Pro — up to 20,000 #10 envelopes per hour on an HP TIJ 4.0 108 mm CMYK printbar
All four run with a single operator, print full-bleed with PMS color matching from a PDF-based DFE and RIP, and use pigment-based HP ink that is water, fade and scratch resistant.
Do Not Forget The Service Line
Whichever way you pay, an iJetAdvantage service and supply agreement shapes the running cost: 24/7 free phone technical support with live response guaranteed within 60 minutes during business hours, first-year non-wearable parts warranty free with signature, discounts on ink and wearable parts, free unlimited training, remote web diagnostics, firmware upgrades, and next-day replacement printheads and spare parts. Without it, phone technical support is $150 per hour per incident.
Conclusion
Buy outright if the capital is spare, the horizon is long and nothing else in the business needs the money more. Finance if you would rather the press pay for itself out of the work it brings in — the zero-upfront and 90-day-deferred structure is designed for exactly that.
Either way, size the press to your real monthly volume first. To model both routes against your own numbers, call (800) 456-1400.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does iJetColor lease printers?
iJetColor sells manufacturer-direct and arranges equipment financing for its own presses through its partner Synergy Financial Resources. It does not lease, rent or supply copiers or general office printers.
What financing terms are available?
Zero payments upfront, 90-day deferred payments, $1.00 buyout, 10% PUT or FMV options, early payoff discounts, and no blanket lien on your business assets.
Which end-of-term option is cheapest overall?
$1.00 buyout generally costs least in total if you intend to keep the press, since it is effectively a purchase spread over the term. FMV gives the lowest payments during the term but leaves a purchase, return or renewal decision at the end.
What does "no blanket lien" mean in practice?
The financing is secured against the equipment rather than against your business assets generally, so it does not tie up collateral you may want to use for other borrowing.
Can I pay a finance agreement off early?
Early payoff discounts are part of the Synergy Financial Resources program. Confirm the specific terms for your agreement when it is structured.
Should I choose the press or the payment plan first?
The press. Capability, volume, substrate and footprint decide which machine fits; the payment method is a separate conversation once the right machine is identified.
