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Litho Press Finance

Spread the cost of a litho press from £35,000 to £550,000+ with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance, compare rates from 40+ lenders.

Can you finance a litho press?

Yes, litho presss are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £35,000 to £500,000, and most deals are written over 12–84 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 24–48 hours. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

200+ UK lenders
2-minute application
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Typical Cost

£35k – £500k

Approval Speed

24–48 hours

Same-day for < £100k

Rates From

4.5% APR

What would a litho press cost per month?

£135,000
10%
60 months
9%
£0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical litho press price. Indicative only, not a quote.

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Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate
From 4.9% APR
Term
12–84 months
Deposit
10–20%
Ownership
Yours at the end
Best for
Print businesses wanting to own the press outright

Finance Lease

Rate
From 4.5% APR
Term
12–84 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for
Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate
From 5.2% APR
Term
24–60 months
Deposit
None required
Ownership
Return at end
Best for
Always have the latest technology. Off balance sheet.

Representative example

On a purchase price of £135,000: a 10% deposit of £13,500, then 48 monthly payments of £2,848 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £150,204, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification Guide price Type
2-colour sheetfed litho press, small format £30,000–£65,000 Small Format Litho
4-colour sheetfed litho press, medium format (Heidelberg class) £150,000–£300,000 Medium Format Litho
4-colour sheetfed litho press, medium format (Komori class) £140,000–£310,000 Medium Format Litho
Web-fed litho press for long-run book and directory work £350,000–£550,000 Web-fed Litho

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Tax benefits

A litho press qualifies for Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting you deduct the full cost from taxable profits in the year of purchase, up to £1,000,000. Hire purchase agreements let you claim capital allowances on the machine. Lease payments are generally deductible in full against profits as they fall due.

Market context

Litho presses, the offset lithography process, distinct from the digital engines increasingly used for short runs, are bought by commercial printers, book manufacturers and publication printers running lengths where the per-sheet cost of litho beats digital. Because make-ready and plate costs are fixed regardless of run length, buyers typically finance a press sized to the run lengths that make litho worthwhile for their client base, rather than chase every job that comes in. Replacement tends to follow a shift in run lengths, more short-run and personalised work pulling volume towards digital, or a customer wanting a larger sheet or extra colour station, rather than the press failing outright; litho presses are mechanically simple and can run productively for decades with proper maintenance. A well-established secondhand market exists for sheetfed litho presses from the major manufacturers, and used values hold up noticeably better for some builders than others, which matters if refinancing is part of the plan.

Bad credit?

Several of our 200+ lenders specialise in businesses with imperfect credit histories. You may need a larger deposit or personal guarantee, but options exist. Checking your options here does not affect your credit score, because we do not run a credit search to match you. A lender will run their own checks only if you decide to apply.

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Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between financing a litho press and a digital press?
The press itself works the same way from a lender's point of view, mechanically simple, long-lived, with a real secondhand market, so terms and used-equipment appetite look more like offset than digital. What differs is the ongoing cost structure: plates, ink and blankets are a separate, run-length-driven expense you pay as you print, rather than the click-charge contract that comes with most digital engines. That's worth factoring in when comparing the total cost of a litho press against a digital alternative, separately from the finance decision itself.
Can I finance a used litho press?
Yes, most lenders will finance used sheetfed litho presses up to 15 to 20 years old given how long they typically stay productive. Expect a request for an independent valuation on anything over a decade old, and rates around 0.5 to 1% above new-equipment rates. Value retention varies by manufacturer, so the make of press affects both the loan-to-value the lender offers and how easily you could refinance it later.
What deposit is typical?
Hire purchase agreements usually ask for a 10 to 20% deposit. Finance leases and operating leases often require none, which can suit a printer wanting to preserve cash for paper stock and plates. A larger deposit tends to bring the rate down and reduces the monthly commitment. Newer businesses or those with a thinner credit history are sometimes asked for a deposit toward the higher end of that range, or a personal guarantee instead. It's worth discussing your specific trading position with a broker before assuming the standard range will apply to you.
Can I include plate-making equipment in the same finance agreement?
Often, yes. Where a CTP (computer-to-plate) unit is being bought alongside the press as part of the same supplier package, most lenders will finance both on one agreement rather than requiring separate applications. It's worth asking your broker to structure it this way since running two agreements for what's really one production line adds unnecessary admin. Confirm this with your broker at the quote stage rather than after the press order is placed.
How quickly can I get litho press finance?
Straightforward deals under £100,000 are often approved within 24 to 48 hours. Larger presses, or ones involving import, rigging or a part-exchange of the existing press, typically take one to two weeks while the lender confirms freight, installation and disposal arrangements. Turnaround improves further if you use a broker who already knows which lenders are active in this equipment category, since the application goes straight to a lender likely to say yes rather than being tested against several in sequence.

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