A print shop puts industrial demands on a retail or flex space: heavy three-phase power, floor load for presses, ventilation for inks, toner, and solvents, and the environmental handling those chemicals require. Those needs drive the build-out and the restoration bill, and the lease decides who carries them. For the dollar math, see the printing and copy shop exposure breakdown; for general terms, the commercial lease checklist.
This is an observational checklist. Each item names what to find in your lease and why it matters — it does not tell you what to decide. Confirm what your document actually says for each point, and treat any protection that is simply absent as information about where your exposure sits. The legal judgment about what to do with what you find is yours.
1. The Power, Load, and Ventilation Terms
Equipment defines the space requirements.
- Electrical capacity. Confirm the space carries the (often three-phase) power that presses and finishing equipment require, and who pays for any upgrade.
- Floor load. Find whether the floor carries the load of presses and heavy equipment, and who is responsible for reinforcement.
- Ventilation and chemical handling. Confirm responsibility for ventilation for inks, toner, and solvents, and for storing and disposing of those chemicals.
- HVAC and humidity. Find which party maintains the HVAC and any humidity control paper and equipment need.
2. The Build-Out and Money Terms
Rent is more than base rent.
- Tenant improvement allowance. Confirm the build-out contribution for the power, ventilation, and equipment installation.
- Lease structure, CAM, and escalation. Confirm whether the lease is gross or triple-net (NNN), whether CAM increases are capped, and the annual escalation. The CAM charges calculator estimates the range.
- Restoration and surrender condition. Find the condition the lease requires the space to be returned in, including removal of equipment and any chemical cleanup. The restoration cost estimator gives a range.
3. The Operating Terms
How the shop runs is partly set by the lease.
- Permitted use and hours. Confirm the permitted-use clause covers printing, copying, and any finishing or shipping services, and the hours allowed.
- Loading and signage. Find the loading-dock or delivery access for paper and supplies, and the storefront signage permitted.
4. The Liability and Exit Terms
These decide whose assets are on the line and what it costs to leave.
- Personal guaranty. Confirm whether you are personally guaranteeing the lease and whether it is capped. An unlimited personal guaranty puts your own assets behind the full remaining lease value; negotiated leases commonly include a cap, time limit, or burn-off. The personal guaranty calculator sizes the exposure.
- Environmental responsibility. Find who bears responsibility for any contamination from inks and solvents, and whether the indemnity is one-way.
- Assignment, early termination, and holdover. Confirm assignment rights, any early-termination right, and the holdover rent. The early termination calculator estimates the exposure.
5. The Dispute Terms
These decide the outcome if the relationship goes wrong.
- Default, cure, and landlord mitigation. Confirm how default is defined, the cure period, and whether the landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-let after a default.
- Attorney fees, jury waiver, and venue. Confirm whether fee-shifting is one-way or mutual, whether you are waiving a jury trial, and which state’s law governs.
How to use the result: Mark every item you cannot answer from the lease text. The unanswered items are your shortlist for questions, negotiation, or counsel review — and a missing protection is itself a finding, not a blank to ignore. Related reading: printing and copy shop exposure breakdown and the personal guaranty guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check in a printing or copy shop lease before signing?
Confirm the heavy items first: electrical capacity (often three-phase), floor load for presses, ventilation for inks and solvents, and chemical handling and disposal. Then confirm the build-out, environmental responsibility, the personal guaranty, assignment rights, and restoration. Confirm each against the lease text before signing.
Does a print shop need three-phase power?
Larger presses and finishing equipment frequently require three-phase power, and adding it to a space that lacks it is costly. Confirm the available electrical capacity and who pays for any upgrade before committing to the space.
Who is responsible for ink and solvent contamination?
It depends on the lease. Inks and solvents can create environmental and disposal obligations, so confirm which party is responsible for handling, disposal, and any contamination, and whether the environmental indemnity runs one way or is mutual.
Should a print shop lease be reviewed by an attorney?
Print shop leases combine industrial power and load demands, chemical handling, environmental responsibility, and a personal guaranty, so they are commonly reviewed by counsel before signing. A checklist and an automated scan can tell you where the exposure sits; the legal judgment about what to do with that information is yours.