If you’re looking for a high-performance office printer to make your work life easier, there’s no shortage of impressive single-function and multifunction models available.
When it comes to the best business printer that suits your needs, however, you should be looking for a device with the ability to cope with office demands.
The best office printers offer fast print speeds without compromising image quality. Furthermore, they should be cost-effective, i.e. they won’t go through toner or ink cartridges too quickly or cost too much in electricity.
The office printers below are capable of coping with multiple people performing multiple tasks thought the course of the day. Businesses of all sizes regularly use networked computers to send documents. If an office printer has the ability to perform other functions, such as scanning, faxing, and photocopying, all the better.
A Note on Multifunction Printers
There are some first-rate multifunction printers recommended below that save on both money and space. Multifunction printers that are capable of scanning and photocopying save you mowing when compared to investing in each device individually. An underappreciated benefit, however, is that they also save on space.
Where to Begin
It isn’t unusual to find even a basic office on a network, and so having the ability to share a practical resource such as a printer can be more essential than useful. With that in mind, you should consider printers capable of connecting to a network. Wired provides robust function and speed for an office. While wireless is more flexible and inexpensive to deploy, it’s slow in use.
Below are the top 10 office printers for business use, large and small, from basic lasers to a small departmental multifunction printer. Each of the following printers are suitable for both small- and medium-sized businesses.
List of Best Printers for Office
1. Kyocera Ecosys P3155dn
This mono A4 printer’s minimal and smart design feels high-quality, as you would hope for when taking the price tag into account. There’s no inbuilt Wi-Fi or flashy touchscreen, but it can produce black and white prints economically and quickly. In fact, the cost per page works out at just 0.4p. With a deep paper tray capable of holding a ream of paper, and a 55 page per minute (ppm) maximum print speed, this high-capacity model is perfect for small offices with high-volume print demands.
2. Xerox VersaLink C400DN
Designed with busy small- and medium-sized businesses in mind, this model provides features you won’t find with your typical A4 laser printer. The interface, for example, is a touchscreen that resembles a smartphone on which you’re able to download apps to add functionality. Its printing its quite fast, and the tray can accommodate 550 sheets of A4 paper. It’s designed in such a way as to allow you to add a wheeled base unit and multiple paper trays. The VersaLink C400DN isn’t particularly economical to purchase or maintain, but there’s no doubting the excellent print quality.
3. Kyocera Ecosys FS-2100DN
This mono printer is sufficiently compact to sit in a small office. It also isn’t difficult to upgrade with additional paper trays should your print demands grow. You can insert 500 sheets of paper, or a maximum of 2,500 with each of the options added. At 40ppm, it prints quickly and offers drafts and duplex modes. The circular button keypad and display are less convenient than a touchscreen. With a high-capacity toner and lifetime drum, however, this is an economical method of high-volume printing.
4. Brother HL-L5100DN
Its battleship grey color might make it look unassuming and drab but this compact mono printer is capable of really churning out the paper. It features a fast 40ppm print speed, and its duplex pages aren’t much slower. Despite its size, it can hold 500 sheets of A4 paper. With no front USB port and no Wi-Fi, it isn’t the strongest printer on this list when it comes to features. However, it provides consistent quality, and printing is cost-effective, with a low cost per page. Overall, it’s a great choice for small and medium-sized businesses.
5. Xerox VersaLink B600DN
Printing 55 pages every 60 seconds, this is the quickest printer we’ve mentioned so far, which is why it’s such a great choice for a busy SMB. The premium machine might seem on the expensive side for a monochrome print-only device. However, the cost per page is competitive due to the reasonable cost of Xerox’s high-capacity toner cartridges. The five-inch intuitive touchscreen is of high quality, just like the pages it prints.
6. Oki C844dnw
An A3 printer capable of meeting the requirements of a business typically demands its own dedicated space in the office. Not so with this compact laser model. Despite its small footprint, however, it has an impressive capacity for paper. The main paper tray can hold 300 sheets, but you can also fit 100 more in the multi-purpose tray. If you purchase an additional tray, it can hold a further 535 pages. You can add four additional trays, along with a paper roll accessory if you want to print long banners. There may be faster models, but it ranks among the more flexible printers and is the smallest A3 printer you’ll find.
7. Epson EcoTank ET-M2140 Multifunction Printer
This multifunction model might seem costly as far as inkjet printers go, but Epson includes a decent amount of ink, as is often the case with Epson. The black ink bottle is enough for 11,000 pages, with Epson claiming that you’ll save 90 percent compared with cartridges. The main paper has the capacity to hold 250 pages, and the model can print crisp duplex pages at high resolution. The large LCD screen makes it more user-friendly, and its distinctive design was considered impressive enough for a Red Dot award.
8. HP PageWide Pro 477dw Multifunction Printer
HP’s PageWide technology might use inkjets but the pages don’t stutter like a typical inkjet. Rather they glide as if they were being printed on a laser printer. As a result, it has a high print speed at 55 pages per minute. It’s also capable of handling photo paper, as well as delivering vibrant color graphics up to A4. The PageWide Pro can copy simple pages by automatically scanning each side of the paper. Furthermore, it’s capable of printing 500 sheets, and there are options to upgrade available. Even without those options, however, this innovative and fast model is ideal for a busy medium-sized business. One of the main advantages of choosing an HP printer is those accessible solutions are available should you have any queries. If your HP printer won’t print black ink, for example, you’ll find it easy to resolve.
9. HP Color Laser MFP 179fnw
According to HP, this 4-in-1 color laser model takes up the least amount of space of any printer in its range, so if you are concerned about space, here’s an ideal solution. It’s also cost-effective, with relatively low running costs if you use the high-capacity toner cartridges. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, and is capable of printing, copying, scanning, and faxing. The Wi-Fi allows you to access all of the model’s functionality on your smartphone via HP’s companion app. At 18 pages per minute in black and white, it prints at moderate speed, although it’s only capable of printing on a single side.
10. Ricoh SP C261DNw
With its competitive pricing, Ricoh has added numerous key features, such as auto duplex mode, Wi-Fi connectivity, and important security features like PIN identification when picking up your printouts. The tiny display makes it appear slightly dated, and the print speed isn’t the fastest for a laser printer. However, it produces an impressive print quality of both color and mono pages.
Final Verdict
Numerous multifunction features are available and on a wide cost scale. Basic features begin with USB card and key readers, while more advanced features include Automatic Document Feeders (ADF) capable of managing 50 copies in one go, we all as producing booklets that include duplex stapling, folding, and stapling. Often, the most basic of ADF features can accommodate a typical medium-sized office.
We have seen a significant difference in cost per page between inkjet and paper printers in the past, but inkjets have decreased their price, enabling them to be more competitive. It’s important that you’re aware of the cost per page of each device, either way.
Manufacturers measure the cartridge or tone yields with an industry-standard ISO rating. This means that you can accurately assess the price of buying new toners or cartridges divided by a potential model’s print yield.
Finally, color printers, especially color laser printers, have traditionally come with a premium price tag. While they aren’t as expensive as they once were, they remain more so thanks to the additional resources required by the toners. There’s still a significant enough price difference, in fact, that if you don’t have much reason for regular color printing, you should choose a mono model. If you have an occasional need for color printing, you could always opt for a more economical inkjet model.
