Businesses require access to reliable, productive, and cost-effective commercial printers that, when needed, can produce large-scale bulk output. While professional print services are available, they increase costs and reduce flexibility. On-site business printers can help you quickly update handouts before a meeting or adjust a last-minute typo.
But finding bulk commercial printers that don’t take up significant office space is not always easy, especially for small businesses operating with little room and on a tight budget. Also, with many companies switching to remote working since the pandemic, finding printing solutions for a virtual workforce creates additional challenges.
While a range of impressive printers can handle significant use for small businesses, there are so many different types and models of printers, each with overlapping features, it is easy to get lost trying to find the best printer for a small business that corresponds to your specific needs.
To make buying a business printer easier, we’ve laid out some of the key specifications to look for before listing the five best HP printers for small business use.
Small business printer decisions
Monochrome vs colour
Purchasing a colour printer has obvious benefits, but if you’re only producing text documents, you may not find a significant advantage.
Monochrome printers are less expensive to run, only requiring black cartridges. As a result, a monochrome page could cost as little as 20% of that of a colour page. In addition, without having to worry about multiple cartridges and mixing colours, monochrome printers are often faster than colour printing devices.
There are many applications, such as marketing material, where colour is necessary to draw attention and convey your message. While the best colour printers for office use will always cost a little more to run, many options can handle significant use.
All-in-One vs single function
All-in-One (AiO) printers can be an ideal office solution, combining copying, scanning, and sometimes faxing into a single device. However, they may not be the best printer for small business use and completing bulk print jobs. For example, you don’t want an AiO printer spending all afternoon printing one large job and preventing others from performing quick scanning or copying tasks.
Depending on your small business circumstances, it is often better to have a separate single-function printer for bulk jobs and an AiO printer for general office use.
Inkjet vs laser
The age-old question when it comes to printer technology is inkjet vs laser. Laser printers use toner, which is rapidly applied to the page, and inkjet printers use ink applied via a printhead scanning across the page. Generally, this difference makes laser printers significantly faster than inkjet equivalents and more reliable, potentially making them better suited to bulk printing in an office environment.
However, laser-alternative inkjet printers are now available, utilizing fixed printhead arrays that don’t scan back and forth across the page and increase print speed. Also, many people prefer the print quality from inkjet printers, especially for graphics or photographs.
As far as cost goes, inkjet printers are typically cheaper to buy, while laser printers are cheaper to run since toner costs less than ink.
Key specifications to look for
A printer for bulk business uses will need to excel in print speed, the number of pages it can handle, and page yield – all aspects that will ensure quality work that’s printed quickly
Print speed
How fast it takes to print pages print speed is measured in pages per minute (ppm). Most printers will quote various print speeds for colour pages, monochrome pages, or specific size images.
Typically, when using a printer, the first page is significantly slower than the following pages. Print speed represents the number of pages once up and running. Related metrics describe the time it takes to produce the first page.
Duty cycle
The duty cycle measures how much printing your printer can handle. It is quoted in the number of pages per month, and the figure given is the top limit. Manufacturers also provide a recommended monthly page volume, a lower value that prevents significant stress on the machine and maintains optimum performance.
Page yield
Page yield estimates the number of pages you can print using a single cartridge. However, the value given is for only 5% page covering and typical printer use results in a lower final number.
When it comes to purchasing printer cartridges, small businesses can save a significant amount of money by reducing their cost per page with high-yield cartridges or refillable options.
5 best printers for small business use
1. HP Colour LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f
Shop HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f Printer Now!
For small to medium-sized businesses, the HP LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f is the best HP printer for office use. An AiO machine that lets you copy, scan, fax, and print in high volumes quickly. Plus, with a good page yield per toner cartridge, the LaserJet M480f has reasonable running costs. All this comes with simple wireless connectivity and a relatively small footprint, fitting comfortably on an office desk.
- Resolution: up to 600x600 dpi (black) 600x600 (colour)
- Weight: 23.2 kg
- Minimum dimensions: 415.4 x 472 x 399.0 mm
- Print speed: up to 27 ppm (black) and 27 ppm (colour)
- Monthly duty cycle: 55,000 pages
- Recommended monthly page volume: 900 to 4,800 pages
- Page yield (set-up/inbox cartridges): 2400 pages (black) 2100 pages (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)
2. HP PageWide Pro 477dw Wireless Multifunction Colour Printer
Shop HP Page Wide Pro 477dw Wireless Multifunction Colour Printer Now!
If you prefer inkjet printers but want the speed of a laser model, the HP PageWide Pro 477dw offers the best of both worlds. With a comparable recommended monthly page volume, the HP 477dw is actually faster than the M480f with an impressive 40 ppm output.
This is thanks to HP’s PageWide technology, where the printhead is the same size as the width of a page, so paper glides through in a smooth motion instead of the typical inkjet crawl. The new design also has fewer moving parts to increase reliability.
With the PageWide Pro 477dw, your small business gets the speed of a laser printer combined with impressive inkjet print quality. The improved resolution and vibrant tones make this the best colour printer for office use.
- Resolution: up to 1200x1200 dpi (black) 2400x1200 (colour)
- Weight: 22.15 kg
- Minimum dimensions: 530 x 407 x 467 mm
- Print speed: up to 40 ppm (black) and 40 ppm (colour)
- Monthly duty cycle: 50,000 pages
- Recommended monthly page volume: 750 to 4,500 pages
- Page yield (set-up/inbox cartridges): 2500 pages (black) 1000 pages (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)
3. HP LaserJet M234sdn Black & White Multifunction Network Printer
Shop HP LaserJet M234sdn Multifunction Network Printer Now!
If you don’t require colour printing, the HP LaserJet M234sdn is an ideal black and white small business workhorse. With excellent print speed and reasonable monthly volume, the LaserJet M234sdn provides no-nonsense performance at a low upfront cost, as well as affordable running costs.
The HP M234sdn comes with copy and scan functionality, the fastest two-sided printing at its price point, and an automatic document feeder to save time setting up print jobs. So if you just want simple text printouts, this LaserJet is the best monochrome printer for small businesses.
- Resolution: up to 600x600 dpi
- Weight: 9.5 kg
- Minimum dimensions: 418 x 308 x 294.4 mm
- Print speed: up to 29 ppm
- Monthly duty cycle: 20,000 pages
- Recommended monthly page volume: 200 to 2,000 pages
- Page yield (set-up/inbox cartridges): 700 pages
4. HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e All-in-One HP+ enabled Wireless Colour Printer
Shop HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e Wireless Colour Printer Now!
Suppose the options above overestimate how much printing your small business needs. In that case, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e is a superb all-around printer that can still handle a reasonable workload but at a lower price. The AiO inkjet machine produces high-quality printouts at a cheap cost per page, ideal for small offices with medium-duty print requirements.
Also, with a considerably smaller footprint and lightweight design, the HP 9015e takes up substantially less space and is easier to move around.
- Resolution: up to 1200x1200 dpi (black) 4800x1200 (colour)
- Weight: 9.29 kg
- Minimum dimensions: 439.3 x 342.5 x 278 mm
- Print speed: up to 15 ppm (black) and 10 ppm (colour)
- Monthly duty cycle: 25,000 pages
- Recommended monthly page volume: Up to 1,500 pages
- Page yield (set-up/inbox cartridges): 850 pages (black) 420 pages (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow)
5. HP LaserJet Pro M15a Printer
Shop HP LaserJet Pro M15a Printer Now!
Want to go for the no-frills budget option? The LaserJet Pro M15a delivers simple monochrome printouts, ideal for small businesses only needing standard text documents. Plus, the small, lightweight model takes up hardly any space in the office. You can also utilize wireless printing from the HP Smart App as an extra bonus.
- Resolution: up to 600x600
- Weight: 3.8 kg
- Minimum dimensions: 346 x 189 x 159 mm
- Print speed: up to 19 ppm
- Monthly duty cycle: 8,000 pages
- Recommended monthly page volume: 100 to 1,000 pages
- Page yield (set-up/inbox cartridges): 500 pages
Summary
Finding the best printer for small businesses can get confusing, especially if you want to print thousands of pages a month. However, whatever your budget or print volume needs, HP has a printer to fit your workplace.
Printers such as the LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f, PageWide Pro 477dw, and LaserJet M234sdn offer prime benefits for small businesses that require dependable quality and speed. For offices with simpler needs, the OfficeJet Pro 9015e and LaserJet Pro M15a will handle any daily tasks just fine.
