- Top Pick: Brother DCP-L2640DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Printer, Copy, Scan, Duplex, Mobile Printing
- Best Value: HP OfficeJet Pro 9135 Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer, Print, Scan, Copy, Fax, ADF, Duplex Print/scan, Best-for-Office, 3 Month Trial of Instant Ink Included, AI-Capable (C2WM0A)
- Premium Choice: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301sdw | Color Printer | Wireless | All-in-One | Duplex
For a shared office, the Canon imageCLASS MF455dw is the pick for fast black-and-white volume, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw and Brother MFC-L8395CDW cover color laser workgroups, the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 suits teams that want low ink costs, and the Brother MFC-J6955DW is the choice when staff also need 11×17 paper. Match the printer to monthly page volume, color needs and how many people share it, and you avoid most buying mistakes.
- At a Glance: Office Printer Comparison
- How Office Printers Differ From Home Models
- Best Office Printers for Small Business Workgroups
- Best Office Color Printers: Laser Versus Inkjet
- High Volume Printers: What to Watch
- Sizing the Printer to the Team
- Setup and Compatibility Notes
- Decision Table
- Alternatives
- Frequently Asked Questions
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At a Glance: Office Printer Comparison
| Model | Type | Best for | Stated specs | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon imageCLASS MF455dw | Mono laser MFP | High-volume black-and-white teams | Up to 40 ppm (letter), recommended 750 to 4,000 pages a month, up to 900 sheets with optional tray, 50-sheet ADF | No color |
| Brother MFC-L8395CDW | Color laser MFP | Color workgroups | Up to 31 ppm with duplex, 250 + 30 sheet inputs (530 with optional tray), 50-sheet ADF, duty cycle up to 50,000 pages, recommended 4,000 | Heavier than inkjets |
| Brother MFC-L3780CDW | Color laser MFP | Small offices | Up to 31 ppm, duplex print/scan/copy/fax, 50-sheet ADF, recommended up to 4,000 pages | Single 250-sheet tray as standard |
| HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw | Color laser MFP | Fast color with fax | Up to 35 ppm black / 33 ppm color (letter/A4), 300 sheets standard, 50-sheet ADF, duty cycle up to 50,000 | Toner firmware lock reported |
| Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 | Ink tank MFP | Low ink cost, pigment | 25 ppm, 50-sheet ADF, 500-sheet tray capacity, duty cycle up to 66,000 | Slower for color than lasers |
| Brother MFC-J6955DW | Wide-format inkjet MFP | Offices needing 11×17 | Up to 30 ppm, 11×17 support, 500 sheets total, 50-sheet ADF, duty cycle 40,000 | Cartridge ink |
How Office Printers Differ From Home Models
Office machines are rated for heavier use, with larger trays, faster engines, more network features and security controls. Brother’s MFC-L8395CDW, for example, lists Secure Function Lock, Secure Print, 802.1x and IPSec support, which matter if several people share a device on a managed network. A monthly duty cycle is the ceiling; the recommended monthly volume is the realistic range for long life. Pick a printer whose recommended range comfortably covers your page count.
Best Office Printers for Small Business Workgroups
Canon imageCLASS MF455dw (mono laser)
Canon lists up to 40 ppm on letter and 32 ppm on legal, a 250-sheet cassette, a 100-sheet multipurpose tray, and an optional 550-sheet tray for 900 sheets in total. It includes a 50-sheet two-sided document feeder, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, a 5-inch touch panel and a 3-year limited warranty. Cartridge 057 black comes in standard (up to 3,100 pages) and high-capacity (up to 10,000 pages) versions, so the high-capacity cartridge is the one to look at for heavy use.
Brother MFC-L8395CDW (color laser)
Brother lists up to 31 ppm print and copy speeds with duplex, scan speeds up to 58 ipm via the ADF, Gigabit Ethernet and dual-band wireless. The starter toners yield about 3,000 pages black and 1,400 color; super high-yield replacements are rated around 4,500 pages black and 4,000 per color. The duty cycle is up to 50,000 pages a month with a recommended 4,000.
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw
This is the quickest color laser in this list on paper: up to 35 ppm black and 33 ppm color on letter/A4. It has a 50-sheet ADF that scans both sides, a 250-sheet tray plus a 50-sheet multipurpose tray, fax at up to 33.6 kbps, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet. HP’s 210X black cartridge is rated at about 7,500 pages. Reviewers warn about firmware that limits non-HP toner, and HP’s own guide for small-business color laser buyers positions this model as the one to choose if you need print, scan, copy and fax together.
Brother MFC-L3780CDW
A step down in size and speed, with up to 31 ppm, duplex everything, a 500-page fax memory and Gigabit Ethernet. An optional lower tray doubles paper capacity. It suits offices of a few people.
Best Office Color Printers: Laser Versus Inkjet
Color lasers print text sharply and keep per-page color cost steadier at volume. Color inkjets are cheaper to buy and can do better with photo-like graphics, but cost more per page and rely on cartridges or tanks. The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 sits between the two: it uses four DuraBrite pigment ink bottles, with replacement yields of roughly 7,500 pages (black) and 6,000 pages (each color) per the maker. Epson also lists a SuperG3 fax modem, 550 pages of fax memory and a recommended monthly volume of 3,300 pages.
The Brother MFC-J6955DW is for offices that need tabloid (11×17) output. Brother lists two 250-sheet trays plus a 100-sheet multipurpose tray, a single-pass duplex 50-sheet ADF, Ethernet, dual-band wireless and an integrated NFC card reader. The in-box ink is rated as up to one year based on about 300 pages a month, and standard cartridges yield 3,000 (black) and 1,500 (color), with XL cartridges at 6,000 and 5,000.
High Volume Printers: What to Watch
- Toner yield and cost per page. Compare the high-yield cartridge page counts across models rather than the starter ones.
- Paper capacity. If you refill trays several times a day, add an optional lower tray or choose a model with 500 sheets standard.
- Duplex ADF. Single-pass duplex scanning cuts scan time on double-sided originals.
- Security features. Features such as secure print and user lock matter when documents contain client data.
- Supplies lock. Some makers restrict third-party toner or ink through firmware; plan on brand supplies.
If you outgrow these, step up to a larger workgroup machine. Xerox’s VersaLink C7100 series offers A3/tabloid color multifunction models rated at 20, 25 and 30 ppm with recommended volumes from 5,500 to 7,000 pages a month, according to Xerox. These are larger investments and often bought through office dealers.
Sizing the Printer to the Team
As a rough guide drawn from the makers’ own recommended volumes: a team of two to four people printing a few hundred pages a month fits any of the compact models here. Five to ten people sharing one machine, or anyone printing several thousand pages a month, should look at the Canon MF455dw, Brother MFC-L8395CDW or HP 4301fdw, where trays are larger and the recommended range reaches 4,000 pages. Above that, an A3 workgroup machine or a managed print contract from an office dealer is more realistic than a desktop unit. Also think about downtime: two cheaper printers can be more resilient than one expensive one if a jam or a toner shortage would stop the whole office.
Setup and Compatibility Notes
- Use Ethernet for shared printers where possible; it avoids Wi-Fi dropouts.
- AirPrint and Mopria are listed on the Brother and Canon models for Apple and Android printing without extra drivers.
- For fax, you need an analog line or adapter.
- Allow room: color laser MFPs and the Epson ET-5850 are large, and the wide-format Brother weighs more than most desktop machines.
- Read the macOS and Windows driver notes on the maker’s support page for scanning features.
Decision Table
| Pick | If you… |
|---|---|
| Canon imageCLASS MF455dw | Print mostly black-and-white at volume and want a long warranty |
| Brother MFC-L8395CDW | Need a color laser with expandable paper and security controls |
| HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw | Want speed and fax in a color laser and accept HP supply rules |
| Brother MFC-L3780CDW | Run a smaller team that needs color and fax |
| Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 | Print a lot and want to cut ink cost with bottles |
| Brother MFC-J6955DW | Need 11×17 printing and scanning |
Alternatives
- HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e: a color inkjet with a 35-sheet 2-sided ADF and two 250-sheet trays, rated up to 25 ppm black and 20 ppm color.
- Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840: prints up to 13×19 with pigment ink and a 500-sheet capacity.
- HP OfficeJet Pro 9730 Wide Format: prints and copies up to 11×17 and was RTINGS’s top 11×17 pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between a color laser and a color inkjet for an office?
Choose a color laser if you print a lot and want consistent text quality and tough prints. Choose an inkjet or ink-tank model if you print less volume, need graphics or wide formats, or want lower upfront cost. Check the high-yield supply page counts before deciding.
What is the difference between duty cycle and recommended volume?
Duty cycle is the maximum a printer can handle in a month. The recommended volume is the range the maker says gives normal wear. For example, Canon lists 750 to 4,000 pages for the MF455dw. Stay in the recommended range.
Do office printers need special network setup?
Most connect over Ethernet or Wi-Fi and can be set from the touchscreen. Larger offices often assign a fixed address so computers always find the printer. Your IT contact or the maker’s manual explains the steps.
Is third-party toner safe to use?
It may work in some printers and be blocked in others by firmware. Makers can also decline warranty claims for damage they attribute to non-brand supplies. Read your warranty terms and consider brand supplies.
Which office printer is best for scanning lots of documents?
Look for a single-pass duplex ADF. The Brother MFC-L8395CDW lists scan speeds up to 58 ipm through its ADF, and the HP 4301fdw, Brother MFC-L2900DW and Brother MFC-J6955DW also list two-sided single-pass scanning.
Can an office printer print on 11×17 paper?
Only wide-format models can. The Brother MFC-J6955DW, Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840 and HP OfficeJet Pro 9730 Wide Format are examples. Standard office MFPs such as the Canon MF455dw handle up to legal size.
