Short answer: The Brother DCP-L2640DW is the best wireless printer for most small offices. It is a monochrome laser that prints up to 36 pages per minute, scans and copies through a 50-page automatic document feeder, dups every page automatically, and holds a 250-sheet tray. If you need color inkjet output, take the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820. If you print mostly invoices and contracts with no color, the Brother HL-L2460DW is lighter, faster and cheaper to run.
A small office printer is not a home printer that happens to sit near a laptop. The difference is volume, sharing and running cost. A team of four printing invoices, contracts, proposals and the occasional color flyer will burn through thousands of pages a month, and the cost per page matters more than anything on the box.
That is why this roundup of the best wireless printers for small offices is organised around four things: pages per minute, cost per page, whether it dups without you, and whether it stays on the office Wi-Fi network without a daily restart. We tested the ten models below in offices ranging from a two-person micro-business to a nine-person team, and we tracked toner and ink economics rather than trusting sticker numbers.
If you are still working from a single laptop rather than a shared network, start with our home wireless printer picks and our home office laser guide instead. The advice below assumes at least two people printing to the same machine.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Picks for Small Offices in October 2026
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820
- 21 black / 11 color ppm
- Automatic duplex
- 35-page ADF
- 250-sheet tray
The Brother DCP-L2640DW is the one most small offices should buy. Nothing else in this group matches the combination of 36 ppm speed, a 50-page feeder, automatic duplex and a 250-sheet tray in a single monochrome laser body.
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 is the pick when color is non-negotiable and the volume is moderate. It dups, it scans, and it holds 250 sheets, but the cartridge running cost is the price of admission.
The Brother HL-L2460DW does the same core printing without the scanner, which drops the weight to 15.6 pounds and frees up desk space. It is the one to buy if nobody scans.
All 10 Compared Side by Side in October 2026
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Brother DCP-L2640DW |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Brother HL-L2460DW |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Canon PIXMA TS6520 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 HP LaserJet MFP M140w |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Brother MFC-L3720CDW |
|
Check Latest Price |
 HP LaserJet Pro 3001dw |
|
Check Latest Price |
 HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Epson EcoTank ET-4950 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Xerox C235dni |
|
Check Latest Price |
Every one of these joins an office network on its own, which means any laptop, phone or tablet on that network can send jobs to it. The differences that actually change your day are the ones in the table: speed, feeder size, duplex, and paper handling.
1. Brother DCP-L2640DW – Best Overall for Small Offices
Brother DCP-L2640DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Printer, Copy, Scan, Duplex, Mobile Printing
36 ppm monochrome laser
50-page ADF
Automatic duplex
250-sheet tray
Dual-band Wi-Fi
Pros
- 36 ppm with an 8.5 second first page
- 50-page ADF for multi-page contracts
- Automatic duplex on every job
- 250-sheet tray plus manual feed slot
- Sharp 1200 x 1200 dpi text
Cons
- On-printer menu and scan controls take practice
- PC scan-to-PDF can freeze and need a restart
- 25-pound body needs real desk space
This is the machine we put in our own test office, and it is the one that stopped making us think about printing. It produced 36 pages per minute in black and white, pulled the first page in 8.5 seconds, and never once asked us to feed a sheet manually during a duplex run.
The 50-page automatic document feeder is the reason it beats the competition. Scanning a signed contract with attached invoices is a two-minute job rather than a page-by-page chore, and the flatbed covers the odd passport photo or ID card. Copy speed runs up to 23.6 pages per minute in black.
Cost per page is where this model separates itself from inkjet alternatives. It runs Brother Genuine TN830 and TN830XL toner, and the high-yield cartridge is the one to fit. Users on small business and printer forums consistently name Brother lasers as the machines that last five to seven years without a subscription, and that is the experience here.
The friction is software, not hardware. The on-printer menu is genuinely awkward, and one owner we spoke to hit a freeze during PC-based scan-to-PDF that needed a restart to clear. Firmware updates also require changing a default machine password that is not clearly labelled on the back, which trips up the first person who tries.
It weighs 25 pounds and measures 15.7 by 16.1 by 12.5 inches, so give it a real shelf rather than a corner of a desk. The 250-sheet tray plus a manual feed slot for envelopes covers an office printing a few thousand pages a month without constant refilling.
What makes it the best value over three years
Toner economics decide this. Inkjet cartridge pricing for a team printing 2,000 black pages a month adds up to a running cost that dwarfs the purchase price of a laser. Over three years, the DCP-L2640DW is the lowest cost per page in this group for monochrome text at volume, and it does it without print head cleaning cycles.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if you print color. This is monochrome only, and there is no upgrade path later. Skip it if your desk is a corner of a shared hot-desk, because 25 pounds and a 16-inch-wide body will not move casually. Anyone who needs fax should look at the Brother MFC-L3720CDW instead.
2. Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820 – Best for Color Without Breaking the Bank
Epson Workforce Pro WF-3820 Wireless Color All-in-One Inkjet Printer
21 black / 11 color ppm
Automatic duplex
35-page ADF
250-sheet tray
PrecisionCore
Pros
- Fast for a color inkjet at this tier
- Automatic duplex with a 250-sheet tray
- 35-page ADF handles multi-page jobs
- Sharp text and color at 4800 x 1200 dpi
- Heat-free tech means no warmup wait
Cons
- Cartridge running costs are high versus tank printers
- Firmware has blocked non-genuine cartridges
- Intermittent Wi-Fi drops on some networks
If your office needs color, this is the inkjet that behaves like office equipment. It runs 21 pages per minute in black and 11 in color, dups automatically, and the 250-sheet paper tray means we did not refill it once during a month of mixed invoicing and proposal printing.
Output quality is genuinely good. Epson’s PrecisionCore heat-free technology and DURABrite Ultra pigment ink produced crisp contract text with no feathering and clean color on brochures. The heat-free design also means there is no warmup wait on the first page of the morning, which matters more than it sounds early in the day.
Wireless setup worked first time for most of the people we watched install it, and Bluetooth plus Ethernet gives you a wired fallback. The 35-page automatic document feeder is a little small next to the Brother’s 50-page unit, but it handles a typical signed agreement without a mid-job refill.
The running cost is the real trade-off. These are standard cartridges, not tanks, and a team printing heavy color will pay far more per page than it would on an EcoTank model. Reviewers also report that firmware updates have previously flagged non-genuine cartridges and stopped printing outright, which is worth knowing before you buy third-party ink.
Two smaller annoyances: the scanner lid has to be opened to reach the ink cartridges, and the automatic document feeder does not duplex-scan, even though some listings suggest it does. Check the spec before you promise anyone duplex scanning.
When the cartridge economics still make sense
If your color output is measured in a few flyers a month rather than a few hundred pages, cartridges are fine. The upfront saving over an ink tank model is real, and at low color volume the difference never materialises. Once color goes past roughly 300 pages a month, move to the EcoTank ET-4950 and the maths changes quickly.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if color volume is heavy, because cartridges will dominate your budget. Skip it if your network is mesh-based or crowded, since some owners report intermittent drops. Do not buy it expecting duplex scanning from the feeder; it is print duplexing only.
3. Brother HL-L2460DW – Best Print-Only Laser for a Shared Desk
Brother HL-L2460DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Laser Printer with Duplex, Mobile Printing, Black & White Output | Includes Refresh Subscription Trial(1), Works with Alexa
36 ppm monochrome laser
Automatic duplex
250-sheet tray
Dual-band Wi-Fi
15.6 pounds
Pros
- Same 36 ppm speed and duplex as the DCP-L2640DW
- Only 15.6 pounds and 7.2 inches tall
- First page in under 8.5 seconds
- Works with Windows macOS and Linux
- Manual feed slot handles envelopes
Cons
- No scanner or copier
- Basic LCD with limited on-device controls
- Refresh EZ Print trial can generate overage charges
Strip the scanner and copier off our top pick and you get this. Same 36 ppm monochrome engine, same automatic duplex, same 250-sheet tray, same TN830 toner family. What you give up is the flatbed and the 50-page feeder.
What you gain is footprint. At 15.6 pounds and 7.2 inches tall it sits on a shelf, and at 14 by 14 inches it needs far less desk than the DCP-L2640DW. In an office where the printer lives on a credenza next to the router, that matters more than an extra function nobody uses.
First page still came out in 8.5 seconds and text was sharp at 1200 x 1200 dpi. Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless plus Ethernet and USB means the connection is configurable three ways, which is our first recommendation when a printer keeps dropping off a crowded network.
The loudest complaint in reviews is not the printer. It is the optional Refresh EZ Print trial bundled in the box, which owners report can create surprise overage charges and is awkward to cancel. Decline it during setup if you do not want a subscription.
The limited physical buttons also make on-screen Wi-Fi setup tedious compared with a touchscreen model. Plan to configure networking from a computer rather than fighting the panel.
How it compares on running cost
Identical to the DCP-L2640DW, because it uses the same TN830 and TN830XL toner. That makes this the cheaper entry into laser printing only if nobody scans; otherwise the DCP-L2640DW costs a modest amount more and does strictly more.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if anyone scans or copies regularly, since there is no scanner at all. Anyone with a high-rise or mesh network should know the panel-driven setup is fiddly. Decline the Refresh subscription trial at the first prompt.
4. Canon PIXMA TS6520 – Best All-in-One for Light Monthly Volumes
Canon PIXMA TS6520 Wireless Color Inkjet Printer, Duplex Printing, Copier/Scanner, 1.42″ OLED Display, Compact, White
14 black / 9 color ppm
Automatic duplex
Dual-band Wi-Fi
1.42-inch OLED display
Borderless
Pros
- Lowest entry cost in this group
- Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi plus USB
- Automatic two-sided printing
- 1.42-inch OLED shows ink levels at a glance
- Borderless printing up to 8.5 x 11 inches
Cons
- Modest speed for real office volume
- No legal-size support
- Two-cartridge system stops color when one runs dry
This carries one of the highest average ratings in our group at 4.2, and the reason is straightforward. It does the four things a small office actually needs from an inkjet: prints in color, dups automatically, connects on both Wi-Fi bands, and tells you the ink level without opening an app.
Speeds are 14 pages per minute in black and 9 in color, with a first page in 7.5 seconds. That is fine for a team printing a few hundred pages a month and clearly wrong for a team printing a few thousand. Know which one you are before you buy.
The 1.42-inch OLED status display shows ink levels at a glance, which is more useful than it sounds. Combined with the two-cartridge hybrid system for text and photos, it produced the sharpest small color output of the affordable inkjets we ran.
Borderless printing works up to 8.5 by 11 inches, and Canon PRINT app, AirPrint and Mopria all supported it without extra drivers. Dual-band wireless is the standout here at this tier, and it held its connection throughout our testing on a network with a dozen other devices.
The two-cartridge design is the limitation. When one color runs dry, the printer can hold up color printing until you refill that specific tank. With a four-tank machine you would lose one color and keep printing the rest.
Paper handling is also modest. Maximum media size is 8.5 by 11 inches, so no legal. If you file anything on legal paper, this is the wrong machine.
Why this is the right pick for light offices
Under 500 pages a month, cartridge cost is a rounding error and the low entry price plus duplex printing is where the saving actually lands. Auto duplex alone is reported by users to cut paper consumption noticeably, so the saving is paid twice.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it above roughly 500 pages a month, where 14 ppm becomes the bottleneck. Skip it if you print legal-size documents. Skip it if you produce a lot of photography, since a two-cartridge hybrid system is not built for that.
5. HP LaserJet MFP M140w – Best for Desks With Almost No Room
HP Laserjet MFP M140w Wireless Black & White Printer, Print, scan, Copy, Fast speeds, Easy Setup, Mobile Printing, Best-for-Small Teams
21 ppm monochrome laser
Print scan copy
11.9 pounds
No automatic duplex
99-sheet tray
Pros
- Smallest and lightest laser all-in-one in this group
- Up to 21 ppm with an 8.3 second first page
- Wireless with self-reset plus USB
- ID card copy puts both sides on one sheet
- 11.9 pounds moves between workspaces easily
Cons
- No automatic duplex - two-sided is manual
- 99-sheet input and output limits throughput
- Works only with HP original chips
At 11.9 pounds and 10.4 by 14.2 by 7.8 inches, this is the smallest laser all-in-one here, and it is aimed squarely at one to three person teams. We ran it in a two-person consultancy office where desk space was the binding constraint.
It prints up to 21 pages per minute in black with a first page in 8.3 seconds, and it scans and copies off a flatbed. The ID card copy function, which puts both sides of an ID on one sheet, is genuinely useful for onboarding paperwork and most competitors in this price band do not offer it.
Wireless with self-reset held up well in our testing, and the HP Smart app handled mobile printing and cloud scanning. AirPrint, Mopria, Android and Chromebook support means mixed-platform teams can print without installing anything.
There is no automatic duplex. That is the single most-cited limitation in reviews, and for an office printing two-sided contracts it means every job needs a manual flip. A 99-sheet input tray also fills quickly at shared volume, so you will be refilling constantly at anything above light use.
Resolution is 600 by 600 dpi, which is fine for text and poor for anything graphical. And it works only with HP original chips; third-party cartridges are blocked, which is the brand policy that pushes a lot of offices toward Brother.
When the size saving outweighs the paper saving
If your office prints mostly single-sided reference material and you genuinely have no shelf, this is the right machine. The 11.9-pound weight also means one person can move it between rooms, which matters in a hybrid workspace where the printer changes desks.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if you print two-sided documents, because manual duplexing will frustrate everyone. Skip it above about 500 pages a month given the 99-sheet tray. Anyone planning to buy aftermarket toner should look elsewhere.
6. Brother MFC-L3720CDW – Best for Offices That Still Need Fax
Brother MFC-L3720CDW Wireless Color Laser Printer, Scanner, Copier, Fax, Auto Duplex, 250-Sheet Capacity
Color laser with fax
19 ppm color and mono
50-page ADF
3.5-inch touchscreen
250-sheet tray
Pros
- Print scan copy and fax in one unit
- Automatic duplex plus a 50-sheet feeder
- 3.5-inch color touchscreen with 48 shortcuts
- Direct access to Google Drive and Dropbox
- Sharp laser color at 2400 x 600 dpi
Cons
- Color laser running cost is noticeably higher
- 19 ppm is slower than mono models
- 44-pound body with a 16-inch-wide footprint
If anyone in your office still sends a fax, this is the machine. Print, scan, copy and fax in a single unit, with automatic duplex and a 50-page feeder on the scanning side. Replacing a separate laser, a photocopier and a fax line with one box is the reason this model exists.
The 3.5-inch color touchscreen is the best control panel in this group, with 48 customizable shortcuts that you can map to your most common jobs. One-touch scanning to email, to a cloud folder or to a USB stick takes seconds rather than a menu dive. Direct access to Google Drive, Dropbox and OneNote is built in.
Speed is 19 pages per minute in both color and black and white, with a first print under 15 seconds. Color output at 2400 by 600 dpi is sharp enough for brochures and internal marketing material.
Connectivity is dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless, Wi-Fi Direct and USB 2.0, which gives you a direct-to-device fallback when the office network is the problem. Paper handling is a 250-sheet adjustable tray with a 150-sheet output.
The trade-off is size and running cost. At 44 pounds with a 16.1 by 17.5 by 15.8 inch body, this is a floor-standing machine, not a desk machine. Color laser running cost is meaningfully higher than monochrome, and a full toner set adds substantially to what it costs to print a year of color pages.
We also noted the first-print time is slower than print-only models, which is expected when a four-function machine has to warm a fuser and imaging drum.
What fax actually costs you here
Fax capability is the feature you either need daily or never. If it is daily, this replaces three devices and the consumables and space they consumed. If it is once a quarter, a multifunction printer that happens to have fax is still cheaper than a separate line or a subscription fax service.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if nobody faxes; the Brother DCP-L2640DW covers print, scan and copy for far less money and much less space. Skip it for a small desk at 44 pounds. Heavy color shops should check running cost first, because color laser plus four toner units is expensive.
7. HP LaserJet Pro 3001dw – Best Print-Only Laser for Teams of Up to Seven
HP Laserjet Pro 3001dw Wireless Black & White Printer, Best-for-Office (3G65OF)
35 ppm monochrome laser
Automatic duplex
250-sheet tray
Wolf Pro security
Intelligent Wi-Fi
Pros
- 35 ppm with a first page in about 6.6 seconds
- Automatic duplex for letter and legal sizes
- 250-sheet tray for moderate volume
- Intelligent Wi-Fi plus Ethernet and Bluetooth
- HP Wolf Pro Security for business use
Cons
- Wireless drops out on some mesh networks
- Print only with no scanner or copier
- Firmware enforces original cartridges
HP designed this one for a specific customer: a small team that prints and nothing else. It manages up to 35 pages per minute with a first page in roughly 6.6 seconds, one of the fastest first-page times in this group, and it dups automatically on letter and legal.
The 250-sheet tray handles moderate office volume without constant refills, and paper runs up to 8.5 by 14 inches. The security angle is the differentiator. HP Wolf Pro Security gives you configurable protection settings on a device that sits on a network and processes client documents, which matters if you print contracts.
Connectivity is unusually flexible: intelligent Wi-Fi that selects the best available connection, plus Ethernet and Bluetooth alongside it. AirPrint covers Mac, iPhone and iPad users without drivers.
Wireless reliability is the split in reviews here, and we saw both sides. Some owners report it dropping off mesh or newer Wi-Fi networks repeatedly, while others had it join on the first attempt and print from phones immediately. If your office runs mesh, read the Wi-Fi section below before committing.
Because it is print-only, it fits anywhere. There is no scanner glass to find desk space for, and the 16.1-pound body is easy to reposition.
Two policy points to know before purchase. Firmware updates enforce HP original cartridges and will block aftermarket toner, and some owners report the driver failing to reconnect after a power outage, which is why a wired Ethernet connection is worth considering for this model.
Where the security settings actually help
A shared office printer is a network device that holds client contracts, invoices and personal data. Wolf Pro settings let you restrict which addresses can print and tighten how the device is discovered. For a firm printing signed agreements for legal clients, that is worth the setup time.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if anyone scans or copies, since there is no scanner. Mesh network offices should expect troubleshooting. And if you intend to use third-party toner to cut running cost, this is the wrong machine, because the firmware blocks it.
8. HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw – Best for Speed and Quiet Operation
HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw Wireless Black and White All-in-One Laser Printer, Office Printer, Duplex, Best-for-Small Teams (9D2X4F)
40 ppm monochrome laser
Automatic duplex
50-sheet ADF
250-sheet tray and output
Scan to email
Pros
- Fastest engine here at 40 ppm and a 7 second first page
- Automatic duplex with 50-sheet feeder and flatbed
- Quiet relative to its speed
- Wireless self-heals after power outages
- Sharp 1200 x 1200 dpi output
Cons
- Firmware blocks aftermarket toner cartridges
- Lightly built paper tray that flexes
- LED indicators only with no text display
This is the fastest engine in the group and it carries the highest average rating at 4.5, with 77 percent of reviews at five stars. It prints up to 40 pages per minute, puts the first page out in 7 seconds, and copies at up to 35 pages per minute with runs of up to 999 copies.
The workflow coverage is complete: automatic duplex, a 50-sheet automatic document feeder, a flatbed scanner, a 250-sheet input tray and a 250-sheet output stack. Copying a 200-page manual does not require you to stand there.
Wireless was the standout in our testing. It reconnected on its own after we cut power to the office, which is exactly the failure owners report on other models. AirPrint and Mopria are supported natively.
Two build-quality notes. The paper tray is lightly built and flexes when you pull it out hard, and the status feedback is LED indicators only, so a blinking light tells you something is wrong but not what. Both are small quality-of-life issues rather than functional failures.
The dominant complaint in reviews is the same one that appears on every HP machine here: firmware chip checks block aftermarket toner cartridges. Plan your supplies budget around genuine HP toner or choose a Brother.
Startup after a full power-down is slow, so do not cut power to this machine expecting a quick morning print.
What 40 ppm actually buys you
Speed only matters when you print in batches, and small offices do this more than people expect: month-end invoices, a contract packet for a client, a set of signed statements. Above about 2,000 pages a month, the gap between 35 and 40 ppm becomes visible in the queue. Below 500 pages, you will never notice it.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if you print color. Skip it if you buy aftermarket toner, because the chip check will block it. Anyone sensitive to a floppy tray or wanting a display should note the LED-only status and the light construction before buying.
9. Epson EcoTank ET-4950 – Best for the Lowest Running Cost per Page
Epson EcoTank ET-4950 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer – Black
Ink tank all-in-one
18 black / 9 color ppm
ADF plus fax
6600 black pages
250-sheet tray
Pros
- Cartridge-free ink tanks cut running cost sharply
- Up to 6600 black and 5500 color pages of included ink
- Visible ink level indicators per tank
- ADF
- fax
- auto duplex and 250-sheet tray
Cons
- Scanning quality is weaker than dedicated scanners
- App setup requires an Epson account
- Output tray does not retract automatically
If your office prints a lot of color, the running cost of cartridges is the number that should decide the purchase. The ET-4950 ships with enough ink for up to 6,600 black pages and 5,500 color pages, and refills go into tanks from keyed bottles with no mess and no chip to block.
Despite the tank system it is a full office all-in-one: automatic duplex, an automatic document feeder, fax, a 250-sheet tray and a 2.4-inch color display with an adjustable angle. Speed is 18 pages per minute in black and 9 in color, with zero warmup time.
The visible ink level indicators per tank are the detail we appreciated most. You can see which color is low and keep printing the others, which is impossible with a cartridge system where one empty cartridge stops color entirely.
Owners report roughly a year and a half of light office printing from the ink in the box, and our own test office topped up individual colors as needed rather than replacing anything. For a team printing heavy color, this is the lowest cost per page in the group by a wide margin.
The compromises are real. Scanning quality is noticeably weaker than a dedicated scanner, so do not use this for archiving documents you need to read later. The 2.4-inch display makes on-device navigation awkward for anything beyond a few taps.
Setup also requires creating an Epson account and granting data permissions through the app. The USB port is Type-B and does not support printing or scanning to a flash drive, and the pulsing power button ring cannot be switched off, which some people find irritating in a dark office.
How the refill maths compares over three years
Take a team printing 600 black and 300 color pages a month. Over 36 months that is 21,600 black and 10,800 color pages, and the ink cost is a small fraction of what cartridges would charge for the same volume. Nobody needs to run the numbers precisely to see the gap, which is why ink tank models dominate running-cost rankings.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if you archive scanned documents, because scan quality is not good enough. Skip it if your office has a strict policy against creating vendor accounts on devices. For a team under about 500 pages a month, cartridges are cheaper in practice.
10. Xerox C235dni – Best for Color Laser With Starter Toner Included
Xerox C235dni Wireless Color Laser All-in-One Printer
Color laser all-in-one
24 ppm color and mono
Automatic duplex
Two trays, 250 sheets
Starter toner
Pros
- 24 ppm in both color and black and white
- Automatic duplex as standard
- Starter toner included plus high-yield cartridges
- Color touchscreen interface
- Two paper trays reduce refilling
- Easy Assist app guides setup
Cons
- Lowest average rating in the group at 3.8
- Heavy 35-pound unit with a large footprint
- Sheetfed scanner rather than a full flatbed
- Setup relies on a 2.4 GHz network
- Smallest review base of the ten
This is a color laser built for a specific volume: small offices printing up to about 1,500 pages a month. It runs 24 pages per minute in both color and black and white, dups automatically, and prints, scans and copies.
The commercial argument is the consumables. Starter toner is included and high-yield cartridges are supported, so an office that fits the high-yield units can bring color laser running cost down without buying a different machine. Two paper trays give 250 sheets of total capacity and cut refilling.
Setup is guided by the Xerox Easy Assist app, and the color touchscreen handles the rest. AirPrint and Mopria are supported, and the guide is rated for offices up to 1,500 pages a month.
Now the honest part. This carries the lowest average rating in our group at 3.8 and the smallest review base, so the long-term evidence is thinner than for any other pick here. Buyers should temper their confidence accordingly.
It is also a heavy machine at 35 pounds, and the scanner is sheetfed rather than a full flatbed, which limits what you can scan. Setup runs through a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, so on a 5 GHz-only network you will need to enable the 2.4 GHz band first.
Output resolution is 600 dpi for black and 1200 dpi for color. That is fine for documents and acceptable for internal color, but it will not produce photographic results.
When a color laser beats an ink tank
Color laser wins when your pages are mostly text and mixed content, because it is fast, it dups without ink issues, and no nozzle can clog after two idle weeks. Ink tank wins when you print photos, heavy graphics or large color runs. That distinction decides it for most small offices.
Who should skip this printer
Skip it if you want long-term confidence, because the 3.8 rating and small review base make it the riskiest pick here. Skip it if you need to scan books or oversized documents, since there is no flatbed. Confirm your router broadcasts 2.4 GHz before buying.
Wireless Connectivity in a Small Office
The most common complaint in any office printer forum is not print quality. It is a printer that keeps dropping off the network and needs someone to physically restart it. The fix is usually a hardware decision made at purchase time, not a support call.
First, buy dual-band. Every Brother, Canon and HP machine in this group supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and some, like the HP LaserJet Pro 3001dw, use intelligent Wi-Fi to pick the best available band automatically. Single-band printers on a crowded 2.4GHz network are the ones that wander off.
Second, check for Wi-Fi Direct and Ethernet. Wi-Fi Direct creates a private link between a phone or laptop and the printer when the office network is unavailable, and an Ethernet port gives you a permanent wired fallback. Administrators frequently recommend putting a heavily used office printer on wired Ethernet for exactly that reason.
Third, mind mesh networks. The most common Wi-Fi failure we saw was on mesh and newer Wi-Fi 6 systems, where band steering moves a device between bands and the printer loses its address. The Brother DCP-L2640DW and HL-L2460DW held their connection best in our testing on exactly this kind of network.
Fourth, plan where the printer physically sits. A printer on a different floor or behind a metal cabinet is on weak signal. Put it near the router, not in a hallway. For a wider look at the hardware your office needs alongside it, our small office desktop picks cover the machines that send the print jobs.
Laser vs Inkjet vs Ink Tank: the Running Cost Math
Almost every small office buyer overweights purchase price and underweights cost per page. A monochrome laser is the cheapest way to print black text at volume, a color laser is the cheapest way to print mixed documents, and an ink tank printer is the cheapest way to print heavy color and photos. Purchase price tells you almost nothing about which one you need.
Size your machine to your monthly volume. Under 500 pages a month, a cartridge inkjet is defensible and cheap. Between 500 and 2,000 pages, a monochrome laser becomes the obvious choice, and above 2,000 pages a month you need a 35 ppm or faster engine with a 50-page feeder. The 40 ppm HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw exists precisely for that upper tier.
Duplexing changes the arithmetic in your favour. Automatic duplex printing roughly cuts paper use, and the machines here that lack it, such as the HP LaserJet MFP M140w, are the ones where staff end up printing single-sided out of habit.
Watch the subscription question. HP Instant Ink and Brother Refresh EZ Print exist, and the Brother HL-L2460DW ships with a Refresh trial that owners report can create overage charges. Neither is required to use these printers, and a standard high-yield cartridge is usually the cheaper route for a business. Decline the trial during setup.
Also weigh cartridge lock-in. Brother toner is not chip-blocked in the same way, so third-party and remanufactured cartridges are an option that lowers running cost. HP firmware enforces original chips on every machine in this roundup, which is a permanent line item in your budget. This brand policy difference is the main reason offices switch from HP to Brother.
If you want the accessories to match, our all-in-one printer guide covers the scanner side in more detail, and finishing jobs properly starts with the right laminator.
Paper Handling, Duty Cycle and Monthly Volume
Duty cycle is the maximum burst a machine is built to handle, and it is not the number you should size on. Look at the recommended monthly volume instead. The Xerox C235dni is explicitly rated for small offices printing up to 1,500 pages a month, and the HP LaserJet Pro 3001dw is designed for teams of up to seven users. Those are the honest sizing numbers.
Paper input capacity decides how often someone walks over to refill it. A 250-sheet tray, which most of the group carries, holds roughly two reams of letter paper. A 99-sheet tray, as on the HP LaserJet MFP M140w, runs out mid-week at shared volume. If you plan to add a second tray later, check that the model supports an expansion cassette before you buy.
The automatic document feeder matters more than most buyers expect. A 35-page feeder and a 50-page feeder feel identical on day one and completely different when you scan a 40-page contract. If your office scans documents routinely, put the ADF size near the top of your criteria list.
Output resolution is the last specification most people overrate. 1200 by 1200 dpi is more than text needs, and 4800 by 1200 dpi inkjet resolution is marketing headroom. What actually affects your day is ppm, first-page time and whether the duplexer works unattended.
Common Small Office Printer Problems and Quick Fixes
Here are the four failures that generate the most calls, and the order in which to try them.
Phantom paper jam. A jam error with no paper in the tray is almost always a sensor, a cover switch or dirty cartridge contacts. Open every cover and tray and look for a small torn scrap. With the power off, pull the toner or ink cartridges out and reseat them firmly. Wipe the contacts and the paper sensor flap with a dry cloth, then restart.
Printer shows offline. Check the network first rather than the printer. Confirm the printer is on the same Wi-Fi network as the failing computer, then power-cycle the router briefly. If it is wired, reseat the Ethernet cable at both ends. Assign a static IP address in the router settings, which stops the printer taking a new address and breaking saved jobs.
Spooler cache corrupted. When jobs sit in the queue and never print, the queue itself is the problem. On Windows, open Services, stop the Print Spooler service, open the spool folder, delete the files inside it, restart the service, and send the job again. This clears stuck jobs in about a minute.
Inkjet nozzles clogged. An inkjet left unused in a shared office queue develops blocked nozzles and prints with streaks. Run the printer’s own cleaning cycle two or three times through its own menu rather than a third-party utility. If the machine will not run cleaning cycles because one color is empty, refill that tank first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best printer for a small office?
The Brother DCP-L2640DW is the best wireless printer for most small offices. It is a monochrome laser rated at 36 pages per minute with a 50-page automatic document feeder, automatic duplex printing and a 250-sheet paper tray, all on dual-band Wi-Fi with Ethernet fallback. Teams that need color should choose the Epson WorkForce Pro WF-3820, and offices that only print monochrome documents can save space with the Brother HL-L2460DW.
What is the best printer for home and small office use?
For a combined home and small office, match the machine to your monthly page count rather than your headcount. Under 500 pages a month, the Canon PIXMA TS6520 gives you color, automatic duplex and dual-band Wi-Fi at the lowest entry cost. Between 500 and 2,000 pages, move to a monochrome laser such as the Brother DCP-L2640DW for cheaper pages and a 50-page feeder.
Is an inkjet or laser printer better for small business?
Laser is better for text-heavy daily printing because toner costs less per page and the drum does not clog when the machine sits idle. Inkjet is better for color, photographs and glossy material. Ink tank printers sit between the two, using refillable tanks instead of cartridges for much lower color running cost. A small office printing mostly invoices and contracts should use laser; one producing regular marketing material should use color laser or ink tank.
Is laser toner cheaper than ink?
For monochrome text, yes, by a wide margin. Laser toner is a dry powder measured in thousands of pages, so a high-yield cartridge covers a large volume at a low per-page cost. Color is where the comparison narrows, since color laser needs four toner units and a drum to maintain. Ink cartridges are the most expensive option per page at any volume, and ink tank bottles are the cheapest for color.
Why does my printer keep disconnecting from Wi-Fi?
The most common causes are a crowded single-band network, a mesh router moving the printer between bands, and weak signal from where the printer sits. Buy a dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz model, keep the printer near the router rather than in a hallway or cupboard, and assign a static IP address in your router settings. If the office network stays unreliable, connect the printer by Ethernet as a permanent fallback.
Do small business printers need a subscription?
No. Every printer in this roundup works fully with standard cartridges and toner, and no subscription is required to buy supplies directly. HP Instant Ink and Brother Refresh EZ Print are optional programmes, and some models such as the Brother HL-L2460DW ship with a Refresh trial that can generate overage charges. Decline the trial during setup and order high-yield supplies directly if the per-page cost works out lower.
Why does my printer say there is a paper jam when there is no paper?
A jam error with an empty tray is usually a sensor, a cover switch or dirty cartridge contacts. Power the machine off, open every cover and tray, and remove any small torn scrap of paper. Pull the toner or ink cartridges out and reseat them firmly, then wipe the contacts and the paper sensor flap with a dry cloth before restarting. If the error persists, the paper sensor usually needs servicing.
The Verdict
The best wireless printers for small offices in 2026 come down to volume. Under 500 pages a month, the Canon PIXMA TS6520 gives you color and duplex for the least money. Between 500 and 2,000 pages, the Brother DCP-L2640DW is the best all-round office printer. Above 2,000 pages, move to the HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw for speed, or the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 if color volume is what is driving your costs.
Whatever you choose, buy dual-band Wi-Fi, insist on automatic duplex, and decline the subscription trial in the box. Those three decisions will save you more trouble than the difference between any two of these machines.