Printers for accountants: reliable printing for busy tax periods
An accounting practice puts different demands on a printer than most offices. Volume swings hard between quiet months and lodgement season, the documents involved are financial and confidential, and downtime during tax time is a genuine business problem, not just an inconvenience. This guide covers what to look for in a printer for an accounting firm, and the security and professional obligations specific to handling client financial data.
What makes a good business printer for accountants
Beyond the basics any busy office needs, a few things matter more for an accounting practice than a typical business.
A duty cycle that comfortably covers your peak month, not just an average month
Secure print release, so client financial documents do not sit exposed on a shared output tray
Reliable scanning for digitising client records and supporting documents
Low cost per page for high-volume periods, since tax season can multiply monthly print volume several times over
Toner, copier terminology and consumables
Many practices still refer to their multifunction printer as a copier, a habit left over from standalone photocopiers. Whatever it is called, toner cost per page and how easily consumables are replaced matter more day to day than the name on the machine, particularly for a device running well above average volume through tax season.
Handling volume spikes during tax season
Most accounting firms print at a fairly steady, modest volume for much of the year, then see that volume climb sharply around lodgement deadlines. A printer sized for an average month can struggle when that same office suddenly needs to print several times its usual volume in a compressed window.
The practical fix is sizing equipment, and any lease, around your peak month rather than your average month. A device with headroom above typical volume handles the tax-season spike without the queuing, breakdowns or rushed service calls that come from running a printer flat out beyond what it was built for.
Security and confidentiality for client financial data
Accounting firms handle information that sits under both general privacy law and specific professional conduct obligations, which makes printer security a compliance question as much as an IT one.
Privacy and professional conduct obligations
Registered tax practitioners are bound by the Tax Practitioners Board's Code of Professional Conduct, which includes a specific confidentiality obligation covering client information, extending to how that information is stored, transmitted and disposed of, not just how it is discussed.
Source: Tax Practitioners Board, Code of Professional Conduct
Under the Privacy Act 1988, APP 11 requires reasonable steps to secure personal information against misuse and unauthorised access, and to destroy or de-identify it when it is no longer needed. Worth knowing: handling information such as tax file numbers can bring specific obligations of its own, in some cases regardless of whether a practice would otherwise qualify for the small business exemption that applies to businesses under $3 million turnover.
Sources: OAIC, Australian Privacy Principles (APP 11); CPA Australia, Small Business Clients in Privacy Act Crosshairs
CPA Australia's professional guidance on confidentiality, aligned with the APES 110 code of ethics, treats client information shared through any channel, including printed and scanned documents, as subject to the same confidentiality duty as information discussed verbally. CPA Australia's own cyber security checklist for practices specifically includes keeping hardware such as network printers updated and patched as part of routine security hygiene.
Sources: CPA Australia, Shades of Client Confidentiality; CPA Australia, Cyber Security Checklist
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Specific obligations should be confirmed with your professional body or compliance advisor.
Secure print release
Secure print release, where a job only prints once the sender authenticates at the device, keeps client financial documents from sitting exposed at a shared printer, particularly relevant in an open-plan practice where several staff use one device. Many business-grade multifunction printers also support hard-drive encryption and data overwrite, reducing the risk of client data being recoverable from the device itself if it is ever serviced, returned at lease end, or disposed of.
Wireless printer connectivity and security
A wireless printer adds convenience, letting staff print from laptops without a cabled connection, but it also adds another point to secure on a network handling client financial data. For a practice prioritising confidentiality, a wired connection or a secured, authenticated wireless network is worth confirming rather than assuming default wireless settings are adequate.
Monochrome laser printer vs colour multifunction printer
Most accounting output, financial statements, tax returns, correspondence, is text-heavy and printed in black and white, which is where mono laser printers do their best work: fast, low cost per page, and well suited to the volume swings of tax season. Colour is worth having for client-facing documents, such as branded reports or presentations, but a firm that rarely needs colour can save on running costs by leaning on a mono-optimised device for day-to-day work and reserving colour output for when it genuinely matters.
Renting for a seasonal workload
A lease sized around an average month does not hold up well against a business with a pronounced tax-season spike. The more useful approach is sizing the monthly page allowance against your peak month, or your annual total, rather than a flat average, so lodgement season does not blow out costs or leave the practice under-provisioned exactly when it can least afford downtime.
Printer leasing vs buying: Which is right for you?
View our renting and finance options
For the general question of whether renting or buying suits your practice, our leasing vs buying guide covers the full comparison. The point worth adding here is specific to accounting: whatever you choose, size it against your busiest month, not your average one.
Printers for accounting practices of different sizes
Scope BI supplies laser printers and multifunction devices from Sharp, Konica Minolta and Brother, sized to different practice volumes.
Small and sole practices
A compact A4 multifunction printer, such as Brother's MFC-L9670CDN or HL-L9470CDN, suits a small or sole practice with modest day-to-day volume and an occasional tax-season spike.
A3 printers for medium and larger practices
Busier practices with several staff and a bigger seasonal swing are better served by a higher-volume A3 device, such as the Sharp BP61C31 or BP71C31, or the Konica Minolta bizhub C361i, which comfortably absorb a multiplied lodgement-season workload without becoming a bottleneck.
Frequently asked questions
What are the key features to consider when choosing a printer for an accounting firm?
Duty cycle sized to your peak month, secure print release, reliable scanning, and low running costs for high-volume periods matter more for an accounting firm than general extras.
Is a copier different to a printer for accountants?
Modern multifunction printers cover what a standalone copier used to do and more, adding scanning, network printing and secure release in one device. Most accounting practices are better served by a single multifunction printer than a separate copier and printer.
Should accountants choose a laser or inkjet printer?
Laser is the more common choice for accounting practices, given the volume of text-heavy documents and the lower running costs laser typically offers at higher print volumes.
Do accountants need a colour printer?
Not for most day-to-day work. Colour is useful for client-facing reports or presentations, but a firm mainly printing statements and returns can save on running costs with a mono-optimised device for everyday use.
Is renting a printer a good idea for an accounting firm?
Renting suits many accounting practices well, particularly where tax-season volume swings make a bundled service and consumables arrangement more predictable than managing repairs and toner separately. Whether it suits your specific practice depends on volume and budget, covered in more depth in our renting vs buying guide.
What security features matter most for a printer handling client financial data?
Secure print release, user authentication at the device, and hard-drive encryption or data overwrite matter most, particularly for a shared device in an open-plan practice.
Is scan to email important for an accounting or bookkeeping office?
Yes, for most practices. Scanning client records and supporting documents directly to a secure email or folder reduces paper handling and speeds up file preparation, particularly during high-volume periods.
How does tax season affect printer volume needs?
Print volume for many accounting firms climbs sharply around lodgement deadlines compared to the rest of the year. Sizing a printer, and any lease, around your peak month rather than an average month avoids queuing and breakdowns exactly when reliability matters most.