What is the Best Printer and Scanner for a Small Business?

Most small businesses do not need a printer and a separate scanner. They need a single multifunction device that handles both, along with copying and increasingly secure cloud scanning.

Choosing the right one comes down to three things: how much you print, what you need to scan, and what your monthly budget looks like. Here is how to work through it.

Print volume matters more than print speed

Speed is easy to sell. Volume capacity is what actually matters for a small office.

Most A4 multifunction devices are rated for monthly print volumes between 1,000 and 5,000 pages. If your office is printing under 2,000 pages per month, you have plenty of choice. If you are approaching the upper end of that range, you are better off with a device built for it, or looking at A3.

The rated monthly volume is not a ceiling, but regularly exceeding it shortens the life of the device and increases service costs.

Scanning needs are often underestimated

The scanner is the part most buyers overlook, and often regret.

For small businesses that digitise client documents, process invoices, or archive records, the scanning specification matters as much as print speed. Look for:

• An automatic documents feeder (ADF) so you can scan multiple pages without feeding them one by one

• Duplex scanning, which scans both sides of a page in a single pass

• OCR capability if you need editable digital files, not just PDFs

• Cloud integration if your team scans directly to Google Drive, SharePoint or a document management system

Colour or mono?

If your office sends quotes, proposals or materials where colour matters, a colour device is worth the step up. Colour per-page costs are higher than mono, but modern colour multifunction devices manage this well through automatic mono/colour detection. If your team prints mostly internal documents, contracts and text-heavy correspondence, mono is simpler and cheaper to run.

What about A3?

Most small offices do not need A3. But if your work involves plans, drawings, wide spreadsheets or any print format beyond A4, A3 opens up the workflow considerably. A3 multifunction devices are available at price points that work for small offices, and they do everything an A4 device does, plus more.

Recommended options for small offices

The right choice depends on your print volume, scanning needs and whether you want A4 or A3. Here are three worth considering.

For small offices printing under 2,000 pages per month

The Brother MFC-L6915DW is a solid A4 mono multifunction device with a 520-sheet paper tray, duplex scanning and cloud integration. Reliable and built for the document-heavy work common in small professional offices.

For small offices that print in colour

The Konica Minolta bizhub C3350i handles up to 35 pages per minute in colour, includes a 100-sheet document feeder and has strong cloud scanning capability. Well suited to professional services, legal or finance offices where colour output matters.

For growing offices that want A3 capability

The Sharp BP-70C31 brings A3 colour multifunction into a compact footprint that suits smaller offices. At 31 pages per minute with advanced scanning and a straightforward touchscreen, it is a practical step up from an A4 device without the bulk of a larger production machine.

Lease or buy?

For most small businesses, leasing makes more sense than buying outright. A bundled lease combines equipment, servicing, maintenance and consumables into one predictable monthly cost. No capital outlay, no surprise repair bills, and no guessing what toner will cost next quarter.

Outright purchase suits offices with low volumes and minimal service requirements. If you are printing heavily and rely on the device daily, a service agreement is the better long-term position.

Talk to someone who knows WA offices

The Perth market has specific conditions that national guides often miss: remote sites in the Pilbara, smaller offices in the South West, and businesses that need fast local service when something goes wrong.

Our team works with small businesses across Perth and regional WA. We can match you to the right device for your volume, office size and workflow, and walk you through leasing options that fit your budget.