Best Office Printer for Small Business UK 2026: 6 Machines We Actually Install

If you run a UK small business with 5 to 20 people, picking the best office printer shouldn't be complicated. But Google it and you'll get 50 different articles recommending 50 different machines, most of them written by affiliate sites that have never installed one, and half the prices are in US dollars.

We install office printers and copiers every week across Kent, London and the rest of the UK. We are an authorised dealer for Epson, Sharp, Canon and Develop (Konica Minolta). Every price on this page is a real UK monthly lease figure on a 5-year term, VAT excluded, from quotes we have written in the last 90 days. Here is what actually matters when you're choosing the best small office printer for a UK business.

Quick Comparison: Best Office Printers for UK Small Business (2026)

| Machine | Best for | Speed | A4/A3 | From |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| Epson AM-C400 | 5-15 staff, light to medium volume | 40ppm | A4 | £35/mo |

| Develop ineo+ 3320i | Budget-conscious offices | 33ppm | A4 | £25/mo |

| Epson AM-C550 | Busy 15-25 person teams | 55ppm | A4 | £40/mo |

| Epson AM-C4000 | Growing offices needing A3 | 40ppm | A3 | £55/mo |

| Sharp BP-70C45 | Client-facing glossy print | 45ppm | A3 | £50/mo |

| Develop ineo+ 250i | Entry-level A3 | 25ppm | A3 | £35/mo |

First Question: Do You Need A3?

Most small offices don't. If you're printing letters, invoices, contracts and the occasional presentation, A4 is all you need. A4 office printers are smaller, cheaper to lease and cheaper to run.

You need A3 if you're an architect, a school, a marketing agency, or any business that regularly produces large-format documents. If you're not sure, you probably don't need it. Plenty of growing businesses get along fine on a good A4 small office printer for years.

Best A4 Office Printers for Small Business

Epson AM-C400 (from £35/month) - Our top pick for the best printer for small business. Sits perfectly with offices doing 2,000 to 30,000 pages a month. 40ppm, instant-on (no warm-up), and the running costs are genuinely low. Same Heat-Free inkjet technology as the big A3 machines. Sits on a desk or a small cabinet. The 10.1-inch touchscreen is the same one on Epson's enterprise printers, so it's responsive and intuitive. If you want the best small office printer for most situations, this is it.

Develop ineo+ 3320i (from £25/month) - The best budget office printer if cost is the priority. 33ppm colour and mono, sharp output from Konica Minolta's HD polymerised toner, and it's compact enough for any office. Great for small offices doing under 6,500 pages a month.

Epson AM-C550 (from £40/month) - When 40ppm isn't quite enough. 55ppm from the same compact platform. The best office printer for workgroups of 15-25 people where there's a queue every morning.

Best A3 Office Printers for Growing Small Businesses

Epson AM-C4000 (from £55/month) - Our most popular machine overall and arguably the best office copier on a UK lease right now. 40ppm colour and mono, 6-second first page out, and running costs that make most lasers look expensive. Handles A6 to A3 on stock up to 300gsm. If you're not sure what to get, this is usually the right answer.

Sharp BP-70C45 (from £50/month) - Our most recommended Sharp. 45ppm, excellent glossy colour output, Microsoft Teams integration, and Sharp's proven reliability. Pick this if you print client-facing materials on glossy stock.

Develop ineo+ 250i (from £35/month) - Entry-level A3 with 25ppm. Same Konica Minolta engineering as the bigger machines. Good for offices doing 2,000 to 10,000 pages a month who want A3 capability without the big price tag.

Lease or Buy a Small Office Printer?

For most UK small businesses, leasing is the smarter option. Here's why:

Leasing: Two clear costs. A fixed monthly lease for the hardware, and a per-page charge that covers toner, servicing and engineer visits. Both agreed before you sign. Tax-efficient (it's a business expense), and you upgrade to a new machine at the end. No big upfront cost.

Buying: You own the machine outright. You can still get a service agreement for toner and maintenance, but that's a separate contract on top of the purchase price. After 5-7 years, you've got an ageing machine with limited trade-in value.

We've run the numbers hundreds of times. Leasing almost always works out cheaper for a small office printer when you factor in the full cost of ownership. And you never have to worry about a big repair bill.

What to Look For in a Good Office Printer

Speed: For 5-10 people, 25-35ppm is plenty. For 10-20 people, aim for 40-50ppm. Don't overspend on speed you won't use.

Running costs: Ask for the per-page cost, not just the monthly rental. That's where the real expense is. We charge from 0.4p mono and 3.2p colour, all-inclusive.

Service response: Ask who fixes it when it breaks. In-house engineers or subcontractors? We use our own team because it matters. Same-day response across Kent and London.

Contract terms: Read the termination clause. Avoid auto-renewal traps. We don't use them because we'd rather earn your business than lock you in.

Energy use: Heat-Free inkjet (like Epson's WorkForce range) uses up to 83% less electricity than a comparable laser. Over a 5-year lease, the difference on your bill is real money.

Our Recommendation

For most UK small businesses with 5-20 staff, the Epson AM-C400 on a lease at around £35/month is the sweet spot for the best small office printer. It's fast, compact, cheap to run, and the Heat-Free technology means no warm-up time and fewer things to break.

If you need A3, the Epson AM-C4000 at £55/month is the best office printer we install most often. If you print glossy client-facing materials, look at the Sharp BP-70C45.

Ring us on 0800 009 6770 and we'll tell you straight which one fits your office. We sell all three brands, so we've got no agenda. Just the right office printer for your setup. If you'd rather read the short version first, our pick of the [best small office printer and all-in-one machines](/best-all-in-one-printer-for-small-business) lists five we actually install, with prices.

FAQ: Best Office Printers for Small Business

What is the best printer for a small office in the UK? For most 5-20 person offices, the Epson AM-C400 at around £35/month is the best small office printer. It's quick (40ppm), instant-on, cheap to run and compact enough to sit on a desk. If you need A3, the Epson AM-C4000 at £55/month is the better choice.

How much should a small business spend on an office printer? A good office printer on a UK lease costs between £25 and £55 a month for the hardware, plus a per-page rate (typically 0.4p mono and 3.2-4p colour all-inclusive). Most small businesses end up spending £40-£90 a month total for everything.

Is it better to lease or buy a printer for small business? Leasing almost always works out cheaper over 5 years once you factor in toner, servicing and repairs. It's also tax-efficient and lets you upgrade when the machine ages. Buying only makes sense if you do very low volume or already own a service contract.

What is the most reliable office printer for small business? Reliability comes down to two things: build quality and service. Epson's Heat-Free inkjet range has fewer moving parts than laser, so it breaks less. But the best office printer for reliability is the one backed by engineers who turn up the same day. Ask the supplier who fixes it when it breaks before you sign.

Can I get a commercial office printer on a short lease? Yes. Most leases run 3-5 years but shorter terms are available. We do flexible terms for startups and growing businesses, including the option to upgrade mid-contract if your needs change.