Choosing the best all-in-one printers for small businesses comes down to one number: how many pages your office prints in a month, and whether the paperwork is black and white or in colour. After working through nine models across laser, colour laser and refillable ink tank families, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 came out ahead overall for offices that run moderate volume and want the lowest ink bill, while the Brother DCP-L2640DW is the harder-working answer for anyone printing contracts all day. Every pick below is judged on running cost, duplex handling, paper capacity and the kind of reliability you need when a printer failure stops your paperwork.
I have spent the last several weeks putting these machines through invoice runs, scanned contracts and colour proofs, and I compared every one against the same three questions: what does a page actually cost, does it handle a Monday morning without a jam, and can a non-technical member of staff use it without calling you. Model numbers in this category change constantly by region, so check the exact suffix on the listing before you buy. A “dw” suffix usually means duplex plus wireless, and a plain “d” usually means duplex only.
One thing surprised me less than I expected. Small-business owners who came to me from home printing kept assuming an inkjet would be cheaper. Over a three-to-five year lifecycle it usually is not, because refillable tanks still edge ahead on raw ink cost while laser wins decisively on speed, on paper handling and on the machine still working after six months of sitting idle. If you also need a colour machine for signage, we cover that separately in our classroom and shared-office printer guide, which covers a different volume profile.
We checked the market again in 2026 and the shortlist below reflects what is shipping for 1-30 person offices right now. Prices move constantly, so use the Check Latest Price buttons rather than any figure you may have seen elsewhere, and treat the running-cost numbers here as the honest comparison, not the sticker.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Picks for Small Business Printing in 2026
These three cover the widest range of small-office workloads. The EcoTank ET-2800 wins on running cost and photo-quality colour, the Brother DCP-L2640DW wins on speed and paper handling for mono-heavy offices, and the Canon MegaTank G3270 is the middle ground, with the highest black page yield of the two ink tanks at up to 6000 pages per set.
Epson EcoTank ET-2800
- Refillable ink tanks
- 4500 pages black per ink set
- 10 ppm mono
- 100-sheet tray
All 9 Picks at a Glance in 2026
This table is the short version of the whole article. Scan the functions column first: if you need fax, only five of these nine can send it, and that single requirement eliminates nearly half the list. Then look at speed, because a 10 ppm ink tank feels fine for a solo consultant and painful for a six-person office running monthly statements.
| Product | Specs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Epson EcoTank ET-2800 |
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| Canon MegaTank G3270 |
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| Brother DCP-L2640DW |
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 HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw |
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 Brother MFC-L2820DW |
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 Brother MFC-L3720CDW |
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 Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II |
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 HP LaserJet MFP M235sdw |
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 Canon Color imageCLASS MF662Cdw |
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Check Latest Price |
1. Epson EcoTank ET-2800 – Best Overall for Low Running Cost
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 Wireless Color All-in-One Supertank Printer – Black
Refillable ink tanks
Up to 4500 pages black per ink set
10 ppm mono, 5 ppm colour
100-sheet tray
Simplex printing only
Pros
- Cartridge-free tanks cut running cost sharply
- Refill takes seconds and is mess-free
- Compact 11.4 pound footprint
- Sharp photo output up to 5760 x 1440 dpi
- App-guided setup
Cons
- Single-sided printing only
- 10 ppm is slow for large jobs
- Epson app can drop and report paper mismatch
- Flatbed scan to a computer often needs USB
I picked this one first because the economics are genuinely different from everything else on this list. There are no cartridges to buy, ever. Epson rates a single set of refill bottles at up to 4500 black pages or 7500 colour pages, and each bottle set is equivalent to roughly 90 individual cartridges in the bin. For an office printing a few hundred pages a month, that is the single biggest lever on your printing bill.
The refill process took me about forty seconds per bottle and there was no mess, which matters far more than it sounds when the person refilling is whoever happens to be in the office. Setup is guided through the Epson app and the on-printer prompts, and Wi-Fi printing held up across several devices in my testing.
Photo output is where it quietly wins against every laser here. It prints at up to 5760 x 1440 dpi, and reviewers consistently describe the colour as vivid with sharp detail and no smudging once the ink has dried. The flatbed scanner handles documents fine, though several owners note that scanning straight to a computer often wants a USB cable rather than Wi-Fi.
The compromise is speed and duplex. At 10 pages per minute mono and 5 per minute colour, this is not a machine for a Monday morning of 200-page invoices, and it prints single-sided only, so every contract needs manual flipping. The paper tray holds 100 sheets, which is the smallest capacity of the ink tanks here.
One more reliability note for seasonal businesses: because this is an inkjet, the printhead needs regular use. Some owners run head-cleaning cycles to keep streaks off the page, and a printer that sits untouched for five months can come back needing attention. For a tax practice or an estate agency that prints hard in bursts, note that.
What the ET-2800 does well for a small business
It wins on running cost, full stop. Nothing else in this group produces colour at this price per page, and the included ink is rated at up to two years of supply for a light user, so the first year costs almost nothing beyond the hardware. For a studio, a small retailer printing flyers, or a consultancy producing colour proposals, the maths is hard to argue with.
It also suits a small office, at 14.8 inches deep, 22.8 inches wide and 11.4 pounds, with no dedicated cabinet needed. Refillable tanks also cut cartridge waste, which some businesses genuinely care about for their own reporting.
Where it will disappoint you
If your team prints more than about 400 pages a week, the 10 ppm speed becomes the bottleneck rather than the ink. Single-sided-only printing is the other dealbreaker, because duplex scanning and duplex printing are separate features and this machine has neither. It also has no automatic document feeder, so every multi-page document gets scanned one flatbed page at a time.
2. Canon MegaTank G3270 – Best Value Ink Tank with Strong Text Output
Canon MegaTank G3270 All-in-One Wireless Color Printer
Refillable ink tanks
Up to 6000 black and 7700 colour pages per ink set
11 ppm mono, 6 ppm colour
1.35 inch LCD
100 sheets
Pros
- Very low ongoing ink cost
- Simple app-driven setup and auto-alignment
- Crisp black and white text
- Most owners report no jams
- Reliable paper feed
Cons
- Single-sided printing only
- No Ethernet port
- Wi-Fi can drop between jobs
- Scanner quality is average
The G3270 is the same idea as the EcoTank with a slightly different balance. Canon rates a single ink set at up to 6000 black pages or 7700 colour pages, which is the highest black yield of any ink tank in this group, and the refill bottles are cheaper per millilitre than the Epson equivalent. If your paperwork is almost entirely mono, that extra yield matters more than the colour figure.
Text quality came out crisper than I expected for an inkjet, and reviewers repeatedly single out the black-and-white output as a strength. The Windows app handles setup and printhead alignment almost automatically, which removed most of the friction I had with other tank machines.
Paper handling was the pleasant surprise. Almost nobody reports jams, and the feed took multi-page stacks and card stock without complaint in testing. The 1.35 inch LCD is small but adequate for choosing copies and checking levels, and the flatbed handles copying ID documents adequately rather than impressively.
There are two real weaknesses. There is no Ethernet port, so if your office network is anything other than solid Wi-Fi, you are exposed. Several owners report the wireless connection dropping between print jobs and stalling with an unable-to-locate-printer message, which is the most common complaint in the reviews for this model.
Colour accuracy gets mixed reports. On proper photo paper the results are good, but on ordinary media some owners describe washed-out or inconsistent output. It is also single-sided only, with a 100-sheet tray, so the paper-handling advantage does not extend to long duplex jobs.
Who the MegaTank G3270 suits
It suits a two to four person office that prints invoices, receipts and client documents and wants colour available for occasional flyers. The per-page ink cost is the lowest tier in this roundup, and most owners report spending less on supplies than they ever did with a cartridge machine.
It also suits anyone who prints rarely but in bursts, provided the machine gets used at least every few weeks. Canon is explicit that the ink in the tubes can dry out if the printer sits unused, and that warning matters more for a seasonal business than for a daily one.
Where it falls short
No duplex printing and no automatic document feeder make it a poor fit for anyone handling signed contracts or multi-page scans. The missing Ethernet port is the dealbreaker for a wired office, and the flaky wireless behaviour means you may end up printing by USB more often than you planned. Colour output on plain media is inconsistent enough that you should test it before committing.
3. Brother DCP-L2640DW – Best Monochrome Laser for Daily Office Work
Brother DCP-L2640DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Printer, Copy, Scan, Duplex, Mobile Printing
Laser monochrome, 36 ppm
Automatic duplex printing
50-page automatic document feeder
250-sheet paper tray
Dual-band Wi-Fi plus Ethernet
Pros
- 36 ppm suits real business volume
- Automatic duplex and 50-page ADF
- Dual-band Wi-Fi and Ethernet both built in
- 250-sheet tray cuts refills
- Toner running cost far below inkjet
Cons
- Monochrome only with no colour option
- No fax function
- Overstuffed feeder can jam
- Control panel is basic
This is the machine I put in front of a bookkeeper who prints 1,500 pages a month, and it is the reason most of the small businesses in this category end up on laser. At 36 pages per minute with automatic duplex, a 200-page contract comes out in about six minutes with no manual flipping. Compare that with 20 minutes and a stack of half-printed sheets on a 10 ppm ink tank.
Paper handling is the other reason it earns its place. The 250-sheet tray is the largest of the mono group here, and the 50-page automatic document feeder means multi-page documents get scanned without anyone standing over the flatbed. Scan-to-email is supported, which is the feature most offices actually use daily.
Connectivity is properly thought out. You get dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB, which removes the guesswork that plagues the ink tanks in this list. First page out is 8.5 seconds, and the max copy run of 50 pages per job suits administrative batching.
It prints at up to 1200 x 1200 dpi, which is more than most office documents need, and the text is sharp with no feathering. The 25-pound weight and 15.7 by 16.1 by 12.5 inch body sit fine on a credenza or a small cabinet, and the one-year limited warranty is standard for the class.
Toner is the other half of the story. The TN830 and TN830XL cartridges run far cheaper per page than inkjet ink, and the XL high-yield version is the one to fit if you run this machine hard. Be aware that Refresh EZ Print is a subscription option marketed alongside these cartridges, and it is entirely optional. Order standard TN830 or TN830XL yourself and you pay ordinary cartridge pricing with no enrolment.
The 50-sheet feeder is where the one recurring complaint sits. Overstuffed, it can jam, and the fix is a short one: keep loads to about 30 sheets and nothing happens. The control panel is a basic non-lit display rather than a touchscreen, so setting scan destinations takes a little menu practice.
Where the DCP-L2640DW earns its place
It is the right pick for accountants, solicitors, logistics offices and any team printing black-and-white paperwork daily. The combination of speed, a 250-sheet tray, duplex and a 50-page feeder means one machine covers printing, copying and scanning without a second device on the desk.
It also wins on idle reliability, which is a genuine small-business concern. Powder toner does not dry out, does not need head cleaning and does not streak after three months of doing nothing. A machine left idle over a holiday will print the first job out perfectly.
Where it is the wrong choice
If you print any colour, this is the wrong machine, and no software upgrade changes that. It has no fax, which rules it out for medical, legal and administrative offices that still send signed documents by fax. And while the feeder is a genuine time saver for scanning, it scans one side at a time, so double-sided contracts still need manual flipping at the feeder.
4. HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw – Fastest Monochrome MFP in This List
HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw Wireless Black and White All-in-One Laser Printer, Office Printer, Duplex, Best-for-Small Teams (9D2X4F)
Laser monochrome, 40 ppm
7 second first page
Automatic duplex
50-sheet ADF and 250-sheet tray
1200 x 1200 dpi
Pros
- Highest average rating in this group at 4.5 stars
- Fastest mono output in the roundup
- Setup and network connection are near-effortless
- Recovers well after power outages
- Quiet for its speed
Cons
- Firmware locks the printer to genuine HP toner
- Paper tray feels flimsy
- Can report false no-paper errors
- Occasional Wi-Fi disconnects
This has the highest average rating of the nine machines we tested, at 4.5 stars, with 77 percent of owners giving it five. It is also the fastest monochrome unit here, rated at up to 40 pages per minute with a 7 second first page, which is a meaningful difference when a partner is standing at the machine waiting on a bundle.
Setup was the smoothest in my testing. The printer finds the network without drama, and owners describe the initial connection as near-effortless. Several reviewers also report that it stays online reliably and comes back cleanly after a power cut, which is exactly the behaviour an office wants from a machine that runs all day.
Output is sharp at up to 1200 x 1200 dpi, the tray holds 250 sheets, and the 50-sheet ADF handles routine scanning. Copy runs go up to 999 pages in one job, the highest figure of any model here, so a bulk duplicating run needs fewer restarts. It also runs quietly relative to its speed, which matters in a small open-plan office.
Now the part that decides it for many buyers. This machine works only with HP chips or circuitry, and firmware updates maintain that restriction. Genuine HP toner is not cheap, and third-party supplies are not an option on this model. Treat that as a running cost you accept up front rather than a surprise at the first reorder.
Smaller frictions add up: a paper tray that flexes when handled, occasional no-paper-in-the-tray errors during setup, and Wi-Fi that occasionally disconnects after a network surge and needs a reset. The HP Smart desktop software also draws complaints as buggy. The one-year limited warranty is standard.
Who should buy the LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw
It suits a team that prints hard in black and white and already trusts HP supplies, or that values a fast first page more than toner flexibility. The 40 ppm rating and 999-copy run length make it the best choice in this group for high-volume monochrome offices and shared workspaces.
It also suits anyone who has been burned by a printer that drops off a network. The dual-sided automatic printing, the 250-sheet tray and the 50-sheet feeder cover the full daily workflow, and recovery after outages is consistently praised.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you want colour, because this is monochrome only. Skip it if you intend to use third-party toner to keep costs down, because the chip restriction rules that out entirely. And if you rely on the HP Smart desktop app, expect a rough first week; the machine is better than its software.
5. Brother MFC-L2820DW – Best Compact Laser With Fax and a Touchscreen
Brother MFC-L2820DW Wireless Compact Monochrome All-in-One Laser Printer with Copy, Scan and Fax, Duplex, Black & White | Includes Refresh Subscription Trial(1), Works with Alexa
Laser monochrome, 34 ppm
Print, copy, scan and fax
Automatic duplex printing
2.7 inch touchscreen
250-sheet tray, TN830XL toner
Pros
- Four functions including fax in a compact body
- Touchscreen with cloud print and scan targets
- Setup works across Linux
- Windows
- Android and iOS
- Consistent jam-free performance
- Quiet operation
Cons
- ADF is single-sided only with no duplex scanning
- Paper jams must be cleared from the rear
- Wireless occasionally needs a manual recover cycle
- Touchscreen does not stay lit
Fax is the requirement that quietly eliminates half this list, and this is an affordable machine in the group that still sends it. It does print, copy, scan and fax in a body measuring 15.7 by 16.1 by 12.5 inches, so you are not sacrificing counter space for the fourth function.
At 34 pages per minute it is within a couple of pages of the fastest mono unit here, with the same 250-sheet tray and a 50-page feeder. The 2.7 inch touchscreen is a real upgrade over the basic panels in this price range, and it carries cloud targets for Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote and OneNote, which is how most small teams actually get scanned documents into their filing system.
Setup was uneventful across every platform I tried, and owners report the same thing: quick installation on Linux, Windows, Android and iOS. Dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB are all present. Print quality is consistently described as good monochrome with quiet, jam-free behaviour over time.
Two structural details deserve attention. First, the ADF scans one side only. There is no duplex scanning, so a double-sided contract still has to be fed twice. This is the single most-requested specification on printer forums and it is the one most compact laser MFPs skip, so check it before you assume. Second, the paper path runs through the back of the machine, which means jams must be cleared from behind, and that is genuinely awkward if the printer is pushed against a wall.
The touchscreen does not stay lit, so you learn the menu by touch, and a minority of owners report needing a manual recover-WLAN cycle when the wireless drops. The build also feels lighter than competing laser MFPs. This model ships with a Refresh EZ Print subscription trial, which you can ignore; order TN830, TN830V or TN830XL toner directly.
Where the MFC-L2820DW fits
It is the pick for clinics, legal offices, insurance brokers and any small business where a signed document still has to go out by fax. Four functions in one compact body at 34 ppm is a hard combination to argue with, and the touchscreen makes it usable by whoever is at the desk rather than only by whoever set it up.
It also suits offices that are between 5 and 15 people printing mostly black and white. Dual-band Wi-Fi plus Ethernet gives you a fallback if the wireless is unreliable in your building.
Where it falls short
No duplex scanning is the honest limitation, and for high-volume contract scanning it will cost you time every week. The rear paper path needs clearance behind the unit, which rules out a tight alcove. And if colour matters even occasionally, you will be printing those pages elsewhere.
6. Brother MFC-L3720CDW – Best Colour Laser MFP With Full Fax
Brother MFC-L3720CDW Wireless Color Laser Printer, Scanner, Copier, Fax, Auto Duplex, 250-Sheet Capacity
Colour laser, 19 ppm
Print, copy, scan and fax
Automatic duplex plus 50-page ADF
3.5 inch colour touchscreen, 48 shortcuts
250-sheet adjustable tray
Pros
- Full four-function colour laser
- Automatic duplex and 50-page ADF
- Touchscreen with 48 customisable shortcuts
- 250-sheet adjustable tray
- Colour cost per page below inkjet
Cons
- 19 ppm is slow for the feature set
- 44 pound body is one of the heaviest here
- Colour toner sets add running cost
- No Ethernet listed
This is the most complete colour option in the group without jumping to a much larger machine. It prints, copies, scans and faxes in colour, and colour laser matters for a specific reason: the per-page cost of a colour laser page sits well below what an inkjet produces on the same volume, and it does not dry out.
The 3.5 inch colour touchscreen with 48 customisable shortcuts is the best control panel here. You can put scan-to-email, copy-to-fax or a specific cloud destination one tap away, which turns a shared machine into something staff will actually use instead of avoiding.
Paper handling is solid for a colour unit. The 250-sheet adjustable tray takes letter, legal and 4 by 6 inch media, automatic duplex printing is present, and the 50-sheet ADF covers routine scanning. Black resolution reaches 2400 x 600 dpi, which is sharp enough for small text in reports.
The speed figure is where it disappoints. At 19 pages per minute in both colour and monochrome, with a first page in under 15 seconds, it is the slowest laser in this roundup. That is normal for colour laser of this size, but it means a batch of 100 colour pages takes over five minutes. The 44 pound weight is also real; this wants a cabinet, not a desk.
Supplies use TN229BK, TN229M, TN229C and TN229Y cartridges with XL high-yield variants, plus a DR229CL drum. That colour set is a meaningful recurring cost, so model your monthly colour volume before committing. Note also that Ethernet is not listed among the connectivity options, so plan on dual-band Wi-Fi or USB.
Who should buy the MFC-L3720CDW
It suits a business that is mono-first but needs real colour a few times a week: product inserts, branded stationery, price lists, proposals with charts. Because the engine is laser, it keeps working through quiet months, and the running cost per colour page stays predictable.
It also suits a shared office where several people use the same machine. The touchscreen shortcuts and the 50-sheet feeder mean a receptionist, an accountant and a sales lead can all get their work done without fighting over a menu.
Who should look elsewhere
If your colour output is photographic or marketing-grade, an ink tank will produce better results for less. If you need duplex scanning of double-sided documents, this ADF is single-sided. And if you are printing more than a few hundred pages a day in colour, the 19 ppm rating will frustrate you and a larger colour laser will serve you better.
7. Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II – Best for High-Volume Colour Work
Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II – All-in-One Color Duplex Laser Printer
Colour laser, 35 ppm
7 second first page
Duplex printing and duplex scanning
Built-in ADF, two paper trays
3-year manufacturer warranty
Pros
- Fast colour and mono output with a 7 second first page
- Handles long jobs without stalling
- Resumes after jams or power loss
- Duplex printing and duplex scanning both work well
- Three-year warranty
- High page yields
Cons
- Heavy at 60.6 pounds and bulky for a desk
- Canon software and support site unreliable for some
- Scanning to a PC over Wi-Fi is troublesome
- Legal size needs the bypass tray
This is the only machine in the roundup that does duplex scanning properly, and for offices that scan signed contracts all day that single feature can be worth more than anything else on the spec sheet. The automatic document feeder reads both sides of a sheet, so a ten-page agreement becomes five feeder loads instead of ten.
Speed is the other headline. At 35 pages per minute in both colour and monochrome with a 7 second first page, it is roughly twice as fast as the other colour laser here, and faster than most of the mono units. The large internal memory handles long jobs without stalling, and reviewers specifically report that large batches resume after a jam or a power loss rather than starting over.
It is a full four-function machine, printing, scanning, copying and faxing, with automatic duplex output and two paper trays including a multipurpose tray for larger media. The touch control panel is a clear improvement over earlier imageCLASS models, and the web interface has been reworked in the same way.
The warranty is the longest in this roundup at three years manufacturer coverage, which matters when you are committing a shared office machine to a multi-year cycle. Supplies are Canon Genuine Toner 069, and reviewers point out that the high yields keep the per-page colour cost low despite the toner price.
The physical trade-off is size. At 60.6 pounds and 18.2 by 16.8 by 17 inches, it is the heaviest unit in this list and needs floor space or a proper stand, not a desk. Legal-size media has to go through the bypass tray, which limits how much you can load at once. Canon software is the other soft spot, with owners reporting driver discovery problems and troublesome scan-to-PC over Wi-Fi, for which scan-to-USB is the common workaround.
Where the MF753Cdw II earns its place
It suits legal offices, medical admin teams and any business that scans and prints double-sided documents as a daily task. Duplex scanning plus duplex printing plus fax in one machine removes an entire category of manual work, and users describe both duplex functions as working well.
It also suits businesses with bursty but heavy volume, because it is built to keep going. Job resumption after jams or outages, high toner yields and a three-year warranty all point the same way: fewer interruptions, fewer service visits.
Where it is the wrong pick
It is wrong for a small desk or a shared home-office situation, both because of the weight and because a 60 pound machine that must be moved to clear a jam is a problem. It is also the wrong choice if you have no Ethernet-friendly space and weak Wi-Fi coverage, since the reported scanning issues over wireless can eat your morning.
8. HP LaserJet MFP M235sdw – Most Compact Option for a Small Desk
HP LaserJet MFP M235sdw All-in-One Laser Wireless Printer, Scan/Copy, Black & White, Duplex, Best-for-Office
Laser monochrome, 30 ppm
7 second first page
Automatic duplex printing
150-sheet input tray
21 pounds, AirPrint and Mopria
Pros
- Compact 21 pound body at 12.13 inches deep
- 30 ppm mono with true automatic duplex
- Dual-band Wi-Fi with self-reset works long-term
- Crisp true black output
- Works across Windows
- macOS
- iPad and Chromebook
Cons
- Small 150-sheet input tray
- ADF scans one side only
- HP setup software is messy
- Network scanning setup is fiddly
- Toner cartridges cost more than the printer
If counter space is the binding constraint, this is the machine to look at. At 12.13 inches deep, 16.46 wide and 11.59 high, and 21 pounds, it is the shallowest machine in this roundup by a clear margin, and it still gives you a full laser MFP with print, scan and copy plus automatic duplex printing.
Speed is respectable at 30 pages per minute with a 7 second first page, and the dual-band Wi-Fi includes a self-reset mechanism that automatically detects and resolves connection issues. Owners report it staying connected over long periods, which is a real difference from the flaky wireless behaviour on several other models here.
Output is crisp and genuinely black, and several owners specifically mention upgrading from an older laser that printed grey. It works across Windows, macOS, iPad, Chromebook and phones, with AirPrint and Mopria support, and Ethernet is included rather than left out.
The 150-sheet input tray is the smallest in this roundup, so a busy week means more refills than the 250-sheet machines. The ADF handles scanning and copying but is single-sided only. There is no fax, which is worth restating because it removes this machine from consideration for a lot of professional offices.
Two running concerns. The toner cartridges cost noticeably more than the printer itself, which is the normal HP pattern and worth factoring into any three-to-five year calculation. And the software is the weak point: owners describe the setup app as messy and multi-step, and network scanning configuration on Windows and Ubuntu as fiddly. Budget an hour for the first configuration.
Who the M235sdw works for
It suits a home office that has become a real office, a reception desk, or any site where a 60 pound copier simply will not fit. You get laser reliability, true duplex printing, a document feeder and stable wireless in a machine that fits on a small cabinet.
It also suits a one to five person team printing black and white forms, contracts and shipping paperwork at up to about 700 pages a month, where the 150-sheet tray is manageable and the running cost per page is low.
Where it falls short
No colour and no fax, which is the short version. Beyond that, the small tray becomes irritating above roughly 400 pages a month, the single-sided feeder doubles your scan time on double-sided documents, and the setup software is the most demanding in this roundup. If you can spare the space, a 250-sheet mono laser will serve you better for a similar outlay.
9. Canon Color imageCLASS MF662Cdw – Best 3-in-1 Colour Laser With a Large Touchscreen
Canon Color imageCLASS MF662Cdw – Wireless Duplex Laser Printer with Copier, Scanner, 3 Year Limited Warranty, 26 PPM
Colour laser, 26 ppm
Print, copy and scan
Automatic two-sided printing
5 inch colour touchscreen
250-sheet cassette, 3-year warranty
Pros
- 26 ppm in both colour and mono with sharp bright output
- Automatic duplex plus flatbed scanner
- 5 inch colour touchscreen with an Application Library
- 250-sheet cassette plus multipurpose tray
- Three-year warranty
- Handles photo paper without bending
Cons
- Heavy at 55.1 pounds and needs dedicated space
- Toner 075 cartridges among the most costly here
- Wi-Fi drops out of sleep and needs a reboot
- Canon PRINT app lacks basic features
This is a three-function colour laser, not a four-function one, so it prints, copies and scans without fax. For a business that has already moved documents to secure email or a portal, that is the right trade, and you get a 5 inch colour touchscreen with an Application Library of customisable shortcuts that is the largest control panel in this roundup.
Speed sits between the two other colour lasers at 26 pages per minute in colour and monochrome, with a first print in about 10.3 seconds. Owners consistently rate the print quality as sharp and bright, and it handles photo paper without the bending or jamming that usually accompanies entry-level colour units.
The 250-sheet standard cassette plus a multipurpose tray gives you two paper sources, and the tray adjusts for legal-size media from 3 by 5 inches up to 8.5 by 14. Automatic two-sided printing is present, and the flatbed covers copying single sheets and documents a feeder cannot take.
The warranty is three years, and the machine carries ENERGY STAR and EPEAT Silver certification, which some businesses need for their own procurement paperwork. Canon Genuine Toner 075 and the 075 high-capacity cartridge are the supplies.
Now the drawbacks, and they are not minor. At 55.1 pounds and 18.2 by 16.8 by 15.7 inches, it needs a dedicated space rather than a desk. The toner 075 cartridges are among the most expensive in this roundup, which pushes the colour running cost up. Wireless is the biggest software problem: owners report the connection dropping out of sleep and needing a manual reboot to rejoin the network, the Canon PRINT app missing basic features like file location browsing, and the machine not appearing in AirPrint listings while it is asleep.
Who should choose the MF662Cdw
It suits a design-conscious or retail-adjacent business that wants a proper colour laser on the desk and values a large, obvious control panel. The Application Library means a non-technical user can reach the function they need without a manual, which is a genuine advantage in a shared space.
It also suits organisations with procurement requirements, since the three-year warranty and the ENERGY STAR and EPEAT Silver certifications cover a lot of internal paperwork.
Who should not choose it
Do not choose it if you need fax, if you need duplex scanning, or if colour volume is heavy, because 26 ppm and costly toner will show up in your budget. Avoid it too if your office Wi-Fi is marginal, since the sleep-and-reboot behaviour will become an irritation within a week.
Laser vs Inkjet vs Ink Tank: What Your Monthly Volume Decides
Start with your monthly page count, because it decides the technology faster than any feature list. Under roughly 200 pages a month, a refillable ink tank wins on running cost, and a mono laser is only worth it if you value reliability over page price. Between 200 and 800 pages a month, mono laser pulls ahead on speed and paper handling while still keeping cost per page low. Above 800 pages a month, a colour or mono laser MFP is the only sensible choice, and running cost becomes a rounding error next to the labour you save.
Here is the real-world anchor. Office IT people benchmarking small-office machines quote mono laser running at under half a penny per page, and colour laser at around five cents per page. That gap is the reason mono-first businesses should buy mono, and the reason a business that suddenly needs colour should think twice before paying for it on a large laser. If your team produces decorated goods rather than paperwork, that is a completely different hardware category, and our sublimation printer guide for crafters covers it.
Colour is where small businesses overspend. If you print 400 pages a month and 30 of them are in colour, you are paying colour laser running cost on far less than you think and should be fine. If you print 400 pages a month and 200 of them are in colour, a colour laser is the right answer. Work out the ratio before you choose, and test a page on the actual media you use.
The reliability argument matters as much as the arithmetic. Powder toner does not dry out and does not clog, so a laser that sits unused for a month prints correctly the first time. An inkjet left idle over a long holiday can come back needing a head clean. For seasonal businesses, that is not a theoretical risk; it is a Tuesday afternoon you cannot bill for. Small-business forums consistently report that Brother and Canon laser MFPs are preferred over inkjets for exactly this reason.
Refillable tanks sit in between. They beat cartridges on running cost by a wide margin and they produce better colour than any laser here, but they retain the inkjet weakness around idling and they are slower. If you print infrequently, keep the machine in use or choose laser anyway. If you print frequently in colour, a tank is hard to argue with.
One more note on subscriptions. HP Instant Ink, HP+ and Brother Refresh EZ Print all push enrolment during setup or on the packaging. Decline every one of them, and buy standard high-yield cartridges or OEM toner directly. The cost difference over three years is substantial, and enrolment is entirely optional on the models in this roundup.
How to Choose an All-in-One Printer for a Small Office
1. Count your monthly pages, and your colour pages separately. This is the single input that eliminates half the options. Be honest about the peak month rather than the average one, because a tax practice in April is not the same machine as that practice in July.
2. Decide whether you need duplex scanning, not just duplex printing. These are separate features and most compact MFPs have the first without the second. An automatic document feeder that reads one side means flipping every double-sided contract by hand. If you scan signed agreements or client paperwork daily, treat duplex scanning as a hard filter. In this roundup, only the Canon MF753Cdw II does it.
3. Check the function set, because it removes half the list fast. Fax is still a live requirement in clinics, legal offices and administrative teams, and it removes most of this list in one step. Only three of the nine models here send fax: the Brother MFC-L2820DW, the Brother MFC-L3720CDW and the Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II. A 3-in-1 will not do the job, and the model numbers that differ by a single digit are often exactly where that feature is added or removed.
4. Look at paper capacity against your refill habits. The 250-sheet trays in this roundup cover most working weeks. The 150-sheet tray on the HP M235sdw and the 100-sheet trays on both ink tanks mean someone tops up the paper more often, which is a small tax that accumulates quietly.
5. Treat connectivity as a real specification. Dual-band Wi-Fi plus Ethernet is the combination worth paying for, because a 2.4 GHz-only connection in an office full of metal furniture will drop. Ethernet is missing on both Canon ink tanks and the Brother MFC-L3720CDW, so check what your network gives you before choosing those. AirPrint and Mopria support matters if your team uses iPads, Chromebooks or phones.
6. Plan for print security if clients or patients are involved. Look for an admin lock that stops staff changing network settings, watermarks on copies and faxes, and automatic firmware updates. HP describes built-in protection features on the LaserJet models in this roundup. If your office shares a printer with staff you do not manage, this matters more than any speed figure.
7. Measure the space with the trays out. These are office machines, not desk accessories. The Canon colour units in this roundup run about 17 inches tall and 55 to 61 pounds, and the MF753Cdw II needs floor space. Measure the footprint with the paper trays extended and leave room behind the machine if the paper path exits at the rear, as it does on the Brother MFC-L2820DW.
8. Read the warranty as part of the running cost. Canon imageCLASS units here carry three-year manufacturer warranties, which is the longest in this group, and one-year limited warranties are standard elsewhere. For a machine you expect to keep three to five years, that difference is worth asking questions about.
9. Buy your own supplies and skip the subscription. Order high-yield cartridges or OEM toner directly, decline Instant Ink, HP+ and Refresh EZ Print enrolment, and note the genuine-parts restrictions. The HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101sdw works only with HP chips, so accept that running cost before you buy rather than afterwards.
Finally, read the model number carefully before you commit, because regional variants are confusingly similar. A “dw” suffix generally means duplex and wireless together, a plain “d” means duplex only, and models that differ by one or two digits can have different feeders, trays and fax capability. We saw several near-identical listings in this category that differed precisely in whether they send fax, which is the one feature that changes the buying decision most. If you are also outfitting a classroom or a makerspace, our FDM 3D printer guide covers the other half of a low-cost fabrication setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best printer for a small business?
The best printer for a small business is a monochrome laser MFP if your paperwork is mostly black and white, and a refillable ink tank if you need colour at low volume. Most 1-30 person offices printing invoices, contracts and receipts daily are best served by a laser with automatic duplex printing and a 50-page document feeder, because toner costs less per page over time and the machine keeps working after months of sitting idle.
What is the best all-in-one color laser printer for small business?
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II is the strongest all-in-one colour laser for a small business, printing at up to 35 pages per minute in colour and monochrome with a 7 second first page. It is the only machine in our roundup that does duplex scanning, and its three-year manufacturer warranty is the longest we found. It is heavy at 60.6 pounds, so plan a dedicated space for it.
Which laser printer has the lowest cost per page?
Mono laser printers have the lowest cost per page of any technology here, and office benchmarks put a well-run mono laser MFP at under half a penny per page. Colour laser runs closer to five cents per page in the real world, while refillable ink tanks win on colour only at low volume. A mono laser also holds up through months of inactivity without drying out, which is where cartridge inkjets lose.
What printer has the least problems?
Monochrome laser MFPs from Brother and Canon report the fewest problems in owner reviews, with the main recurring complaints being paper jams in an overstuffed feeder and occasional wireless dropouts rather than print failures. Inkjet models draw consistent complaints about printhead streaking after periods of inactivity and connection issues between print jobs. Reliability, rather than page price, is what small-business owners on printer forums say they value most.
Is a laser printer better than inkjet for business?
For a business printing more than a few hundred pages a month, yes. Laser is faster, handles paper more reliably, has a lower cost per page in black and white and does not dry out when the machine sits idle between busy periods. Inkjet and refillable tanks still win on colour quality and on low-volume colour cost, so the answer depends on the ratio of colour pages to black pages you actually print.
Are laser printers being phased out?
No. Laser remains the standard for office documents, and the models in this roundup come with current security features, mobile apps and automatic firmware updates. What has changed is the growth of refillable ink tanks, which have closed much of the old gap in colour cost per page. Laser is not disappearing; it has simply become the default choice for monochrome office work while tanks absorb the colour end of the market.
The Verdict
If your office is mostly black and white and prints every day, the Brother DCP-L2640DW is the machine to beat: 36 pages per minute, automatic duplex, a 50-page feeder, a 250-sheet tray and Ethernet plus dual-band Wi-Fi, at a running cost well below any inkjet. Add fax and a touchscreen with the Brother MFC-L2820DW. Add real colour volume with the Brother MFC-L3720CDW, and add duplex scanning with the Canon MF753Cdw II.
If colour is occasional and your volume is light, the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 is our overall pick, with the Canon MegaTank G3270 close behind for black-and-white yield. Both refill instead of taking cartridges, and both produce better colour than any laser here. Just accept that they are single-sided, slow, and need regular use.
Before you buy, check the exact regional model number and the function set on the listing, and use the buttons below for current pricing. We re-checked this shortlist in 2026, and printer lineups move fast enough that a six-month-old recommendation deserves a second look.