5 essential features for small business printers — Check your chosen printer has these if you're printing from the office or home office

We may be living in a world of remote and hybrid work, but there’s no doubt that paper documents and printing still have their place, especially in smaller businesses.

Whether you’re printing marketing materials to take on sales trips, churning out postage labels or producing secure documents in the medical or legal fields, sometimes it’s just better to have things on paper.

And if you’re responsible for buying technology in a small business, it’s important to get maximum value for money.

Tighter budgets and an increased emphasis on Return on Investment mean that you need to ensure you’re buying the right product from the start, especially when a faulty or unsuitable piece of technology can bring your entire operation to a halt.

And without a full-time IT team in place, it needs to integrate into your existing technology and be easy to use.

It’s also worth making sure that any technology purchase is future-proofed, so it can remain effective in your business for years to come.

If you’re in the market for a new printer for your small business, though, it can be tricky to know what to buy and which features you need – so read on, discover what you need to consider, and you’ll be able to make your next purchase with confidence.

For more top-performing devices, we've tested the best small business printers and best home printers.

1. All-in-one functionality

Most small businesses face familiar challenges: small budgets, and not enough space. And if you identify with those issues in your organization, then it’ll be worth investigating all-in-one devices that have print, copy and scan functionality.

You’ll be able to handle all three of those crucial office tasks from a single device, which can save space, time and money when compared to investing in two or three separate units. And that’s all the more true when you consider just how compact many all-in-one devices can be, too.

By investing in an all-in-one device, you can consolidate and streamline workflows – because you and your staff won’t have to spend loads of time switching between different units and software packages to get the job done.

You could even save on energy bills because you’ll only be running one device, rather than two or three.

While it may seem odd to seek out an all-in-one device that still includes fax capabilities in 2025, this retro functionality remains desired in the legal, healthcare, and government industries, where fax remains a trusted method of secure communication. If you’d rather not rely on a phone line, internet fax services are available.

Additionally, ensure that your new printer offers robust support options, easy firmware updates, and a comprehensive warranty – all of these additions can help prevent costly downtime should an issue arise with the device.

2. Wireless and mobile access

Your small business needs technology that supports mobility and flexibility, especially when so many businesses and employees support hybrid and remote working.

When it comes to a printer for your small business, wireless connectivity is a must-have feature.

And while we’ve already mentioned that having an all-in-one device that handles printing, copying, and scanning is important, wireless connectivity is equally essential if you’re getting a traditional printer, too.

Wireless and mobile functionality means that you and your colleagues can print from your laptops, PCs, smartphones and tablets without cables – a vital feature when you’re working from different locations or just in a cramped office.

Depending on the printer and the devices that you use in your organization, you may need to use technology like Wi-Fi Direct or Apple AirPrint – all of which are easy enough to use. Companies like HP also have their own protocols, APIs and apps to handle this functionality.

On the technical side, all-in-one print, copy and scan devices still tend to use the familiar 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi standards, so if you’ve got a relatively modern network at the office – and your staff have the same at home – then you shouldn’t encounter any issues when it comes to wireless connectivity.

Many models also support integration with cloud storage services, like Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive, which makes it easier to manage print, scan and copy workflows throughout your organization. Similarly, make sure that your new printer integrates with any document systems you may use, like Microsoft 365, SharePoint, or Google Workspace.

Many printer manufacturers also produce their own apps, making it just as simple to manage files throughout the print, scan, and copy process.

When you’re working remotely, in a hybrid business or with colleagues spread throughout a region, visiting customers on sales calls, having mobile and wireless access is a game-changer.

As well as supporting a more agile workforce, having wireless and mobile-enabled technology minimizes the need for shared PCs or print servers, which can reduce costs for your business. You’ll also reduce cable clutter in the office, which may well be a consideration if you’re already working in a cramped space.

3. Automatic duplexing and document feeding

If you want to streamline workflows and administration in your small business, then it’s quite simple – your next all-in-one device or printer needs to have Automatic Document Feeding and duplex ability.

A device with built-in Automatic Document Feeding, or ADF, will be able to accept multiple pages at the same time, so you can feed a bundle of documents or paper into the printer at once and not have to worry about feeding things manually, one page at a time.

Combine this batch scanning ability with a device that has automatic duplexing and you’ll go some way to reducing administrative headaches and downtime in your organization.

Automatic duplexing is the ability of a printer or all-in-one device to print, scan or copy documents on both sides of the paper.

For printing and copying, that means you can improve your environmental impact because you’re using less paper. You’ll also be able to produce more compact, professional-looking documents, and reduce material costs by using less paper.

For scanning, duplex functionality means faster results, because you don’t have to manually turn documents over to capture the information on the other side.

Duplex-capable printers and all-in-one devices offer this functionality thanks to additional rollers and sensors located internally. The best models offer duplex printing and copying with no delay to print speeds.

And while duplex-capable devices and ADF printers may cost more initially, they deliver longer-term ROI gains because they save on material costs, reduce ink usage, and help your organization produce more sustainable documents.

It’s just another way to make your small business printing as efficient, eco-conscious, and lean as possible.

4. Respectable running costs

Go beyond ADFs and duplexing and it’s important to consider cost in other areas, too – both in terms of your initial print investment and ongoing operational costs.

When considering a new printer or all-in-one device for your office, weigh both the initial outlay and the running costs of the device.

After all, you may pick out a printer or all-in-one that has every feature you need at a low price, but it’s going to be a false economy if it’s got huge running costs. And when you want to use your new device for years, those ongoing expenses are going to add up.

When considering a new printer, it’s important to consider the overall Cost Per Page, or CPP. To calculate this, you’ll have to combine the cost of your ink cartridge with the cost of your paper – and divide that by how many sheets you get out of each cartridge.

It’s also worth including your energy expenses and any other maintenance costs in this calculation.

Once you’ve gathered data about your CPP, you’ll be in a better position to judge if a printer will prove expensive to run, or if you’ll actually save money by investing in a model with a more expensive up-front price alongside reduced running costs.

Thankfully, there are ways to reduce your ongoing print expenses. Many printers are available with high-yield ink cartridges, which improve efficiency, making them ideal for frequent printing. Many go further with refillable ink tanks, eco-friendly operating modes or cartridge recycling schemes.

If you’ll be printing at high volumes and want lower running costs, also consider a laser printer – you may lose out on colors and fidelity, but you’ll gain in print speed and value. But if you do need to produce photographs or high-quality color prints, stick with an inkjet and take plenty of care over the cost calculations.

5. Robust security

The frequency and cost of cyberattacks on businesses are rising, and attackers often target smaller businesses because they sometimes have weaker security protocols.

And when an attack can result in thousands of dollars’ worth of lost time, compliance issues and reputational damage, it can prove catastrophic to a smaller enterprise.

Thanks to wireless connectivity printers have never been more accessible to attackers, and because they’re often used to print sensitive information, they’re very attractive as a potential attack vector, too.

If you want to keep your printing, scanning and copying secure, your small businesses needs to invest in a model that supports strong security protocols.

From a networking perspective, it’s worth exploring printers that support SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit – and models with secure boot processes and firewall controls. These features ensure that communication between your devices and printer remains secure.

It’s also possible to find printers with automatic updates and firmware integrity checks if you want to be even safer.

Admin-level controls in printer networks allow small businesses to set user permissions, monitor usage and control specific functions.

Also consider only allowing people to print if they authenticate with a PIN number or badge to reduce the likelihood of sensitive information being printed and left in the office or in a public place.

If you want your small business to be a success, then secure printing is a necessity – and that’s even more true if you need to adhere to industrial regulations like HIPAA, PCI-DSS or GDPR.

Summary: Perfect your printing

It’s easy to dismiss a printer as a device that sits in the corner of your office and does a relatively simple job, but by doing that, you’ll be missing a trick in your small business.

If you make sure your next device has appropriate security controls, then you can keep data safe – and if you seek out a model with the best levels of wireless access, document feeding and duplexing then you can streamline your operations and provide more functionality to your colleagues.

And if you weigh up its running costs, too, then you can do all of that while saving your organization some money.

Don’t discount a printer, or an all-in-one, if you want to deliver streamlined, secure operations in your organization – because in a wireless world, paper still has a place.