The best printer for school office is powerful, flexible, and cost-effective. On average, a typical school uses nearly 2,000 sheets of paper per day, and 320,000 sheets annually. The right printer impacts productivity and ensures consistent performance for high-volume jobs and busy periods.
With so many options available, choosing the best printer for school office can feel overwhelming. Whether you are purchasing a printer for the entire school or a single classroom, this guide will help you make an informed decision. We go over what matters most when choosing a school printer and share our top five picks.
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What Matters Most in Choosing a Printer for School Office Use?
Your Daily Print Volume
Your daily print volume is the number one factor to consider when selecting school printers. School offices require a printer that can handle daily, high-volume tasks without disruption, preventing bottlenecks as teachers print hundreds of documents. Overworking is a recipe for frequent downtime and excessive wear.
When choosing the best printer for school office, select one with a higher duty cycle than your daily/monthly volume. A duty cycle is the maximum number of pages your printer can produce in a month without compromising performance. If you use a low-volume printer for high-volume jobs, you’ll end up spending more on replacement and maintenance than you would on a more expensive machine.
Cost Per Page and Budget Control
Your budget is one of the most crucial factors for choosing school office printers. Schools are often underresourced, so the ideal printer should balance efficiency with economy.
Budgeting for a new school office printer involves considering upfront and operational costs. For example, inkjets are cheaper upfront but require more frequent cartridge replacements, resulting in a higher cost per page than laser printers. Plus, some manufacturers sell their printers at lower prices, knowing you have to purchase their proprietary ink. These costs accumulate down the line.
Consider the page yield of the cartridges when choosing the best printer for a school office. This indicates the number of pages you can print with one cartridge. To determine a printer’s cost per page, divide the cost of the cartridge by the page yield and add the cost per sheet of paper.
Speed During High-Traffic Periods
A high-speed printer is crucial if you frequently print large volumes or experience high-traffic periods. Print speed refers to the number of pages your machine can print per minute (PPM). It is a crucial factor because schools require consistent, bulk printing, such as worksheets, newsletters, and infographics. The higher your printer’s PPM, the faster it prints out your documents.
A printer with a high PPM rating breezes through documents, preventing bottlenecks during high traffic periods. Staff can spend less time waiting and more time teaching and focusing on other tasks. On the flip side, a low printing speed directly equates to wasted time, which is especially frustrating for fast-paced periods, such as exams.
Scanning and Copying Capabilities
Classroom spaces can be limited, and there can’t always be a separate device for every need. This is when you’ll want a printer that can scan and copy in addition to printing. Scanning allows you to digitize documents into electronic files for editing, sharing, or storage, while copying allows you to duplicate books, worksheets, and other educational materials.
Print resolution is also important. This refers to the number of dots per inch (DPI) that a printer can produce, which directly determines image sharpness and output resolution. The higher the DPI, the clearer and more detailed the prints will be. While you’re at it, consider whether you need extra features like duplex printing and scanning capabilities (printing or scanning on both sides of the document).
Most printers can handle standard paper sizes, such as letter (8.5 x 11 inches) or A4 (210 x 297 mm). However, if you need to print on specialized paper, such as envelopes or cardstock, ensure that your preferred printer supports the sizes and weights. Some printers even come with multiple paper trays to allow you load different types of paper simultaneously.
Reliability and Low Maintenance Needs
Reliability is key when choosing the best printer for a school office. The ideal model is user-friendly, performs consistently without interruption, and minimizes downtime. Most importantly, it can withstand the rigors of daily use and multiple users.
It’s also a good idea to research the availability and cost of replacement cartridges for the model you’re considering. Some printers are compatible with a wide range of cartridges, while others use proprietary cartridges only available from the manufacturer. The former is cheaper and easier to obtain, while the latter can be scarce and more expensive.
Easy Connectivity for Office Staff
The best printer for school office must be able to connect to various devices to ensure smooth connectivity for office staff. Your options are wired methods such as Ethernet and USB, and wireless methods like Bluetooth and WiFi. Your choice should depend on your specific requirements.
Ethernet is a wired technology for connecting devices in a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN). Once connected, everyone in the school office can send documents to the same device without a direct USB connection. On the other hand, USB connectivity is a direct, wired connection linking your printer to the computer. It is useful if you want your printer connected to a single workstation, but it requires the printer to be physically close to the computer and limits your connection to one computer at a time.
To get the most out of your printer, consider wireless options like Bluetooth and WiFi. They’re convenient, efficient, and flexible, allowing you to print from multiple devices wirelessly. You should also explore cloud printing, which enables you to print from any internet-connected device without proximity or a direct connection to a printer.
What’s the Best Printer For School Office Usage?
Epson EcoTank ET-3950
The Epson EcoTank ET-3950 tops our list for the best printer for a school office. It is a 3-in-1 wireless supertank printer that uses refillable ink tanks rather than cartridges, and produces 18 black-and-white pages and 9 color pages each minute.
Like most inkjets, this printer has an impressive color range, which is ideal for producing high-quality color documents like graphics and photographs. It can hold up to 250 sheets of paper, print on both sides of the page, and handle various media up to legal-size (8.5”x14”). You can also monitor ink levels and refill the tanks without turning the printer on, eliminating the messy refill process of cartridges.
The only downside is the printer’s single paper tray, which requires constant refilling because it holds less paper. Also, switching between media types requires you to remove the current paper and reload the tray every time. On the plus side, single paper trays also make it easy to feed specialized media such as envelopes and cardstock that might otherwise jam in the tray.
Pros
- Supports printing, scanning, and copying
- Automatic two-sided printing and scanning
- Duplex scanning uses a reversing ADF rather than a single-pass ADF.
Cons
- Only one paper input tray
HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e
Second on our list is the HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e. It is a compact yet powerful inkjet with full print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities, providing the necessary versatility for a school office. It features an 8.5″ x 11″ flatbed scanner, an automatic feeder with dual-pass duplex scanning, and a low-on-paper sensor to detect when its 250-sheet input tray is getting low.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and it can print directly from a USB flash drive. It prints 22 black-and-white pages and 18 color pages per minute, but only when connected via USB. This can be inconvenient if you can’t place the printer near the computer. Its wireless speed is even slower, at 10 monochrome ppm and 7 color ppm.
Fortunately, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e makes up for its wireless printing speed with three months of free ink via HP’s ink subscription service. It is compatible with HP’s 936 ink cartridges and uses a four-cartridge system (cyan, magenta, yellow, black), allowing you to replace each color individually.
Pros
- 250-sheet input tray
- Automatic document feeder
- Low-on-paper sensor
- Vast connectivity options
- 3 months of Instant Ink for free with HP+
Cons
- Needs a wired connection for faster print speed.
Brother MFC-L2820DW
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is an excellent choice if you need a user-friendly, reliable printer. It is a compact monochrome laser printer with a 250-sheet input tray, 50-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF), and a 100-sheet output capacity. It supports double-sided printing and has a recommended monthly volume of up to 2,500 pages.
This is a laser printer, meaning it won’t clog if left unused for long periods. It uses Brother’s TN830 toner cartridge, which is inexpensive and has a high page yield, so you won’t spend a fortune on replacement cartridges. It is also compatible with high-yield TN830XL and TN830V cartridges.
With its compact design, the Brother MFC-L2820DW can handle your school’s printing needs without taking up too much real estate in the office. At 34 pages per minute, it‘s perfect for large-scale jobs and high traffic periods. Connectivity options include USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service.
Pros
- Up to 32 ppm
- Wired connectivity
- USB & Wireless Connectivity
- Automatic 2-sided (duplex) print
- Compact chassis for offices strapped for space
Cons
- Duplex scanning requires manual intervention.
Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw is an all-in-one color laser printer designed to handle the high-volume needs of a school office. It features 26 ppm print speeds, a 50-sheet single-pass duplex feeder, and a 5-inch color touchscreen.
This printer features an ADF-equipped scanner that efficiently handles multi-page and double-sided documents without manual intervention. Its ScanGear MF Utility allows you to make image adjustments, choose between the automatic document feeder (ADF) and flatbed scanner, and enable optical character recognition (OCR). It also supports a wide range of wired and wireless connectivity options, including USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Apple AirPrint, and Mopria Print Service.
Lastly, the Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw requires minimal maintenance. Thanks to their high page yield, toner replacements are infrequent, and its robust 250-sheet main input tray reduces the need for constant refills. The printer will warn you when the toner is running low, but you can continue printing without interruption. It is also compatible with Canon’s Auto Replenishment Service, a free, optional service that automatically ships replacement toner to your address once it detects low toner levels.
Pros
- Fast printing speeds.
- Wide connectivity options.
- ADF with automatic duplex scanning.
- High page yield
- Low cost per print.
Cons
- Limited scanning options
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-7840
The Epson WF-7840 is a wireless wide-format printer designed for fast-paced, high-volume school offices. Like the HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e, it offers full print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities and uses a four-cartridge system.
This workhorse has a 500-sheet total paper capacity (two 250-sheet trays) plus a 50-sheet rear tray and a 50-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF). It also features Epson’s PrecisionCore printheads, which are tiny, tightly clustered nozzles that eject ink with exceptional speed and accuracy.
Its connectivity options include built-in Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet, and Bluetooth, plus support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service.
Pros
- Wide-format printing and scanning
- USB thumb drive support
- High-speed PreciseCore output
- Two large paper drawers and an input tray
Cons
- High cost per page
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You can find more tips on choosing a small business printer, including how often you should replace an office printer or the differences between a sublimation vs inkjet printer in our blog.
Bringing Our Guide on the Best School Office Printer to a Close
That concludes our guide on choosing the best printer for school office. Now that you know which qualities matter in a school printer, it’s just a matter of matching your priorities with the right option.
Any of our top picks will provide above-average quality, speed, and reliability. However, the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 is our ultimate choice.
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Frequently asked questions
Do schools use laser or inkjet printers?
Schools use both, but rely heavily on laser printers for fast, high-volume, cost-effective printing. Inkjets are used for vibrant, color-heavy projects. It is common to see both inkjet and laser printers in school offices.
Which type of printer is used mostly in school?
Schools primarily use inkjet printers due to their superior color quality. Teachers incorporate color into learning materials to engage and educate students. Science, arts, and extra-curricular classes all benefit from the inkjet’s excellent color blending, accuracy, and saturation.
Which is better, Epson or Canon?
Just as with the comparison between HP vs Canon printer, neither Epson nor Canon is better in all areas. Canon holds an edge when it comes to print speed and sharp text, while Epson excels in photo print quality. It ultimately depends on what qualities you prioritize.
