The best workgroup printers for your busy office
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Welcome to our pick of the best workgroup printers. These printers are essential additions to any modern office, especially busy ones were numerous PCs need to use the printer throughout the day.
Sure, many of the best printers now come with network connectivity, but they can really only handle a few devices connected to them at a time. The best workgroup printers, however, are much more powerful, with on-board memory to store jobs as they are queued, which makes them excellent purchases for busy and growing offices.
Having a decent amount of RAM, and a fast processor, means they can handle even the most demanding of workloads throughout the day.
Of course, because they are best suited to busy offices, they also need to be able to handle printing out large numbers of documents every month as well. So, speed is important, as well as large trays to hold paper, and they need to be able to offer top-notch print quality as well.
All the best workgroup printers will have network connections, either wired via Ethernet or Wi-Fi (or preferably both for maximum flexibility).
We’ve compared these printers across numerous aspects, like their printing speed, size, weight, paper capacity, cost of running, and wireless connectivity options. We also evaluated their print quality, security, interface, and pricing, among other things. Read on for our pick of the best workgroup printers, and let our built-in price comparison tool help find you the best deals as well.
We’ve also featured the best A3 printers.
The best workgroup printers of 2022 in full:
Why you can trust TechRadar Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
(Image credit: Lexmark)
1. Lexmark MC3326i
Compact workgroup printer with a large appetite
Specifications
Category: Color laser multifunction printer
Print speed: 24ppm
Paper capacity: 250 sheets
Paper size: up to A4
Weight: 19.4kg
Reasons to buy
+
Rapid print speed
+
Expandable design
Reasons to avoid
–
No front USB host port
–
Expensive
This compact multifunction laser printer is a rugged and hardworking device. With its steel frame construction and robust security features, it would serve well as a shared workgroup printer in a small, but busy office.
It might lack the more refined features such as duplex scanning or an NFC module, but it does have a touchscreen interface which will reduce the time spent standing in front of it. Connectivity options include 1 x Ethernet port, 1 x USB host port, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct. The printer supports Apple AirPrint and an iOS and Android app called Lexmark Print.
More importantly, it prints quickly and very well at high volumes. Lexmark suggests a maximum monthly duty cycle of 50,000 pages. It is not especially cheap to buy, or run, but we found the Lexmark MC3326i to be a very reliable workhorse.
Read the full Lexmark MC3326i review.
(Image credit: Jim Hill)
2. Xerox VersaLink B600DN laser printer
The best workgroup printer
Specifications
Category: mono laser printer
Print speed: 55ppm
Paper sizes: up to A4
Paper capacity: 550
Weight: 22.3kg
Reasons to buy
+
Record breaking speed
+
High paper capacity
Reasons to avoid
–
Expensive
–
Wi-Fi is extra
With a print speed of 55 pages per minute and room for a whole ream of paper on board, this compact device can keep a large work group printing continuously. While the initial outlay for this monochrome device is high, its running costs are impressively low, so you should find you save money in the long run. Although it only prints in black and white, the print quality is superb and the combined paper capacity is 700 sheets.
It is larger, noisier, and heavier than the HL-L5100DN, making it suitable for a busy SMB. Although it’s compact enough to fit on a desk, it’s quite heavy at 22.3kg.
There is a luxurious five-inch folding color touchscreen display that presents the printer’s functions as apps, as seen on smartphones.
Read our full Xerox VersaLink B600DN review.
(Image credit: Jim Hill)
3. Brother HL-L5100DN laser printer
Compact workgroup printer for the very busy SMB
Specifications
Category: mono laser printer
Print speed: 40ppm
Paper sizes: up to A4
Paper capacity: 300
Weight: 10.7kg
Reasons to buy
+
High print speed
+
Compact unit
Reasons to avoid
–
No inbuilt Wi-Fi
–
Tiny display
Who says a workgroup printer has to be big and bulky? The Brother HL-L5100DN is a compact printer, but don’t be put off – this little workgroup printer can handle plenty of jobs, with a high print speed and large paper capacity.
It can hold 300 A4 sheets in its two in-trays and 150 sheets in the out tray. The LCD panel is just a tiny one-liner and it’s hard to read at a glance because it’s pretty reflective.
It does lack some features, however, such as Wi-Fi, so you’ll need to make sure you can plug it in to your wired network. But for small offices where space is a premium, this is one of the best workgroup printers you can buy – and it’s pretty cheap to run as well!
Read our full Brother HL-L5100DN review.
(Image credit: Kyocera)
4. Kyocera ECOSYS P2040dw
High-speed and Hi-res mono workgroup printer
Specifications
Category: Mono laser printer
Print speed: 40ppm
Paper capacity: 250 + 100 sheets
Paper size: up to A4
Weight: 9.2kg
Reasons to buy
+
1200dpi print resolution
+
Rapid print rate
Reasons to avoid
–
Expensive
–
No touchscreen or NFC
Kyocera’s ECOSYS products are invariably well-built using components that are designed to last and that’s essential for a workgroup printer that could be printing flat out on a shared network.
The Kyocera ECOSYS P2040dw is a fairly compact desktop design, with room for 250 sheets of A4 paper in its main tray and enough toner in the box to print 3,600 pages. It prints quickly at 40 pages per minute, and it can do so at a higher resolution than most mono laser printers. Since it’s an LED laser printer, there are fewer moving parts inside, and Kyocera claims that makes these products last longer.
There’s no touchscreen interface, sadly, but in all other respects, this modest laser printer punches well above its weight and would suit any busy SMB (small and medium-sized business).
Read our full Kyocera ECOSYS P2040dw review.
(Image credit: HP)
5. HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M555dw
Secure workgroup printer with all the features
Specifications
Category: Color laser printer
Print Speed: 38ppm
Paper size: A4
Paper capacity: 250
Weight: 27.5kg
Reasons to buy
+
Decent tilting touchscreen
+
NFC and Wi-Fi
Reasons to avoid
–
Small paper tray
–
Somewhat expensive
As the Enterprise in the model mane suggests, this print-only device is aimed at the office, and in many ways it is the ideal workgroup printer. It’s a laser, so it prints quickly (up to 38ppm in black and white) and efficiently.
It has some of the strongest security features of any printer and it has a large tilting touchscreen interface to minimize the time spent managing jobs at the printer. It has both dual-band Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port for networking with multiple computers and there’s room for a reasonable amount of paper.
If 250-sheets isn’t enough, you can always expand on that by adding optional paper tray units as your company grows. It even has an NFC module built in so that individual users can pull down sensitive print jobs using their own NFC device.
(Image credit: Ricoh)
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6. Ricoh SP 3710DN laser printer
Small and secure workgroup printer for the shared office
Specifications
Category: Color laser printer
Print speed: 32ppm
Paper sizes: up to A4
Paper capacity: 250 sheets
Weight: 13kg
Reasons to buy
+
Rapid print speed
+
Expandable design
Reasons to avoid
–
No front USB host port
–
Expensive
The Ricoh SP 3710DN is compact, but feature-rich laser printer that’s well suited to a small business with high volume print demands. There’s plenty of room for paper in the main tray and enough toner for 7,000 pages, so it will keep printing with minimal downtime.
The print rate is fast at 32 pages per minute, which will suit a shared office situation. It also prints securely with a feature called Locked Print holding sensitive print jobs until you authenticate at the device when you’re ready to pick up your documents.
You can use the inbuilt NFC tag to do this by simply touching the printer with your smartphone. The printer supports Mopria, Apple AirPrint, and Google Cloud Print.
The SP 3710DN is also an energy-efficient printer that has an auto sleep mode for powering down the printer when it’s sitting idle.
(Image credit: Oki)
7. Oki C650 laser printer
High performance workgroup printer in a tiny package
Specifications
Category: Color laser printer
Print speed: 35ppm
Paper sizes: up to A4
Paper capacity: 250 + 100 sheets
Weight: 28.2kg
Reasons to buy
+
Very high duty cycle
+
Can print banners
Reasons to avoid
–
Expensive
–
No front USB port
The Oki C650 claims to be the world’s smallest high performance color printer cramming every conceivable feature into a unit that could quite easily sit on your desk.
The maximum duty cycle recommended for this model is a staggering 100,000 pages per month, so if you have a small office and very heavy print demands, this hardworking laser will serve you well. It has a standard 250-sheet paper capacity and an optional paper tray to store up to 880 sheets.
It can duplex print of course and turn out pages in mono, or color at a fair clip, but it can also print banners up to 3.5 meters long. It has an Ethernet port for networking within a workgroup and NFC for when you need to collect private print jobs at the printer by touching your NFC-enable smartphone. This an expensive and uncompromising printer suitable for serious workgroups.
(Image credit: Jim Hill)
8. Ricoh SP C261DNw
A well rounded workgroup printer for the small office
Specifications
Category: colour laser printer
Print speed: 20ppm
Paper sizes: up to A4
Paper capacity: 250
Weight: 23.8kg
Reasons to buy
+
Vivid colour pages
+
Duplex and Wi-Fi
Reasons to avoid
–
Noisy and slow
–
Not user-friendly
Ricoh’s colour printer comes with the essential features, such as Wi-Fi connectivity, duplex mode and secure printing built in, which makes it an ideal workgroup printer. Speed isn’t the fastest, nor is the 250 sheet capacity the largest, but print quality if fantastic – and don’t forget this printer will print in both mono and color.
This printer integrates well with Wi-Fi, and has a hard button for making a Wi-Fi Direct connection. There is NFC for linking your Android phone in one tap and support for Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.
The printer has two USB ports, one for flash memory drives and one for the PC. Ricoh has also included a USB data cable in the box, which is not commonly done by manufacturers now.
Read our full Ricoh SP C261dnw review.
(Image credit: Jim Hill)
9. Lexmark MB2236adw
Miniature MFD suits a small office and small budget
Specifications
Category: 4-in1 mono laser MDF
Print speed: 36ppm
Paper sizes: A4
Paper capacity: 250
Weight: 10kg
Reasons to buy
+
Low price point
+
Small footprint
Reasons to avoid
–
No front USB port
–
Small starter cartridge
If you need an all-in-one device to serve a small workgroup in a small office, this inexpensive laser printer makes a lot of sense. If it looks a little top-heavy, that’s because the impressively small footprint isn’t much larger than a sheet of A4. But that doesn’t stop it from swallowing 250 sheets of paper and offering an automatic document feeder that can hold 50 more.
The printer has a tilting control panel mounted conspicuously on the front, but the display is a simple two-line LCD. There is a button keyboard accompanying it, so entering Wi-Fi passwords won’t take long.
Lexmark includes enough black toner for a somewhat stingy 700 monochrome prints, but high capacity replacements are available that can print 6,000 pages. With duplex printing, Wi-Fi and security features included, it can do nearly everything a much more expensive MFD can.
Read our full Lexmark MB2236adw review.
(Image credit: Kyocera)
10. Kyocera Ecosys P6035cdn laser printer
Cost effective capacity printing
Specifications
Category: Color laser printer
Print speed: 37ppm
Paper size: A4
Paper capacity: 500 sheets
Weight: 29kg
Reasons to buy
+
Deep paper trays
+
Low running cost
Reasons to avoid
–
No inbuilt Wi-Fi
–
High initial cost
This utilitarian beige box is able to churn out a whole ream of crisp color prints at a rapid, reliable and economical rate, making it the ideal workgroup printer. There’s room for 500 sheets of A4 in the main tray and another 100 in the multipurpose tray, but you can boost this to 2,100 pages by adding further accessories.
Connectivity options include 1 x USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed), 2 x USB Host interface, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet, and 1 x SD Card slot. The USB Host interface supports direct printing of PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and XPS files.
The printer has a 5-line LCD display with a numeric keypad. Kyocera generously includes enough toner for 5,000 color pages or 6,000 black and white. Even higher capacity cartridges are available making this rather expensive printer one of the most affordable to run.
How to choose the best workgroup printers for you?
Whether it’s a home printer or a business printer for your office, the best printers on this page can help you quickly and easily print off documents perfectly, all while keeping running costs low.
However, when deciding on the particular model of workgroup printer that would be best for you, your main considerations are probably going to be your budget, as well as other factors such as print quality and print speed.
Wireless connectivity might be an additional deal-breaker, and for those remote working size and weight might also be important considerations so as to not have the workgroup printer take up too much space in the office.
The best workgroup printers: How we test
Each workgroup printer we source for testing is measured on our test bench, and the results are critically compared with every other printer we’ve reviewed. Rather than relying on the manufacturer’s quoted figures, we time the first page out and print speeds in single sheet and duplex mode using a standard ten-page document and a stopwatch app.
To compare print quality, we print out the same set of test documents on every machine. These twelve test pages include text of varying font sizes and colors, mixed image and text pages, a set of photos, and a series of test patterns designed to assess sharpness, color fidelity, contrast, and grey scale. We also calculate running costs, compare functionality and consider each product’s versatility, design, and build quality.
The overall score reflects all of these parameters and overall value for money.
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Jim Hill
Jim is a seasoned expert when it comes to testing tech. From playing a prototype PlayStation One to meeting a man called Steve about a new kind of phone in 2007, he’s always hunting the next big thing at the bleeding edge of the electronics industry. After editing the tech section of Wired UK magazine, he is currently specialising in IT and voyaging in his VW camper van.