Best printer for a small office in Ghana: with Wi-Fi and scanner, by budget

The biggest mistake offices make is buying a printer built for a different workload. Count roughly how many pages your office prints in a month: invoices, letters, reports, receipts. Then:

• Under about 1,000 pages a month: a small laser all-in-one is enough.
• About 1,000 to 4,000 pages a month: a faster office laser printer. HP, for example, recommends 750 to 4,000 pages a month for the LaserJet Pro 4003dn.
• Thousands of pages, plus regular copying and scanning of multi-page documents: an A3 office copier with a document feeder.

Buying too small means slow printing and frequent toner changes; buying too big means paying for capacity you never use.

For a few people printing documents and occasionally copying or scanning, a black and white laser all-in-one is quick and reliable, and toner doesn't dry out over a long weekend.

• [HP LaserJet MFP M141w](/prices/hp/laserjet-mfp-m141w): prints, copies and scans, with Wi-Fi so everyone can print from laptops and phones. HP recommends 100 to 1,000 pages a month.
• [Canon i-SENSYS MF3010](/prices/canon/i-sensys-mf3010): prints, copies and scans with a higher-yield cartridge, but connects by USB to one computer.

See them side by side in our cheap laser printer comparison. If you need colour, an ink tank all-in-one is cheaper to run than a colour laser; read ink tank vs laser.

Once printing becomes steady, speed, paper capacity and automatic two-sided printing start to matter. The HP LaserJet Pro 4003dn prints 40 pages a minute, prints both sides automatically, holds 350 sheets as standard and connects to your office network by cable. It's print-only, so pair it with a scanner if you need one, or consider a copier.

Its HP 151A toner is rated at about 3,050 pages, with a high-yield 151X version rated at about 9,700. Check toner prices for current costs.

If you regularly copy or scan contracts, reports or forms several pages long, an A3 office copier with a document feeder saves hours each week. The Canon imageRUNNER 2425i, for example, prints 25 pages a minute and copies or scans stacks of up to 50 pages, both sides. Our 2425 vs 2425i comparison explains why the feeder matters.

Copiers cost more and need servicing, so read our 12 questions to ask before buying a photocopier and what a service contract should cover first.

• Running cost: the toner price divided by its rated pages. Use the cost-per-page calculator.
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi or network cable if several people will print. USB-only printers serve one computer.
• Warranty and servicing: who repairs it, and how fast?
• Toner availability: buy a model whose toner is easy to find in Ghana, and check the code matches your region's version.
• A written quote if you're buying several machines, so you can compare sellers fairly. You can ask us for three quotes.