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All-in-One Printers for Home Office, Small Business and Shared Office Use
CartridgesDirect stocks all-in-one printers, also called multifunction printers or MFPs, from HP, Brother, Canon and Epson. Every model in the range prints, scans and copies. Most also fax. Available in inkjet and laser configurations, from compact home models to high-volume shared office devices.
An all-in-one printer consolidates what used to be three or four separate pieces of equipment into a single device on a single desk. For most Australian home offices and small businesses, that consolidation is the right call. The spec that separates a frustrating all-in-one from a useful one is not the print speed. It is an automatic document feeder. This page covers what to look for, how inkjet and laser MFPs differ in practice and which configurations suit which environments. Stocked orders placed before 2PM dispatch the same day. Free shipping on eligible orders over $75.
The Automatic Document Feeder: The Spec That Actually Matters
The flatbed glass on every all-in-one printer lets you scan a single page by lifting the lid and placing it face-down. That works for one page. For anything more, it is slow, awkward and completely impractical in a working environment.
An automatic document feeder (ADF) holds a stack of pages and feeds them through the scanner one by one without any manual intervention. Load 20 or 30 pages, press scan and walk away. The machine works through the stack. Scan-to-email, scan-to-folder and multi-page PDF creation become a 30-second task rather than a 10-minute one.
The ADF capacity printed in the spec sheet is the number that determines whether the machine suits your actual scanning workflow:
- 20-sheet ADF: Standard on compact home and home office models. Fine for scanning short documents, receipts, forms and single contracts. If you regularly scan documents longer than 20 pages, you will be refilling the ADF mid-job.
- 35-sheet ADF: Standard on mid-range home office and entry small business models. Handles most office document scanning without mid-job refills. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8000 series and Brother MFC-L2880DW use 35-sheet ADFs.
- 50-sheet ADF: Mid-range shared office models. Scans a full 50-page report in one unattended pass. Standard on Brother MFC-L5710DW and comparable workgroup laser MFPs.
- 100-sheet and above: High-volume office and enterprise MFPs. Designed for environments where large document batches are a daily workflow. Typically found on Lexmark MX, Kyocera TASKalfa and HP LaserJet Enterprise MFP models.
Duplex Printing and Duplex Scanning: What Each Does
Duplex means both sides of the page. The term applies to both printing and scanning and they are separate features that require separate hardware. A printer described as ‘duplex’ can print on both sides automatically. That does not mean it can scan both sides of a page automatically.
Duplex printing
Automatic duplex printing feeds the page back through the printer after one side is printed, prints the second side and delivers the finished double-sided document. It halves paper consumption on any document that does not need to be single-sided. For an office printing 500 pages per week, duplex printing cuts paper costs roughly in half. It is now standard on mid-range and above MFPs across all brands.
Duplex scanning
Duplex scanning requires an ADF that physically flips or re-feeds the page to capture both sides. A printer with a single-pass duplex scanner captures both sides in one pass through the ADF, delivering a properly ordered two-sided PDF without any re-feeding. A simpler duplex ADF feeds the page, scans side one, reverses and re-feeds to scan side two. Both work. Single-pass is faster for high-volume scanning.
Many compact all-in-one printers include duplex printing but not duplex scanning. For office environments where double-sided documents are regularly scanned, confirm that the ADF specifically supports duplex scanning, not only duplex printing, before purchasing.
Inkjet All-in-One vs Laser MFP: Two Different Tools
The all-in-one category spans two completely different printing technologies. The technology choice affects consumable costs, print speed, scan quality and the type of output the machine is suited for. The decision between inkjet and laser MFP is the same as the decision between inkjet and laser single-function printers, with one additional consideration: scan quality.
Inkjet all-in-one: colour, photos and home office volumes
Inkjet MFPs handle colour printing and photo output better than laser at comparable price points. Canon PIXMA MFP models, HP ENVY and OfficeJet Pro series and Epson WorkForce and EcoTank MFPs are the most purchased inkjet all-in-ones in Australian homes and small offices. Print speed runs at 10 to 24 pages per minute depending on model. Scan quality on inkjet MFPs typically uses a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) or CCD sensor. CCD sensors, more common on mid-range and above inkjet MFPs, produce marginally better scan quality and handle thick documents including books more accurately than CIS sensors.
Running cost on inkjet MFPs is higher per page than laser at any consistent print volume. Standard cartridge yields of 150 to 300 pages mean frequent replacements at low-to-moderate printing levels. Epson EcoTank MFPs are the exception: ink bottle refills reduce per-page colour cost to roughly 0.4 cents for text and 1.6 cents for colour, making EcoTank the most cost-effective inkjet configuration for home users who print colour regularly and consistently over two or more years.
Laser MFP: documents at volume, low cost per page
Laser MFPs print text documents faster, at lower cost per page and without the idle-period degradation that affects inkjet printers. Toner does not dry out. A laser MFP left unused over a two-week holiday starts printing cleanly the moment it is switched on. For any office printing over 100 pages per week, the cost-per-page gap between laser and inkjet makes laser the financially stronger choice over a two to three year equipment lifecycle.
Scan quality on laser MFPs is typically CIS-based, which is adequate for document digitisation, scan-to-email and multi-page PDF creation. For high-quality flatbed scanning of photos, artwork or oversized documents, a dedicated flatbed scanner or an inkjet MFP with a CCD sensor will produce better results.
Brother MFC-L series, HP LaserJet Pro MFP, Canon imageCLASS MF series and Kyocera ECOSYS MA series are the main laser MFP families at CartridgesDirect. For offices already using HP ink cartridges in HP inkjet models and considering a move to laser, HP LaserJet Pro MFPs use a completely different cartridge system from HP inkjet models, so cartridge stock does not transfer between the two.
Three-Function, Four-Function or More: What to Expect
All-in-one printers are sold across a spectrum of function counts. Understanding what each adds prevents paying for capability that will never be used.
- Three-function (print, scan, copy): The baseline configuration. Every all-in-one in the CartridgesDirect range covers at least these three. Copy is a direct consequence of combining print and scan: the machine scans the original and prints the output immediately.
- Four-function (print, scan, copy, fax): Adds a fax modem and phone line connection. Physical fax is largely replaced by digital alternatives in most Australian workplaces. It remains in active use in healthcare, legal services, real estate and government, where fax transmission is still accepted as a formal document transfer method. If your workflow involves receiving or sending physical fax, confirm the model includes it. If not, the three-function configuration is sufficient and typically cheaper.
- Cloud and mobile functions: Most current MFPs include scan-to-cloud, scan-to-email, scan-to-folder and mobile print support as standard alongside the core print-scan-copy-fax functions. HP Smart, Canon PRINT, Brother iPrint and Epson iPrint apps connect the printer to iOS and Android devices for direct printing and scan-to-phone without a computer. AirPrint is standard across current HP, Canon and Epson MFP models for direct printing from iPhone and iPad.
Which All-in-One Printer for Your Situation
Home user printing under 50 pages per week
A compact inkjet MFP handles the full requirement. Canon PIXMA MFP, HP DeskJet and HP ENVY all-in-one models cover print, scan and copy from a desk footprint that fits next to a laptop. ADF capacity at this level is typically 20 sheets, which suits occasional document scanning without being overkill. The flatbed glass handles photos and passports better than the ADF for single-item scanning.
Home office printing 50 to 150 pages per week
A mid-range inkjet MFP or entry-level laser MFP. At this volume, a 35-sheet ADF, automatic duplex printing and Wi-Fi connectivity are worth specifying. HP OfficeJet Pro 8000 series covers this well on the inkjet side: 20 to 24 pages per minute, 35-sheet ADF, colour output. Brother MFC-L2880DW covers it on the mono laser side: 34 pages per minute, 35-sheet ADF, separate toner and drum for lower running costs. For home offices that print predominantly text and want lower consumable costs, mono laser is the stronger choice at this volume.
Small business office with shared printing
A laser MFP with a 50-sheet or larger ADF, automatic duplex, Ethernet and either a 250-sheet or dual-tray paper capacity. The paper tray size matters in a shared environment: a 150-sheet tray empties quickly when multiple staff print to the same machine and someone has to refill it mid-job. Brother MFC-L5710DW (50-sheet ADF, 250-sheet tray), HP LaserJet Pro MFP M428fdw (50-sheet ADF, 250-sheet tray) and Kyocera ECOSYS MA4000 series are the standard configurations at this use case.
High-volume office or workgroup
A workgroup MFP with 100-sheet ADF, 500-sheet paper capacity, Ethernet and a duty cycle that comfortably exceeds actual monthly page volume. Lexmark MX enterprise series, Kyocera TASKalfa and HP LaserJet Enterprise MFP models cover this. Authenticated print release, encrypted job queues and fleet management integration (PaperCut, Kofax) are relevant at this level if document security is a requirement.
Connectivity: What the Current Generation Includes
Current all-in-one printers include Wi-Fi as standard across every price point. Ethernet is included on mid-range and above models for offices with wired network infrastructure. The practical difference matters in shared environments: a printer connected by Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi handles simultaneous jobs from multiple users with more consistent performance under load.
USB direct printing (walk-up printing from a USB drive) and USB direct scanning (scan directly to a USB drive without a connected computer) are useful in environments where documents need to be processed without sending data across a network. Available on mid-range and above models from HP, Brother and Lexmark.
NFC tap-to-print, available on select HP and Canon MFP models, allows a single tap from a compatible Android phone to send a print job without navigating through an app. Cloud integration, including scan-to-Google Drive, scan-to-OneDrive and scan-to-Dropbox, is standard on current HP OfficeJet Pro and Brother MFC-L models above entry level.
Delivery and Consumables
Every all-in-one printer at CartridgesDirect has its consumables listed on the same site. Before buying the hardware, check the cartridge or toner cost per page for that model. The running cost difference between models at the same hardware price can exceed the hardware cost difference inside the first year at office printing volumes.
Stocked all-in-one printers ordered before 2PM leave the same day. Eligible orders over $75 ship free.
Recycling
The cartridges from your all-in-one printer are recyclable through the CartridgesDirect Cartridges 4 Planet Ark program. A free postage-paid satchel comes with every eligible consumable order. Collect eight or more empty cartridges or toner units, seal the satchel and post it from any Australia Post roadside mailbox. Close The Loop processes the returns. Given that all-in-one printers are the most purchased printer type in Australian homes and offices, they also account for the majority of the cartridges that move through the recycling stream. The satchel program covers both inkjet cartridges and laser toner from MFP models.