Printers for hotels: how to choose the right printers and photocopiers for a hotel, serviced apartments or residence, from the reception desk to the back office.

A hotel never really closes, and neither does its printer. Registration cards and folios at check-in, the night audit at 3am, banqueting event orders for tomorrow’s wedding, today’s menus, welcome letters for VIP arrivals: the printer touches almost every department. It also handles guests’ names, passport details and payment information, often a few metres from a busy lobby.

This guide is for general managers, front office managers, IT managers and finance teams at hotels, serviced apartments, aparthotels and residences, whether you run a single boutique property or a group. By the end you should know what printers each part of the hotel needs, which security and cloud printing features matter, what the PSTN switch-off means for your fax, and how to compare contracts properly.

What makes printing in a hotel different?

• It runs 24 hours a day. Night audit reports, early check-outs and late arrivals mean the reception printer must work at any hour, often with no IT staff on site.
• Front of house is on show. A device behind the reception desk needs to be compact, quiet and tidy, and must never hold guest paperwork in an open tray.
• Guest data is sensitive. Under the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972, hotels must record every guest’s name and nationality on arrival, with passport details for many overseas guests, and keep those records for at least 12 months. Add payment details and UK GDPR, and the printer becomes part of your data protection picture.
• Many departments, one fleet. Front office, reservations, sales and events, food and beverage, housekeeping, HR and finance all print, and many groups need costs split by department, property or legal entity.
• Small IT teams. Many hotels have one or two IT people, or an outsourced provider, so they want printing that runs itself: no print server, minimal software on staff computers and automatic toner and consumable replenishment.
• A lot of colour. Menus, event materials, guest letters and marketing make hotels heavier colour users than most offices, so colour cost per page matters.
• Fax is on borrowed time. Some hotels still fax booking confirmations or documents over an analogue line, and the UK’s analogue phone network is being switched off.

Typical print requirements in hotels

What printers does a hotel need?

Volumes vary widely: a busy conference hotel prints far more than a residence, and many hotels have seen volumes fall as check-in and invoicing move online. The best starting point is your actual usage, which our free print audit measures. If you are new to buying office printers, our beginners guide to choosing an A3 office printer explains the terminology.

Recommended printers for hotels

Scriptum supplies, installs and supports Konica Minolta bizhub and Xerox AltaLink multifunction printers. Here is how we typically match them to hotels.

Reception and front office

Reception needs a reliable, compact device with fast first page out and secure release. For low-volume front desks, an A4 colour MFP such as the bizhub C3321i or C4051i fits neatly behind the desk. Where reception also prints A3 signage or menus, a compact A3 model such as the bizhub C251i or C301i, or the Xerox AltaLink C8230, covers both.

Back office, sales and events

The back office, finance and events teams print the most. A 30-45ppm A3 colour MFP such as the bizhub C361i or C451i, or the AltaLink C8235 or C8245, with a finisher for stapling and booklets, handles event orders, delegate packs and reports. See how two popular choices compare in our AltaLink C8235 vs bizhub C361i review.

Conference and events-led hotels

Hotels with busy conference and banqueting operations benefit from a faster device such as the bizhub C551i or AltaLink C8255, with a booklet finisher and heavier stock for delegate packs and wedding brochures. Our bizhub C551i / C651i review covers this class of machine.

Printer security for hotels: guest data, passports and payments

• Secure release. Jobs are held until the member of staff signs in at the device with a PIN or card, and can be released at any printer in the building. Unreleased jobs are deleted automatically.
• Handle passport and ID copies carefully. Where you copy or scan guest documents, send scans to a secure destination rather than printing them, and keep them only as long as you need to.
• Keep card data off the printer. Avoid printing or scanning full card numbers, for example on card authorisation forms. Holding card data creates PCI DSS obligations that most hotels are better off avoiding.
• Single sign-on and modern scanning. The bizhub i-Series supports sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID and Google Workspace, and scan to email and OneDrive should use Microsoft 365 modern authentication rather than stored passwords.
• Device hardening and updates. Default passwords changed, unused ports and protocols switched off, encrypted storage, and security firmware updates applied promptly.
• Certified data wipe. When a device is removed, its storage should be wiped and certified for each serial number.
• A clear data processing agreement. Your print supplier may offer cloud based services which could potentially hold personal data on your behalf, so UK GDPR requires a written agreement covering what they can access and where any cloud data is held.

Cloud printing without a print server

Most hotels no longer want a print server in a cupboard. Cloud print management from Xerox, Konica or third-party providers, such as PaperCut Hive, can give you:

• PIN or card release shared across devices, with no on-site server
• printing from Windows and macOS with minimal software on each computer
• scan to email and OneDrive through Microsoft 365
• usage reporting by user, department, property or legal entity, with export to Excel
• a simple, controlled way for guests to send print jobs to the front desk

Microsoft Universal Print, which both the AltaLink and bizhub i-Series support, is a lighter option for some hotels, though its release method and reporting are more basic.

Fax and the PSTN switch-off

The UK’s analogue telephone network (PSTN) is being switched off, with a final deadline of 31 January 2027. Fax machines and fax kits on MFPs that rely on an analogue line may stop working or become unreliable once the line moves to digital. If your hotel still faxes, the options are:

• Fax over IP on the MFP, where supported
• An online fax service that sends and receives faxes as email
• Retiring fax altogether, if the partners who still use it can accept email

Check with your phone provider when your line is due to move, and plan the change alongside any printer replacement.

Scanning in hotels

• Finance: scan supplier invoices and delivery notes straight to your accounts team or system.
• HR: scan right-to-work documents, contracts and training records to secure folders.
• Events: scan signed contracts and function sheets back to the booking.
• A dual-scan document feeder scans both sides of a page in one pass; the bizhub C451i’s feeder holds up to 300 originals.
• Scan to cloud: send documents to OneDrive or SharePoint so staff can reach them from any property.

Finishing: event packs, menus and signage

• Booklet making for delegate packs, wedding brochures and proposals.
• Heavy and coated paper for menus, place cards and covers. The bizhub C451i handles paper up to 300gsm.
• A3 and SRA3 for signage, seating plans and full-bleed menus.
• Stapling and hole punching for function sheets and reports.
• Separate trays for letterhead, card and plain paper, so staff never need to swap paper.

Document workflow in a hotel

• Arrive: registration cards, folios and invoices are printed at reception.
• Plan: sales and events produce event orders, function sheets and delegate packs.
• Serve: menus, guest letters and signage come off the colour MFP.
• Secure: staff release documents with a PIN, and guest documents are scanned to secure destinations.
• Report: usage and costs are reported by department, property and legal entity.

What does a hotel printer cost?

Every hotel’s price depends on the number of devices, volume, colour use and options, so here is how costs are made up rather than figures that may not apply to you.

• Equipment: bought, leased or rented, with finishers, fax kits, card readers and cabinets priced separately. See our guide on whether to buy, lease or rent an office multifunction printer.
• Cost per page: a click charge for mono and colour covering toner, parts and service. Because hotels print a lot of colour, the colour rate usually matters most.
• Print management: cloud print management is usually licensed per device or per user.
• Count the lease payments: a 36-month lease should normally be 12 quarterly payments. Some quotes use profiles such as 1 + 12 or 2 + 11, which add a 13th payment and make the price look lower than it is.
• Watch the terms: minimum volumes, standing charges, automatic renewal and price increases above RPI. If your volumes are unpredictable, look for flexibility in the billing arrangement and the ability to review the fleet.
• Billing by entity: If properties belong to different companies, ask whether billing can be itemised, or request a separate, clear invoice per entity that lists each device.

How Scriptum solves common hotel printing problems

“The reception printer fails during the morning check-out rush”

We size and position reception devices for peak times and monitor them remotely, so toner is delivered automatically and faults are often spotted before staff notice.

“Guest passport copies are being left on the printer”

Secure release and scan-to-destination workflows mean guest documents are never left in an open tray behind the desk.

“We send event packs to a print shop at the last minute”

A colour MFP with a booklet finisher in the events office produces delegate packs and proposals in-house, on the day.

“Our fax line is moving to digital”

We help you choose between fax over IP, an online fax service or retiring fax, and build it into the new fleet.

“Every property has a different contract and we can’t see the costs”

We standardise properties on one range, with reporting and invoices by property and legal entity. Our free print audit shows what you spend today and gives you a like-for-like comparison.

Hotel printer checklist

• Compact, reliable devices for reception, with fast first page out
• Secure release shared across devices, with no print server
• Scan to email and OneDrive with Microsoft 365 modern authentication
• Reporting by department, property and legal entity
• Encrypted storage, hardening at installation and a certified wipe at end of contract
• A plan for fax before the PSTN switch-off
• Booklet making and heavy paper support for events and menus
• Remote monitoring and automatic toner
• Clear contract terms: 12 quarterly payments over 36 months, no hidden charges, no automatic renewal

Printer FAQs for hotels

What is the best printer for a hotel?

Most hotels need a compact, reliable colour MFP at reception and a faster A3 colour device in the back office or events office. Models such as the Konica Minolta bizhub C301i, C361i and C451i, or the Xerox AltaLink C8230, C8235 and C8245, cover these roles, with A4 models such as the bizhub C4051i for small front desks.

Will our fax still work after the PSTN switch-off?

Not reliably if it depends on an analogue line. The UK’s analogue network is due to be switched off by 31 January 2027, so plan a move to fax over IP, an online fax service, or retire fax.

How should we protect guest passport and card details?

Use secure release, scan guest documents to a secure destination rather than printing them, and avoid printing or scanning full card numbers. Make sure your supplier explains how their devices manage this, and if necessary, sign a data processing agreement with them.

Can guests print boarding passes and tickets?

Yes. Cloud print management can give guests a simple way to send jobs to a front desk or business centre printer, without access to your network or staff printers.

Do we need a print server?

No. Cloud print management can provide secure release, scanning and reporting without an on-site server, which suits hotels with small IT teams.

Should a hotel buy or lease its printers?

Both work. Leasing spreads the cost; buying can suit groups with capital budgets. Compare total cost over the full term, including how many lease payments there really are.

Talk to Scriptum about printers for your hotel

Scriptum Document Solutions supplies, installs and supports Konica Minolta and Xerox printers for hotels, serviced apartments and residences. We are based in Canary Wharf, with our own engineers covering central London from Mayfair, Park Lane and Kensington, through the City, out to the M25 and across the Home Counties. Through our manufacturer partners, we support hotels across the UK. We will look at how each department prints, set up secure printing and scanning around your systems, and give you a clear comparison with what you pay now.

Call us on 0800 011 2858, email interface@scriptumds.co.uk or complete the short hotel enquiry form below.

Product information is taken from Konica Minolta and Xerox UK product pages and specifications; guest records information from the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 on legislation.gov.uk; PSTN switch-off date as published by Openreach. Checked October 2026.