Printers for schools: how to choose the right printers and photocopiers for a primary school, secondary school, academy or multi-academy trust.

Schools are some of the heaviest printer users in the country. Worksheets, mock exams, revision packs, letters home, newsletters and reports all come off the copier, often in the ten minutes before first period. At the same time, schools hold sensitive information about children, exam papers must stay secure, and every pound spent on printing is a pound not spent in the classroom.

This guide is for school business managers, bursars, heads of IT and trust operations teams. It explains what size and type of multifunction printer (MFP) your school needs, how to organise printing between the office, staffroom and reprographics, what security and pupil printing features matter, how leasing rules affect academies, and how to keep costs under control.

What makes printing in a school different?

• Very high volume, all at once. A secondary school can print tens of thousands of pages a week, with sharp peaks before lessons, during mock exam season and at the end of each term.
• Safeguarding and pupil data. Pupil records, safeguarding notes, SEND reports and medical information are special category or highly sensitive personal data under UK GDPR. They must never be left on a printer tray in a staffroom.
• Exam security. Mock papers and live exam materials need secure handling. JCQ’s Instructions for Conducting Examinations set strict rules on storing and handling confidential exam material, including when papers are copied for access arrangements.
• Many users with different needs. Office staff, teachers, reprographics technicians and sometimes pupils all use the same fleet, and each group needs different permissions.
• Tight budgets and public procurement rules. Schools must show value for money and follow the right buying route, and academy trusts have their own rules on leasing.
• Trusts want consistency. Multi-academy trusts need matching devices, one contract and central reporting across every school.

Typical print requirements in schools

What size of printer fleet does a school need?

These volume bands are indicative and vary widely between schools. The quickest way to size a fleet properly is to measure what you actually print, which is what our free print audit does. If you are new to buying office printers, our beginners guide to choosing an A3 office printer explains the terminology.

Recommended printers for schools and academies

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

The school office

The office handles pupil data, letters home and reports, so it needs secure release and good colour for letterheads and newsletters. A 30-36ppm A3 colour MFP such as the bizhub C301i or C361i, or the Xerox AltaLink C8230 or C8235, is usually right. See how two of these compare in our AltaLink C8235 vs bizhub C361i review.

Staffrooms and departments

Teachers need to print and copy quickly between lessons. A 45-55ppm machine such as the bizhub C451i or C551i, or the AltaLink C8245 or C8255, with large paper capacity and a finisher, keeps queues down. The bizhub C451i has a dual-scan document feeder holding up to 300 originals and can staple up to 100 sheets with the right finisher.

Reprographics

Schools with a reprographics room benefit from a 65-75ppm device such as the bizhub C651i or C751i, or the AltaLink C8270, with a high-capacity paper feeder and booklet finisher for mock papers and revision guides. Where most output is black and white, a mono workhorse such as the bizhub 551i, 651i or 751i can lower the cost per page. Our bizhub C551i / C651i review and AltaLink C8270 review cover this class of machine.

Printer security for schools: safeguarding, pupil data and exams

• Secure pull printing. Jobs are held until the member of staff signs in at the device with an ID card, PIN or app. Safeguarding notes, SEND reports and exam papers never sit in a shared tray.
• User sign-on. The bizhub i-Series supports single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure) and Google Workspace, so access follows staff accounts and is removed when someone leaves.
• Restricted scanning. Scan-to-email can be limited to the user’s own address, and scan destinations locked to approved folders, reducing the risk of pupil data going to the wrong place.
• Encryption and data overwrite. The Xerox AltaLink C8200 Series has an AES 256-bit, FIPS 140-3 encrypted drive and TPM 2.0. Data held on any device should be encrypted and overwritten automatically.
• Malware protection. Konica Minolta offers an embedded Bitdefender anti-virus engine on the bizhub i-Series; Xerox AltaLink integrates with Trellix security tools.
• Exam security. Keep a copier for exam work in a secure area, restrict who can use it, and make sure copies are accounted for in line with JCQ instructions.
• Certified data removal. Insist on a certified wipe of stored data before any device leaves the school.

Pupil printing and print management

If pupils print, you need control over who prints what and how much. Print management software such as PaperCut, which is widely used in education, can:

• give pupils print quotas or credits, with colour charged at a higher rate
• let pupils and staff print from Chromebooks, laptops, tablets and cloud accounts, then release jobs at any device
• delete uncollected jobs automatically, cutting waste
• report printing by school, department, staff member or year group
• apply rules such as mono and duplex by default, or diverting large jobs to reprographics

Scanning for schools

• Admissions and records: scan admissions forms, consent forms and correspondence into your MIS or document store.
• Coursework and moderation: scan pupil work for moderation, feedback or archiving.
• A dual-scan document feeder scans both sides in one pass, which saves time with large batches.
• Scan to cloud: send documents to Google Drive, OneDrive or SharePoint so staff can reach them anywhere.
• Searchable PDF: makes scanned documents searchable and easier to find later.

Finishing: exam papers, revision guides and prospectuses

• Booklet making for mock papers, revision guides, prospectuses and event programmes.
• Stapling and hole punching so packs come off the printer ready for pupils’ folders.
• Separate paper trays for coloured paper, card and letterhead.
• High-capacity trays and output so long runs finish without anyone standing over the machine.
• A3 and SRA3 for posters, displays and enlarged copies.

Document workflow in a school

• Prepare: teachers create resources and send them to print from any device.
• Route: small jobs go to the staffroom; large runs go to reprographics.
• Release: staff release sensitive documents securely at the device.
• Produce: mock papers, revision packs and booklets are finished in-house.
• Report: usage is reported by school, department and user, so costs can be managed.

What does a school printer cost?

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

• Equipment: bought, leased or rented, with finishers, extra trays and card readers priced separately. See our guide on whether to buy, lease or rent an office multifunction printer.
• Cost per page: usually a click charge for mono and colour covering toner, parts and service. Colour costs more, so colour controls make a big difference in schools.
• Print management software: licensing for pull printing and pupil quotas.
• Contract traps: watch for 13 quarterly rentals in a 3 year term, automatic renewals, minimum volumes and unrestricted price increases. Schools are frequently caught by onerous leases that end up costing more than originally estimated.

Leasing rules for academies and maintained schools

From 1 September 2026, new accounting rules for academies removed the old distinction between operating and finance leases. The Department for Education has given academy trusts prior consent to lease IT equipment, which it says includes printers and photocopiers, so these leases no longer need to be submitted separately for approval. Trusts still need to show value for money and follow their own financial procedures. Maintained schools should check their local authority’s scheme for financing schools before signing a lease. Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow their own rules.

Do schools have to buy through a framework?

No. The Department for Education’s buying guidance sets out several routes. Frameworks are one of them, but for low and medium value purchases (under about £40,000) the guidance is to get at least three quotes, and higher value contracts can be advertised and run through a school’s or trust’s own buying process. Always check your own finance policy and consider the total value over the whole contract term, not just one year.

Scriptum provides clear, like-for-like quotes that fit neatly into a three-quote process: total cost over the term, click charges, service terms and end-of-contract arrangements, all set out plainly. Whichever route you use, compare total costs over the full term, not just the monthly rental.

How Scriptum solves common school printing problems

“There’s a queue at the staffroom copier every morning”

We look at when and where printing happens, then balance the fleet: faster staffroom devices, pull printing so staff can use any machine, and large jobs routed to reprographics.

“Safeguarding documents have been left on the printer”

Secure pull printing with ID card release means sensitive documents only print when their owner is at the device.

“Our colour printing costs are out of control”

Print management sets mono and duplex as the default, restricts colour where appropriate and reports usage by department, so spending becomes visible and manageable.

“Every school in our trust has a different copier and contract”

We standardise schools on one range and, where possible, one contract with trust-wide reporting, making budgeting and support simpler.

“We’re locked into an old lease”

Our free print audit measures your real usage and reviews invoices, consumables and leases, giving you a like-for-like comparison before you decide anything.

School printer checklist

• Secure pull printing and single sign-on for staff
• Print management with quotas if pupils print
• Enough speed and paper capacity for morning and exam-season peaks
• Booklet making, stapling and hole punching for papers and packs
• Separate trays for coloured paper and card
• A secure device for the office, safeguarding and exams work
• Encrypted storage and a certified wipe at end of contract
• Reporting by school, department and user
• Contract terms that are clear on click charges, renewals and price increases

Printer FAQs for schools

What is the best printer for a school?

Most schools need a mix: a secure A3 colour MFP in the office, faster machines in staffrooms, and, in larger schools, a 65-75ppm reprographics device. Models such as the Konica Minolta bizhub C361i, C451i and C651i, or the Xerox AltaLink C8235, C8245 and C8270, cover these roles.

Can academies lease photocopiers?

Yes. DfE guidance gives academy trusts prior consent to lease IT equipment, including printers and photocopiers, so these leases do not need separate approval. Trusts must still show value for money and follow their financial procedures.

Do schools have to use a framework to buy printers?

No. DfE guidance lists frameworks as one of several buying routes. For low and medium value purchases, schools are advised to get at least three quotes, and larger contracts can be advertised and run through the school’s or trust’s own process. Scriptum provides a clear, like-for-like quote that fits that process.

How can we stop pupil data being left on the printer?

Use secure pull printing, so documents are held until the member of staff signs in at the device, and restrict scan-to-email to users’ own addresses.

Can pupils print from Chromebooks?

Yes. Print management software can accept jobs from Chromebooks, laptops and cloud accounts, apply quotas and let pupils release jobs at any permitted device.

How do we reduce printing costs in school?

Set mono and duplex as defaults, control colour, send large runs to reprographics, delete uncollected jobs automatically and review contract terms. A print audit shows where the biggest savings are.

Should a school buy or lease its printers?

Both are common. Leasing spreads the cost and usually includes service; buying can suit schools with capital funding. The contract terms and total cost over the term matter most.

Talk to Scriptum about printers for your school or trust

Scriptum Document Solutions supplies, installs and supports Konica Minolta and Xerox printers for schools, academies and multi-academy trusts across the UK. We will look at how your school prints, set up secure printing and print management around the way your staff work, 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 school enquiry form below.

Product information is taken from Konica Minolta and Xerox UK product pages and specifications; leasing information from the Department for Education’s leasing guidance for academy trusts (updated September 2026) and exam information from JCQ. Checked September 2026. Volume bands are indicative and vary by school.