A printer in a co-working space has a different job than a printer in a standard office. It needs to serve people from dozens of different companies who don’t know each other, who use it inconsistently, and who expect it to just work without calling anyone for help.
That combination of high anonymity and low tolerance for friction changes what actually matters when a co-working operator or shared office landlord chooses printing equipment.
Here’s what to think through specifically for a shared workspace, as opposed to a standard single-company office.
Why Shared Spaces Need a Different Approach
- Users don’t share a company IT department to call when something goes wrong
- Print volume swings unpredictably as membership changes and events come and go
- Documents printed can include anything from resumes to client contracts to nothing at all, member behavior is unpredictable
- Members expect print, copy, and scan access to work the same way a hotel business center does: intuitive, with no training required
Metering and Billing for Shared Use
Most co-working operators need some way to track and often bill for print usage, whether that’s a flat monthly allotment included in membership or a pay-per-page system for overages. This requires print management software that can track usage by member account rather than assuming, as a standard office would, that all printing belongs to one company’s budget.
Choosing Equipment That Tolerates Inconsistent Use
Members using a shared printer haven’t been trained on it and won’t be. The equipment needs a genuinely simple, intuitive interface that a first-time user can figure out without assistance, and it needs to handle a wide, unpredictable range of file types and paper sizes that members bring from wherever they were working before.
Sizing for Unpredictable Volume
Membership-based print volume is harder to predict than a standard office’s, since it depends on how many members are actively using the space on a given day and what kind of work they’re doing. Our guide on how many pages per month your office actually prints is a useful starting framework, though co-working operators should build in extra buffer capacity given how much more variable membership-driven volume tends to be compared to a stable single company.
Network Access Without Compromising Security
Members need to be able to print from their own devices without being given broad access to the space’s internal network. This typically requires a guest network specifically for printing, separate from any administrative systems the space itself relies on. Our guide on sharing a printer on your office network covers the basics of network printer sharing, though a shared workspace needs to layer additional guest access controls on top of a standard setup.
Service and Uptime Expectations
In a standard office, a broken printer is an inconvenience for one company. In a co-working space, it’s a service failure affecting every member currently in the building, which raises the bar for how quickly a device needs to be repaired or a loaner provided. Shared workspace operators should prioritize a service agreement with a fast, guaranteed response time over a slightly lower monthly cost with a slower service commitment.
Building the Cost Into Membership Pricing
Print costs need to be built into a co-working space’s pricing model deliberately rather than treated as an afterthought absorbed into general overhead. Our piece on how print assessments help businesses save on equipment costs is a useful starting point for understanding true print costs, which shared workspace operators can then use to set a sensible included allotment and overage rate for members.
Planning for Growth
As a co-working space adds members or locations, print needs typically grow faster than expected, since a shared amenity like printing tends to get more use per member as a space becomes more established and its community more active. Building in room to scale, whether that means a higher-capacity device from the start or a clear plan for adding a second unit, avoids a scramble later when the original equipment can no longer keep up.
Setting Clear Usage Expectations for Members
A short, simple printing policy posted near the device, covering what’s included, how overages are billed, and basic etiquette like clearing large jobs during busy hours, prevents most of the friction that can come up in a shared amenity used by people who don’t know each other. Spaces that skip this step often end up handling the same disputes repeatedly, whereas a clearly posted policy heads off most misunderstandings before they start.
It’s also worth revisiting this policy periodically as membership grows or member feedback surfaces new issues, rather than treating the original policy as permanent and unchangeable.
Some operators also find it useful to gather informal feedback from members directly, through a quick survey or casual conversation, about how well the current print setup is working. Members often notice friction points, a confusing interface, or an inconveniently located device that staff running the space might not experience themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do co-working spaces typically bill members for printing?
Common approaches include a flat monthly page allotment included in membership with a per-page overage charge, or straightforward pay-as-you-go pricing tracked through print management software tied to each member’s account.
What’s the biggest risk with co-working printer setups?
Giving members overly broad network access in order to enable printing, which can expose the space’s internal systems. A properly isolated guest network for printing avoids this risk.
Should a co-working space use one large printer or several smaller ones?
This depends on the space’s layout and member count. Larger single-location spaces often benefit from one or two higher-capacity devices, while multi-floor or multi-room spaces may need printers distributed closer to where members actually work.
How quickly should a broken printer in a shared space be fixed?
As quickly as possible, since downtime affects every current member rather than one company. Same-day or next-business-day service response is a reasonable expectation to build into a service agreement for this kind of shared amenity.
Do co-working members expect color printing to be included?
Expectations vary, but many spaces include a reasonable black-and-white allotment with color available at an additional per-page cost, similar to how many office print policies work internally.
Is it worth offering scanning as part of a shared printer setup?
Yes, scan-to-email or scan-to-cloud is a low-cost addition that members frequently use and generally expect as part of a modern shared office amenity.
Equip Your Shared Workspace the Right Way
Shared office printing has different demands than a standard single-company setup, and it’s worth planning for those differences from the start.
Explore our office printers or contact us to talk through what fits your space and membership.
