How to Hide Printer in Home Office — With 8 Amazing Ideas

As much as we need a printer in our home offices, we don’t need it to be all up in our faces every time.

In this article, we share 8 amazing ideas on how to hide printer in home office.

Using any of these ideas will make your home office a little more organized, than when your printer is sitting somewhere awkwardly.

8 amazing ideas to hideaway your home office printer

1. Use a drawer

2. Use a basket

3. Shelf it

4. Make it mobile

5. Trap it in the closet

6. What’s behind the curtain?

7. Bench it

8. Hidden in plain sight

Use a Drawer

If you have a drawer somewhere — your desk, closet, or an office organizer — hide your printer in it. Drawers have been hiding printers for a long time now.

First check to be sure the drawer is large enough to accommodate the printer even when you are printing with it.

Use a Basket

Yep, this will require a bit of a DIY. If you have a basket that isn’t a sore-eye, but aesthetically appealing, then you can use it to hide your home printer.

The DIY part here involves you making some cuttings for the paper tray and other essential parts that must be revealed.

If you’ve got the time, you can decide to make a fully customized basket from scratch. It’ll make a great family DIY project.

If you don’t have one and don’t want to make one either, here’s one we recommend that you buy — Honey-Can-Do STO-05088 Woven Baskets.

Find more ideas on what to do with your home printer from these articles:

How to Buy a Printer for Home Use — 12 Factors to Consider

When to Replace Home Printer — 5 Major Signs to Consider

How to Make Black Ink for Printer at Home — In 7 Easy Steps

How to Set Up Home Printer Wifi — 4 Easy-to-Follow Steps

How to Print Poster Size on Home Printer

How to Refill Ink in Printer Cartridge At Home — In 8 Easy Steps

How Can You Make a DIY Printer Hideaway From Your Basket?

You can make a DIY printer hideaway from your basket with these 2 steps:

1. Place your printer in a sizable basket

2. Cut the basket in the right places.

Then, you can put the basket in a convenient space for easy access.

This design is best for wireless printers or the ones that have minimal wires running from them.

To begin, make sure your basket is big enough to take your printer. You don’t want the printer hanging halfway, like a lost child. Then, get a sharp knife (or this bakers’ knife) and scissors.

With your basket, knife, and scissors, you’re ready to make a DIY storage for your printer.

First Step

Put your printer in the basket and mark the part where your printed paper escapes from and where your cables pass through.

Second Step

Carefully cut through the lines you marked to remove the “now excess” parts. Keep your hands steady to ensure you don’t miss your angles and ruin your art. Trim out your edges with the scissors to create a more appealing look.

Third Step

Your DIY storage basket is ready now. Put your printer in the basket now and plug your cables. Find a pretty corner and keep your printer basket. You’re set for a good time in your office space.

Video: How to Hide Printer in Home Office

Check out the video below for your DIY printer hideaway.

Shelf It

We’ve shelved things we didn’t want to use immediately. So, who says you can’t do the same with your printer?

We advise you to choose a shelf that is close to an outlet. This will allow you to connect the printer to power when you want to make use of it without disconnecting it.

Make sure the shelf fits your printer. And that it’s close to your computer, in case you need to run its cables to your computer.

If you already have a shelf but you lack a printer, we recommend you go for a compact printer like the Canon PIXMA TS6220.

Make It Mobile

What do you think of “printer on wheels”? Does it sound corny? Well even if it does, this idea isn’t.

You can hide your printer by placing it on a wheeled cart. You can wheel it out of view when you don’t need it, and wheel it back into view when needed. Talk about mobile printing or printing on the go.

Trap It in the Closet

The closet remains the number one hiding spot. Can you recount how many times you hid in the closet while growing up?

Now you can allow your printer relive the experience on your behalf. Just create enough room to fit your printer and keep it there.

You can have it well hidden and reveal it when you want. It’s a practical Houdini “now you see it, now you don’t” trick.

What’s Behind the Curtain?

A very simple way to hide your printer is to place it behind a curtain. It’s okay to leave it in its original position, if it’s close to one, and conceal it with the curtain.

The curtain doesn’t need to be expensive so that you don’t have to spend much on it. However, select a design that blends with your home office’s overall design.

Bench It

It is interesting to note that although a printer is a piece of essential office equipment, it is not always used, especially in a home office.

So, why don’t you leave it on a bench with shelves (built or bought) while you leave other office equipment on the playing field?

The shelves should be easy to access on the bench and should also accommodate the printer.

To read more awesome articles, click any of the links below…

What Is the Most Economical Printer for Home Use — 18 Cheap Printers

How to Make Black Ink for Printer at Home — In 7 Easy Steps

How to Refill Ink in Printer Cartridge At Home in 8 Easy Steps

How to Print From Cell Phone to Home Printer — Basic 101

How to Connect Epson Printer to Home WiFi — In 7 Easy Steps

How to Buy a Wide Format Home Printer — The Ultimate 411

When to Replace Home Printer — 5 Major Signs to Consider

Hidden in Plain Sight

Many modern printers like the HP OfficeJet 250 are designed to look aesthetically appealing. Such printers can be placed in your home office and they will look like part of the office décor.

This is one of the simplest ways to hide your printer.

Conclusion

There you have it! Any of these ideas can be used to hide your printer from affecting the aesthetic appeal of your home office.

Which of these ideas will you use? Or have you used any before? Please share your experience with us.

And if you have any questions about these ideas, please let us know in the comments section below.

How to Hide Printer in Home Office — Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Put My Printer on the Floor? 

You can put your printer on the floor, if you don’t have any other alternative. The downsides to this position are that you’ll have to bend over every time you print, the cables will litter the floor, and it’ll be susceptible to dust. Of course, bending over may give you backache over time; someone is likely to trip over the cables and dust is good for the printer.

The least you can do is place the printer on a box and tuck the cables away. You can also use a milkcrate or get a small table. Any of these will help get the printer to a more convenient height, organize the cables, and reduce the impact of dust.

Can You Store a Printer on its Side? 

It’s not okay to store your printer on its side. This position will affect its ability to print well when you’re working with it. It will also cause ink to leak in most printers. Always ensure you place your printer with the right side up.

If you need to store your printer away for a while, ensure you place it with the bottom down. This is the right position. Tilting the printer will make you want to remove the ink cartridge, which is not a best practice. Removing the ink cartridge will cause the ink to dry out if you don’t store it properly.

How Do You Transport a Printer? 

To transport your printer, turn off the power button and secure it firmly in a box. You should keep the printer in place by taping or tieing the box. Do not dismantle it if the manual doesn’t specify how you can do this.

Before you put it in the box, ensure the printhead is in the right position. Then close up other parts by putting them in their “box” position. Carefully put the printer back in the box, and seal it up. Remember to label the box.

If your printer has an inkjet cartridge instead of a laser cartridge, you may need to remove the ink and store it separately. Consult your printer’s manual for this.

Where is the Best Place to Keep My Printer? 

The best place to keep your printer is on a flat surface, in a position that protects it from environmental conditions. Avoid keeping it close to a window with direct sunlight and dust inlet; avoid areas with vibrations and shocks. The sun will cause the components to heat up and impact the quality of your ink. Also ensure that it is not tilted to avoid ink leakage.

Keep your printer close to a power plug for easy access. The printer parts should not be inundated with other materials that put pressure on it. Be sure the room is properly ventilated at all times; this will protect you and the printer. 

How Do You Store Ink? 

Store ink that you’re not ready to use in its original package and place it in a dark space, away from sunlight and heat. If you have opened the seal of your ink cartridge, then you should put it in a tub with an airtight seal. Also, place a damp paper towel in the tub to keep the environment humid.

It’s best you stand the ink container with the label facing up, whether it is sealed or not. Placing it on its side can create issues like the ink moving to a side of the cartridge. When you eventually install it, your prints may have defects. Also, if it is a 3-color cartridge, the inks can leak and mix up. 

Do Printer Cartridges Expire? 

Printer cartridges expire, which means that they have a peak time of performance. After the peak period of an ink, it begins to clog and create printing issues. It’s possible to use the ink after the expiry date, but this might create issues for your printer. Therefore, it’s best to use a printer cartridge before its shelf life expires.

For an original cartridge, the shelf life is 24 months. Compatible cartridges have a shelf life of 36 months, while remanufactured cartridges usually come with an outdated expiry date. If you store your ink in the right conditions, it will last through its shelf life without clogging or drying out.