Printers are a necessary evil for the home office. Sometimes the clunky appearance can offset the decor, even becoming a bit of an eye sore. The best solution is to find clever ways to hide the printer right in the office.
Hiding a printer can improve your home office aesthetic. And free up valuable desk space. Here’s how to hide a printer. Methods include simple concealment, desk customizations, and strategic placement. These printer storage ideas will quickly improve your home office function.
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How to Hide a Printer: 13 Easy Methods
Hiding your printer will free up space and improve the look of your office.
Here are 13 clever ways to hide a printer:
1. Insert a Floating Shelf Under the Desk
One clever way how to hide a printer is to add a floating shelf underneath your desk. A floating shelf is a perfect way to tuck things away that you don’t want to be noticed.
Floating shelves are easy to install and affordable, which is another great thing about them. Here are some great floating shelf options from IKEA.
You can choose where you want the shelf to be placed and strategically move it around until you find the best, most hidden spot. You can shop for a floating shelf at any local home decor store, make it a DIY project, and make one yourself!
2. Blend it in with your Bookshelf
If you don’t have the money or time to try and buy new desk items to hide your printer, try blending it in with its surroundings.
For example, if you have a bookshelf, you could place the printer on the shelf with other things to make it fade slowly away into the background.
Choosing a similar color scheme (like pictured below) will help your printer blend into the bookshelf.
3. Hide it in a Drawer
Another clever way to hide a printer is to store it in a drawer! Some desks have large bottom drawers on the side, perfect for stashing away your printer.
This way, you can easily access the printer when you need to retrieve your pages, but nobody has to see it or even know it is there.
4. Put it Behind You
Sometimes the easiest method is the most obvious. In my office, I have my printer on the hutch behind my primary desk. I can’t see it, yet it is still close for accessing documents.
I like this method because it keeps my desk clear and uncluttered. And doesn’t require any special customizations.
5. Utilize a Wheeled Printer Cart
Wheeled printer carts are a great way to mobilize your printer so that it can be moved whenever it’s not in use. In addition, this is the best way to hide a printer since you don’t need to hide it; you can just wheel it away as soon as your printing job has been completed.
Hide it away in a closet, or wheel it to another room; either way, that printer is out of sight and out of mind.
Basic rolling carts are inexpensive, like this Amazon Basics metal cart. Even this premium AV cart with drop leaf shelves is a low-cost way to improve office function.
6. Store it on a Shelf
If your office happens to have shelf storage space nearby, you could clear a room on one of the shelves and place the printer there. You could also dress it up a bit by adding floral pieces or other types of decor around it so it blends right in.
Storing your printer on a shelf is the easiest way to keep access to the printer open and available. Still, it also removes the eye sore of having it sit plainly in sight on your desk.
7. Buy a Bench with Hidden Storage Space
Another smart way how to hide a printer is to buy a bench with hidden storage space. Benches make great additions to any office space since they provide both seating and storage.
You could easily place the printer in the storage space underneath the bench and access the printer at your convenience.
8. Put it in Another Room or Closet
Because most printers have WiFi connection (like Canon), they don’t require a USB connection to your computer. This frees you up to put the printer in another room or even in the closet.
This solution works best if you aren’t printing heavy volumes. It might be frustrating to have to walk to another part of the house every time you have to retrieve a newly printed document.
9. Add a Curtain or Room Divider
If your printer is already in a decent spot, but you just want to hide it better, consider adding a curtain or folding room dividers. For example, if it’s on a windowsill, you could add a curtain rod and curtain to the window.
If the printer is underneath a shelf somewhere, you could also make your own sheet to cover that space. It’s an inventive solution that won’t break the bank!
Office grade room dividers aren’t expensive and help section off parts of the office. These room dividers form a temporary wall that can hide your printer and other ugly tech.
10. Hide it in Plain Sight
If you find a sleek-looking printer with natural colors such as black or brown, you could easily just hide it in plain sight.
You can simply place decorative items around it and let it sit in a space that complements its appearance.
Choosing decor colors like charcoal and black (for black printers) can help blend the printer into the room so it doesn’t stand out. Alternatively, you can choose light-colored decor for white and beige-colored printers.
11. Hide it in a Basket
For a more decorative approach, try hiding your printer in a basket. Utilizing a basket is a fun way to dress up your office space while also accomplishing your goal of hiding the printer.
12. Customize Existing Furniture
If you already have a piece of furniture that you love, you can modify it to house your hidden printer.
This method requires some basic carpentry skills but isn’t too hard. It might be as simple as drilling a hole in the back of the drawer for the power cord.
Here’s an example of how to modify a cabinet for printer storage.
13. DIY Hacks for Printer Hiding
If you can’t find the right printer storage cabinet for your home office, you can always modify one.
Here are some DIY projects for hiding your printer.
Here are 11 easy methods to get printer ink out of carpet.
Your Turn
Make your office space as appealing as possible, and try using one of these tips and tricks for hiding your bulky printer.
Dena Haines is a co-founder and writer on PrintLikeThis. We troubleshoot printer problems to get you back to printing.
She also writes at Storyteller Tech and is a travel blogger at Storyteller.Travel. Dena is co-founder of Storyteller Media, a company he started with her husband, Bryan.