Arrange your home printer with an attractive and practical printer stand.
My previous printer stand was far too embarrassing to show you… it was a 20-year-old, undersized, budget side table. I can’t believe I waited this long to build a proper printer stand. One with ample storage to keep everything tidy, which is, well… embarrassing.
Still, better late than never, right? This new printer table is fantastic! I teamed up with Kreg Tools and their new project-plan website, dopten.com, to create this beautiful printer stand packed with stylish details and useful storage.
Features of the Compact Printer Table
While planning the printer table, I knew it needed to be small. My office and craft room already hold a LOT of things. There was only enough room along one wall for the printer, so the new table had to remain compact.
At the same time, I needed to solve the storage issue that my original “printer stand” failed to address. I work with many varieties of paper for all my paper-decor projects. Therefore, the main storage requirement for the new printer table was abundant paper space.
I could have kept the paper shelves exposed, but I decided to use the chance to add more character to the printer stand. A sliding plexiglass panel conceals the paper storage and helps keep dust away.
Whenever I need to reach the papers, I simply slide the door across the drawers, making all the colorful choices easy to view.
I also could have left the plexiglass door completely transparent, which would have made the paper storage more noticeable. Instead, I embellished it with frosted vinyl so this new furniture piece would make a stronger statement in the room.
For additional storage, the stand includes 2 drawers. They are compact, but ideally sized for extra ink cartridges and other office necessities. As you can see, our household goes through plenty of tape.
The last section is just right for keeping a couple of paper reams close at hand. I use this space for standard copy paper. Having it easier to reach will hopefully stop my kids from grabbing the better paper by mistake.
Constructing the Printer Stand
The complete printer cart was made with 3/4″ plywood, while the bottom was assembled from 1×2 boards. If you want the printer table to be easier to move, you could add casters rather than use the contemporary wooden base. However, I really like the look created by the straightforward 1x2s.
For the printer table’s main structure, I chose Baltic birch plywood because its layers contain fewer gaps, eliminating the need for edge banding. Even so, the plywood’s exposed edge grain can still be challenging to paint.
Advice for Painting Plywood Edges
- Use 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the edges.
- With your finger, work a thin layer of wood glue into the exposed end grain.
- Allow the glue to dry, then sand the surface until smooth with at least 220-grit paper (a finer grit will create an even smoother edge).
- Apply paint as preferred. This method produces an exceptionally smooth, professional-looking finish.
Advice for Cutting Plexiglass
After working with plexiglass for this lovely 2-tier breadbox, I received numerous questions about cutting it neatly and easily.
For this build, I used plexiglass that was 1/4″ thick (technically 0.22″, but close enough). I have not had much success using the score-and-snap method on thicker sheets, so I chose to use my woodworking saws instead.
Leave the protective film on the plexiglass during cutting and sanding. Use either a circular saw or table saw equipped with a fine-tooth, carbide-tipped blade (I have this one in my circular saw and this one in my table saw). These are also the blades required for making clean crosscuts in the plywood while constructing the printer stand.
I found that the plexiglass melted less when I used the circular saw with the Kreg AccuCut. I set the plexiglass on a piece of 2″ rigid foam and cut rapidly and precisely with the guide track.
The table saw performed well too, although I generally feed the material more slowly on it, which caused some melting. Removing the softened plexiglass with a knife or chisel was simple. Clear it away right away, before it cools and becomes too hard.
Smooth the plexiglass edges to eliminate any sharp areas. For this task, I especially like these ultra-fine grit sanding sponges.
This printer stand also includes holes drilled through the plexiglass to serve as handles. I discovered that the simplest drilling method was to use a Forstner bit and bore halfway through the plexiglass. Then promptly scrape away the melted material around the opening with a chisel or knife. Complete the hole by drilling through the remaining section and clearing away any final melted residue.