Sharp BP-50C31: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Sharp BP-50C31 right for you?

The 31 ppm BP-50C31 is the volume seller in Sharp's colour A3 range, typically placed in offices of 20 to 50 people on a managed print contract. Its tilting 10.1-inch panel behaves like a tablet, with drag-and-drop app tiles and a genuinely modern scan workflow. Watch the finisher options at order time, because retrofitting a saddle-stitch unit later is much more expensive than specifying it up front.

Best for: Medium offices standardising on A3 colour with finishing

Setting up the Sharp BP-50C31

After the dealer install, log into the web page as administrator to set up LDAP address-book lookup, scan-to-email and any card reader for release printing. Drivers deploy cleanly through Group Policy or Intune if you use Sharp's PCL6 driver with a pre-configured device configuration file for tray and finisher options. If duplex is greyed out on client PCs, the finisher or duplex module was not enabled in the driver's Configuration tab.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the toner cartridge and drum unit, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Sharp's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Sharp BP-50C31 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• Sharp BP-GT30 series black toner
• BP-GT30 colour toners
• BP-CD10 drum units
• Waste toner container

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications