Sharp BP-70C31: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Sharp BP-70C31 right for you?

The BP-70C31 sits in Sharp's premium colour tier, offering better colour stability, a 300-sheet feeder as standard and a wider range of finishers than the BP-50C models at the same speed. It suits organisations where output quality is customer-facing, such as agencies, estate agents and hospitality. The trade-off is price and a larger footprint, so confirm the space including finisher and high-capacity trays before ordering.

Best for: Organisations where colour output quality is customer-facing

Setting up the Sharp BP-70C31

Have the installing dealer run a full colour calibration and register your house stocks as custom paper types with correct weights. Set up the address book through LDAP and consider enabling single sign-on with card release if you use Sharp's optional authentication modules. Deploy the PostScript driver where design applications are in use, and keep the PCL6 driver for general office PCs to reduce spooling overhead.

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-70C31 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-GT70 series black toner
• BP-GT70 colour toners
• 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