Mac Mini :: Server - Typical LAN Setup?

i have tried trawling the net for this info but have not found much that makes a lot of sense. i would like to move my current office network setup to a slightly more (semi)pro approach. instead of just linking four macs together at the Broadband router and using very simple file sharing etc. if i start with a mac mini server. i have found that people generally warn you away from using the broadband router as a hub/switch. would it be sensible to connect the mini to a dedicated hub/switch/router and have all the clients/modem/NAS etc connected to that? is it really as simple, in hardware terms, as that? is anyone able to suggest a hub/switch/router that might be suitable for the job of about 4 clients. also would network attached peripherals (printers) be best attached to the server and everyone access them through it? lastly, this is not a really data/processing intensive office, just documents flying about. whilst the mac mini server seems like a great deal for the software included, it does strike me that the hardware is a little over kill and that a simple mac mini would do the job (regrettably without OSX server)