Multifunction Printers Buyers Guide

Information on Multifunction Printers and How To Buy the Best Multifunction Printers.

One of the key considerations when choosing a printer, photocopier, scanner or fax machine for the office or home is whether to buy a standalone machine or a multi-functional product. A standalone single function machine is only capable of printing or copying or faxing or scanning, whereas a multi-functional product offers several functions within one machine, usually either 3-in-1 (copy, print and scan) or 4-in-1 (copy, print, scan and fax).

Variants of the term multi-functional are often also found as MFP (multi-functional product) or MFD (multi-functional device). Some manufacturers also refer to them as all-in-ones.

Benefits of an MFP over a standalone machine include:

• Cost saving. You can buy a fully featured MFP at a far lower price than if you purchased a printer, a copier, a fax machine and a scanner separately.
• Space saving. The size of a typical home or small business MFP is little bigger than a standalone printer and certainly far smaller than if each device was purchased separately.
• Ease of use. Rather than having to learn how to use several different machines, maybe from different manufacturers, the user only has to learn how one machine works, albeit with different functions.
• Ease of changing consumables. Likewise instead of having to buy and store different consumables such as ink or toner, for different machines, the user only needs to keep one set to hand.

Potential disadvantages of an MFP are: 

• If there is a fault or one function on an MFP fails there is a possibility that all functions will fail.
• Likewise if the machine has to go back to the supplier to be repaired, all functions will be temporarily unavailable.

However, the advantages of an MFP over a standalone printer far outweigh the potential disadvantages and many consumers and small businesses now own MFP’s as a good all-round solution to printing, copying, faxing and/or scanning requirements. They are versatile, flexible and easy to use, often with one touch copying, printing or scanning.

Multifunction Printers Guide - Table of Contents

• 1 Multifunction Printers Product Types
  • 1.1 Printing
  • 1.2 Copying
  • 1.3 Scanning
  • 1.4 Fax
  • 1.5 Technology
  • 1.6 Colour or Mono
• 2 Multifunction Printers Product Advice
• 3 Multifunction Printers Buying Tips
• 4 Popular Multifunction Printers Brands
• 5 Printers Glossary

The most basic product types are broken down into which functions the MFP offers the user.

Printing

This enables the user to print documents and web pages from the computer, either through a USB cable or through a network (wireless or wired). Some machines also support direct printing through an SD card or memory stick. Note that some types of connectivity may be available as an optional extra, while others (usually USB 2.0) are included with the MFP. Most MFP’s offer up to A4 or A3 print size and many also support other media such envelopes, labels and card. All MFP’s offer printing as standard.

Copying

This allows the user to make photocopies from another document. There are two main mechanisms for making a copy.

• Via a feeder mechanism. The user can literally feed a certain amount of pages at once into the machine using a sheet feed which then transfers the document into the MFP to be copied one page at a time. If you are likely to be feeding large documents into the MFP on a regular basis, you may wish to choose a feeder with a higher capacity. The advantage of a feeder is that the user can set a multi-page document to be copied and then leave the machine to do the rest, thus saving time. However this mechanism is not suitable for books or documents which have been stapled. Feeders are also often known as an ADF (auto document feeder).
• Via the platen glass. In this case the user manually places the document, one page at a time, on the platen glass to be copied. This is a far more manual process but is suitable for books and non-standard documents which are not suitable for the feeder, such as very small documents, those with staples or paper clips, or very delicate, old documents.

Some MFP’s offer both platen copying and feeder copying, which is the most flexible but can be more expensive and take up more room on the desktop.

Typical copying features offered on an MFP include:

• Zoom (also called reduction and enlargement) – this allows the user to increase or decrease the size of a document, either as a set percentage or in increments. Remember though that this is limited by the maximum or minimum paper size that the MFP supports.
• Combine copy – this allows the user to combine 2 or 4 pages onto one page, to save ink, paper and often filing space.

All MFPs support copying as standard.

Scanning

This allows the user to scan hard copy documents into the MFP (either through the feeder or via the platen cover as with copying) and send the digital image to the computer. This can be done in several ways depending on the functionality of the MFP.

• Scan to a directory on the computer
• Scan to email
• Scan to internet fax
• Scan to FTP server
• Scan to a USB memory stick

Many MFP’s offering scan functionality also have scanning and/or document management software as standard either on a CD with a machine or downloadable from the internet. Some MFP’s also offer OCR software for transforming a PDF document into a text document.

Fax

This allows the user to send  faxes (either through the feeder or via the platen cover as with copying) and receive faxes. This can be done in different ways, depending on the fax functionality offered by the MFP.

• The traditional way of sending a fax, using the telephone network.
• Internet fax, which uses the internet rather than phone lines to send or receive the fax. One of the advantages  of internet fax is cost reduction as the user does not need to pay for telephone calls. Another is that additional costs are saved as the fax is sent in the form of an email therefore the process is paperless unless the user chooses to print the email. Lastly, they are not restricted by location as internet faxes can be sent wherever there is internet access.  One disadvantage or limitation is that you can only send internet faxes to another internet enabled fax machine.

Typical features on an MFP offering fax functionality will include:

• Speed dials and group dials for storing fax numbers.
• Broadcast function to send a fax to multiple numbers at once.

Many, but not all MFPs offer fax functionality and they are often more expensive so only buy an MFP with a fax if you are going to use it.

It is important to note that some MFPs are modular and others are not. If an MFP is modular, the user can buy it with certain functions, such as print and copy, and upgrade it if additional features such as fax are required at a later stage. An MFP which is not modular is purchased with set functionality which cannot be changed in the future. However, if you are planning on buying a modular MFP and may have need for additional functionality in the future, check how long options will be available for – many manufacturers do not supply options for machines which have been discontinued.

Apart from these functions that an MFP offers, there are additional sub types which the user must choose between or be aware of when choosing an MFP:

Technology

Most MFPs on the market today are either laser or inkjet.

Traditionally laser MFPs had a higher box price, lower running costs and higher print/copy quality. Inkjet machines had a lower box price but were far more expensive to run and had an inferior print/copy quality. However as technology advances the price and quality gaps are becoming narrower.

Colour or Mono

This is an extremely important consideration when choosing an MFP. Although a colour print or copy is more expensive than a black or white print or copy, the current trend is that many users are now choosing a colour MFP rather than a black and white (mono) MFP. This gives them the flexibility to print text documents in black and white when required and use colour printing for extra impact when needed.

Note: although most colour MFPs do offer colour scanning functionality it is important to check this point as a few colour MFPs offer black and white scanning functionality.

Note: Most colour MFPs do not offer colour faxing.

The type of multifunctional printer you buy will be determined by many factors including:

Features and specifications

Features and specifications Info

It is advisable to analyse your requirements to see what features you are looking for in a multi-functional product. Remember that the more features a machine has, the more expensive it will be, so only buy what you will use on a regular basis.

Some of the most important specifications and features include:

Duty Cycle - Manufacturers advertise a duty cycle or recommended monthly volume for each MFP so consider how many pages you will be printing or copying per month.

Size – this covers the size of the machine and the size of the paper. Many machines aimed at the personal and small business market offer up to A4 printing and copying, however there are many A3 capable MFPs available on the market. The physical size of the MFP (or footprint) is also important depending on where the machine will be situated.

Resolution – this is measured in Dots per Inch (DPI) and is stated as one of the machines specifications.  Many multi-functionals can also offer enhanced resolution through software technology.

Duplex Printing – a duplex machine will be able to print and copy on both sides of the paper.  This saves money in terms of the amount of paper that is needed to make a print or copy. Some duplex capable MFPs offer this feature as standard but with others it is an optional extra.

Paper Capacity – this is the amount of paper that an MFP can hold in its input tray and may be a factor if you print or copy large documents – a machine with a higher paper capacity will need to be refilled less often. 

Paper Type – some MFPs can handle specialist types of paper stock such as card, photographic paper, labels or envelopes therefore if these are required you should check the specifications which will usually state the maximum weight and the paper types. Some machines will only accept heavier or specialist paper via the bypass tray rather from the regular paper tray.

Connection Type – this will depend on the type of connection that you use between the printer and the computer. The main types of connection are:

• Parallel port. This technology is now out-dated and it has effectively been replaced by USB connection, however some MFPs do still have parallel port connection as an option or standard.
• USB - these MFPs connect directly to the USB port of the computer through a cable, not via any network. This type of connection is very easy for home users to set up, and is the preferred choice of many people as it requires little expertise, however it only supports one computer.
• Ethernet – these are network MFPs which connect to your home or office network using cables and RJ45 connectors. This type of connection is faster than USB, but is usually more suited to businesses than home users.
• Wireless – these MFPs do not require any cable between the printer and the computer, therefore they offer more flexibility to the user. With many households running on wireless networks now, this type of connection is increasingly more popular.
• PictBridge enabled printers allow the user to insert the camera SD card directly into the camera, and to print without using the computer. This is mainly a feature of photo printers.

It should be noted that some types of connection are included in the price of the printer but others are optional extras.

Software Capabilities - many MFPs on the market today offer some sort of software included with the machine. These can include document management software (archiving and filing of documents), print monitoring software (to monitor the status of a print job and be alerted of any errors) and photo editing software (if applicable).

Finishing features – some of the more advanced and higher specification business MFPs may offer finishing capabilities such as stapling or sorting, however these are not usually required by a home or small business owner.

Total Cost of Ownership

Total Cost of Ownership Info

The cost of the hardware is very important of course, however, you must not just look at the price of the machine itself, as there are several factors to be taken into consideration to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Regular consumable items for MFPs can include photoconductor units, toner, developer and spare parts, depending on the model. Many entry level models have an all-in-one cartridge, which combines toner and drum.

To calculate TCO, the following factors should be taken into account:

• Initial machine price, including optional extras, such as additional paper trays, memory or network cards.
• Cost per page. Consider how much it costs to replace the consumables, and how many prints or copies each cartridge will make, based on a calculation of price divided by yield for each cartridge. Most MFP’s, especially those marketed towards home or small business users, come with a starter cartridge in the box, so take this into your calculations. Include any additional spare parts or consumables necessary during the life of the machine. Remember that a colour MFP will be more expensive to run than a black and white MFP.
• The cost of servicing the machine if applicable.