Don’t want to buy a printer, a fax machine, a photocopier and a scanner for your small business? How about a multifunction machine? Read our simple tips on how to choose a good multifunction printer.
If you own a small business or a home business,
would you like to buy a printer, a photocopier, a scanner and a fax machine or one machine that can do all these jobs? The answer is clear, most people would pick a multifunction machine. A true all-in-one (AIO) machine prints, scans, copies and faxes with network capability. However, choosing a good AIO printer is not as easy as choosing a printer as you need to consider many functions at the same time. Here are some simple tips to help you make a good decision:
1) Is the AIO printer easy to install? Does it work with the operating system of your PC?
2) Can it print high quality documents at relatively high speed?
3) Does it have automatic document feeder (ADF) so you can copy / scan / fax pile of documents automatically?
4) How about the scanning speed and resolution? Can you scan books or bound documents on flatbed scanner?
5) Can the fax machine store incoming faxes in memory so you won’t lose a fax even when you are out of paper? Can it distinguish fax / voice calls and pick up the faxes automatically?
6) Does it provide duplex printing / scanning / copying so you won’t need to manually turn the pages for two sided printing?
7) Do you need an inkjet or laser printer? AIO inkjet printer can print excellent sharp images and photos but they are much slower than a laser printer. The cost per page of inkjet printers is also higher than that of laser printers so they are not good for high volume printing.
8) If you intend to use your machine in a network, do you need wireless or just wired connection?
For all-in-one inkjet printers, we recommend Canon PIXMA MX870 and Epson Artisan 810. Both are easy to install and set up, and are compatible with PC and Mac OS. Both provide duplex printing / scanning / copying which can help you to save paper. They also come with automatic document feeder and flatbed scanning. Both provide excellent print quality, producing exceptional photos and laser quality text. These two inkjet printers also use individual ink cartridges for different colors, so you only need to replace the cartridge that runs out of ink. Since they are also used as photo printers, you can print photos directly from memory cards and cameras. Auto photo fix is available to improve photo quality. Both machines work in wireless and wired network. Canon PIXMA MX870 is more affordable than Epson Artisan 810 but the latter has a more stylist design with much higher print speed for photos.
For all-in-one laser printers, Canon ImageClass MF4370DN is our pick. It is an affordable monochrome laser printer with compact design. Print quality is excellent with fast print speed. It also has automatic document feeder, duplex printing / scanning / copying and flatbed scanning. Scanning quality is excellent with good fax functionalities. One disadvantage is although it is network ready, it doesn’t provide wireless connectivity.
Undoubtedly, it takes a bit more time and research to find the right all-in-one machine for your business. However, considering the money and space you can save, it is still worth the extra effort to go for a multifunction printer.
