It is sometimes difficult to know which features may be most valuable to you when considering an multifunction printer (sometimes called an all-in-one printer).
Depending on whether you are buying it for work or for your home, an all-in-one printer must be as functional and productive as possible so you need to consider your purchase carefully.
Generally, multifunction printers combine several useful features such as scanning, copying and faxing as well as standard printing functions in order to perform several jobs from one device.
Function
Quite often manufacturers will forego the print quality of a unit in order to include other functions such as fax services. Therefore, consider carefully which multifunction elements are most important to you. Choosing a printer with only the required functions will lower the overall cost BUT boost the quality of those functions. If you do a lot of photo printing then make sure the printer you choose supports this so the images are printed to a high quality.
Print Speed
Having to wait for things to print is not only annoying, but can reduce your productivity, especially within a company. Therefore, a standard print speed specification to look out for would be 20 black and white pages per minute and 10 colour pages per minute.
Duplex Printing
This is a really important feature if you regularly produce documents, forms or reports that need to be printed on both sides. Check that the model of printer you choose supports duplex printing before buying it.
Wireless Connectivity
If you are working in an office environment where several people and systems will need to access the printer, then look out for multifunction printers that are compatible with your wireless network. WPS setup is available on most routers and if the user network has a WPS feature, then this will make configuring the printer easy. Similarly, all-in-one printers will a built-in network card can be wired to any available network port, thus preventing the need to share a printer from a network PC.
Laser vs Inkjet
Laser printers are generally more expensive to buy than inkjet versions, however they produce higher-quality printouts that are cheaper. This is due to the toner cartridge in a laser printer lasting longer. The speed and quality of a laserjet printer is far superior to that of an inkjet printer.
