People who are in the market for a printer will often come in contact with a combination printer scanner copier and wonder if they need all those bells and whistles if all they really need is a printer?
Actually, finding such a jewel will usually pay off in the long-run as we, as humans, always can find new ways to use our ever growing technology to our advantage.
If you work at home occasionally or even full time from a home office, or even if you own and run a small business, then a multi-function printer (MFP) is an outstanding choice for you. These machines are often referred to as all-in-ones (AIOs).
Those multitalented devices may perhaps combine an inkjet or a laser printer in conjunction with a copier, a fax machine and a scanner therefore saving you both space and money.
Granted that inkjet models now start as low as $100, it is still highly recommended that you spend slightly more in order to purchase a model that will include standalone faxing as well as being equipped with an auto document feeder (ADF) to facilitate easy faxing and also for copying multipage documents.
Some of these machines are fairly large, thus you’ll have to make sure that the machine you have in mind to purchase actually fits where you intend to put it. The size or space that a machine takes is referred to as a footprint.
Some of these machines have fold away paper trays that help reduce the footprint of the machine when not in use, so if size has presented itself as a serious problem you might keep that in mind. All MFP machines that can function as printer scanner copier, are also heavy.
Modern technology has created machines that have a lot going on, but it’s up to you to look over the way that the buttons are spaced as well as placed so that you feel they will be easy to make navigation of the printer scanner copier a snap. Mostly these machines feature a one touch shortcut for most operations.
Many of these newer machines feature wireless connections, which more and more users find a welcome addition. Setting up one of these machines in conjunction with your computer used to be endlessly painful, but the newer machines will walk you through installation easily and even painlessly!
Gone are the days when manufacturers skimped on one thing or another for a printer scanner copier. It used to be that the paper trays needed to be replaced often, as they were constructed out of inexpensive weak plastics that chipped easily, developed cracks with the first bump, or came packed in the shipping box with a hope and a prayer, yet arrived at your home literally in pieces.
Now, manufacturers understand that paper trays take quite a beating going in and out of the machine, and thus they now build them to last.
When surveying a printer scanner copier be sure and find out what it will cost for the cartridges of ink that the machine will need either rarely or often depending on the work load you give the machine.
Pay special close attention to the page yields of the cartridges, as some companies may give you a low yield cartridge which you may believe inadvertently to be quite a bargain, when instead it truly is not!