Printer Copiers: Buying Guide
The Multifunction Printer Copier
Hello. If you are looking to add an all in one printer copier to your work or home office, we've put together some tips to help you make the best choice for your budget and your work needs.
Hopefully, these quick guides will help save you time and money. Good luck, and if you have suggestions to what additional information would help, please don't hesitate to let us know!
Undoubtedly the main reason people are looking for an all in one printer copier is that home office space is at a premium. With that in mind, it's important to look at what you need in a machine before heading online to purchase one. Below is a quick summary of what you'll find in multifunction printers. Not all printers will have all features, so make a list of what you are looking for to compare with different manufacturers.
Printer - Laser or Inkjet? Color or Black and White.
Fax Machine
Scanner - What resolution will you be scanning at?
Network Connectivity - Are you going to be connecting via USB to one machine? Will you be connecting to a network via wifi or traditional ethernet cable?
Paper Capacity - Will you be printing in large quanties? Are you going to be doing double sided printing (also called auto-duplexing)? Do you need auto feeding?
Memory - Will you be using memory cards or just need built in memory?
Preview Screen - Will you need to see previews of documents you scan or print while away from the computer. Handy for multiple computers using one machine.
Long term operating cost - How much are toner/ink cartridges? What is the duty cycle? Is it energy star compliant?
Dimensions - Do you need a separate stand? Will it fit on your desk?
Other options - Does it work for multiple operating systems (Mac or PC)? Will you be printing on CD's (some actually offer this now!)
Laser printers vs. Inkjet printers...Part 1
One of the biggest differences in printer/copiers today is wether they are laser or inkjet printers. Here's a quick guide to Laser Printers.
One of the biggest advantages to getting a laser printer is speed. Most laser printers will print black and white much faster than an inkjet. Also, you don't have to change the text quality to get fast printing.
Basically, laser printers work by heating up a plastic dust, called toner, deposited onto the surface of a sheet of paper. There is no liquid involved. Therefore, copies made with a laser printer don't smudge like some inkjet prints do..
One thing to think about when deciding if you want a laser printer vs. an inkjet is wether you will be printing in color. In general, you get better quality color prints with an inkjet printer than you do with a laser printer. The colors are usually truer with inkjet, but if you aren't printing a lot of photos, you probably won't notice the difference.
Finally, if you are looking at cost, know that laser printers tend to be much more expensive, both to purchase and to repair. Since the process involves a laser and a heat drum, the cost to repair or replace them tends to be much higher than an inkjet which runs on sprayers.
However if you are going with only black and white printing, laser printers are usually cheaper to operate because you get more prints per cartridge. In the end it's a trade off, but it's good to be aware before you make your purchase.
Laser printers vs. Inkjet printers...Part 2
Now that you've read a little about laser printer copiers, here's a brief overview of the advantages to an inkjet printer. Remember, I'm just trying to give you some comparison points.
If you are looking for a color all in one printer copier, I recommend an inkjetprinter for a number of reasons. For example, usually inkjet printer/copiers produce better color photo copies since the ink is sprayed onto the paper in tiny droplets. Combine that with a high quality inkjet photo paper, and you get fantastic results. Sometimes you can't even tell if it's a computer print out.
Also, Inkjet cartridges tend to be a little cheaper. I say tend to since the more expensive units actually use 4 cartridges (one each for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black also know as CMYK). If you are doing large amounts of color work, but it's not photographic, a laser might be more advantageous since you're not dealing with this many cartridges.
If you are cost consious, you can get by with printing on most inkjet printer copiers in draft mode to save ink. It does save ink, but it can make your documents a little less crisp. Ok for the office, but not the best for clients. Add to the fact that black only laser printers tend to print more pages per cartridge and you can quickly see that although inkjet printers tend to be less expensive initially, you end up making up for that with ink expenses with a high volume of printing.
Finally, an inkjet tends to be cheaper initally since it doesn't have the heated drum and laser that you'd find in a laser printer. The ink is applied by sprayers and air dries usually (although there are some that use a laser).
Multifunction printer copiers are great for the home office. If you are looking to save space and get more done, try combining some of your equipment into one machine and save both money and desk space.
An all in one machine will save you space, but smart planning will save you money. Before you look at a new machine, look at what you need. Can you use the fax program already on your computer? Most PC's have a built in fax. By eliminating the fax, you can save a few bucks. Generally, it won't save you any space though since the scanning device is also what's used for the fax.
How about using one printer for the whole office? If you just need one central printer for documents in your home or office, try using a wifi enabled printer to connect to your network. That way everyone can use the same printer and you can eliminate that spot on your desk. Plus by having the scanner/printer/copier in one place, you save on multiple machines and multiple replacement inks etc. However if more than 3 people are going to be using the machine, you .might do better to have multiples to avoid productivity conflicts.
Another benefit of using a multifunction machine is that you can spend more on one machine instead of having multiple higher priced machines. Generally, when you add more features, the price doesn't go up nearly as if you were purchasing several machines.
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