Multifunction printers ( MFPs ) , sometimes called All - in - Ones , are a boon to many small spot : they merge a number of different devices like pressman , scanners , facsimile machines , and photocopier into a individual package that is both compact and price - effective .
The flip side of all this convenience , however , is thatchoosingan MFP means find a single unit that offers all the features you need in every country that it covers , with the added wrinkle that a conclusion in one domain may well cascade into all sorts of unintended import bear on the other areas .
The first step in choosing the ripe MFP consist of figuring out which sport you actually call for . While there are many modeling of multifunction printers on the grocery , generally , they feature three main functions : printing , scanning , and faxing .
Printing
As with choosing a traditional printing machine , the principal tradeoff in buying an MFP is between quality , initial investment , and ongoing cost . But there ’s the kink with an MFP : you must consider the effect that all the building block ’s functions will have on your ongoing monetary value .
If you regularly take a lot of photocopy and receive legion fax , you will have to factor them into your consumables usage when determining whether to choose a optical maser MFP , which commonly means a gamey initial investment , or an inkjet machine , which is less expensive upfront but cost more on a per - page cornerstone .
In practice , unless you are considering the purchase of a high - end MFP , the price difference between the two technologies is comparatively small , and optical maser should be your choice . If you want more color prints , the residual shifts in favor of inkjet printers , unless you impress in mellow volume .
Scanning
Scanning is a vital part of an MFP , because , in addition to the obvious theatrical role of help you spell images into your Mac , it assist both the faxing and photocopying functions .
These day , most MFPs number with fairly good image scanner adequate to of at least 600 dpi and 24 - scrap resolution output . This is plenty for faxes ( which generally need no more than 150 dpi in black and white ) , and skillful enough for high - quality photocopies , written document file away , and non - professional photo .
Do not be swayed by manufacturing business claims ofinterpolatedresolutions with 1000 of dots per inch — these are computed using software algorithms that mathematically approximate a higher resolution than your scanner is subject of and result in mostly short - quality output . Rather , you should take care for the scanner’sopticalresolution , which point how much detail it can actually see and reproduce . Generally verbalise , the in high spirits this value is , the better quality the resulting CAT scan will be .
Then again , if all you ’ll ever do is scan papers and physique , the resolution of the image scanner will be petty to another metric : velocity . Here , there are two ingredient at play : the first one is how chop-chop the electronic scanner can read a Thomas Nelson Page ; clearly , shorter times entail less waiting on your part . Just as important , however , is themethodby which paper is feed into the motorcar : a flat - seam scanner requires you to manually remove each sheet of newspaper and position a new one in between scans . If you wait to scan a lot of documents , you will probably be better off purchasing an MFP that come with a mainsheet feeder in which you ’ll be able to order a push-down stack of report and have each Sir Frederick Handley Page scan , faxed , or photocopied while you attend to other business .
Faxing
Of the three canonic MFP office , fax is swiftly becoming the least critical , given the prevalence of e - mail . Still , if faxes are an important part of your job , you will require to check that that the MFP you pick out can work both as a standalone system and in conjunction with your computer . This mean that you must be able to not only facsimile machine text file straight from the machine , but also using your Mac ’s faxing build - in capabilities . While the latter is not strictly necessarily — you could just publish and fax your written document — not have to print will save both money and time , with the added fillip of being good for the environment .
Software
It pays to do a moment of enquiry before diving into a purchase to check that that the product you take can play nicely with Mac OS X. Just a recording label on the box may not abridge it .
In exceptional , if you opt for an MFP that plug into to your computer via USB and that will be used by the great unwashed in a work radical , you desire to insure that its drivers allow you to apportion fax and scanning capabilities over your local web . Nothing will drive the person whose Mac is connect to the MFP insane like the unremitting watercourse of coworkers asking for scans or facsimile machine .
With a meshwork - capable driver , both scan and faxing will be available directly to each user on a local web : all you demand to do is share the pressman through the Print & Fax instrument panel in System Preferences . The other user will then be able to launch Image Capture on their own Macs and reach the shared scanner or fax system direct , without having to take over anyone else ’s computer .
When something fails
The last element to regard when buying an MFP is failure . Sooner or later , something will go wrong and your gadget will stop performing one of its functions well , or at all . Unless you digest a major electrical malfunction , however , it ’s entirely potential that the rest of the MFP ’s functionality will remain completely intact , and this perplex a problem : do you supervene upon the entire machine , buy a specialized gimmick and only replace what ’s broken , or do without one of the MFP ’s mathematical function ?
Each of these choices has its drawbacks : a specialised equipment would likely be expensive and take additional space in your place , while devote up a functionality that you currently have will be nettlesome and hamper your productivity ( unless you did n’t need it in the first office ) .
If you ’ve done your prep , however , refilling is almost always the good option . When browse for an MFP , it pays to find a model that costs less than if you had to buy each of its functions one by one at the floor of quality and reliability you need . That way , buying a new one becomes a much easier decisiveness .
These day , buy a replacement unit is not that difficult : for object lesson , in my agency aBrother DCP 7020provides faxing , scanning , and photocopying and be me less than $ 100 . While this twist has worked flawlessly for many twelvemonth , I would n’t hesitate to replace it if any of its components stopped working , because it ’s unlikely that I will be able to find a lower - cost single - function peripheral machine .
Naturally , the Brother is not the only gimmick in my small office ; there ’s also a Xerox gamey - yield color optical maser that is used for most of our print Job . In contrast , the Xerox printer is not a intersection that I would ever need to perform more than one function .
The bottom line
With all the possible drawbacks , pitfalls , and decisions , you might question whether MFPs are really deserving it . An MFP is definitely a via media — it ’s unconvincing that you ’ll find a fairly priced MFP that give you top - of - the - telephone circuit performance in every specialty . Consider an MFP as a commodity that ’s good at perform a number of different tasks , but be prepared to let go if individual element start to flush it .
Hopefully these hints will help oneself you find the MFP that best fit your needs — and one that will give you yr of close service with a minimum of head ache .
[ Frequent Macworld contributor Marco Tabini is base in Toronto and can be found on Twitter as@mtabini . ]
