Business Focus: Multi-function printers
A multi-function printer is perfect for small offices, combining print capabilities with the ability to scan and even send and receive faxes. Dave Mitchell explains what to look for
A multi-function printer is perfect for smaller offices. Dave Mitchell shows you what to look for and reviews four likely candidates.
The paperless office may be a pipe dream, but you can reduce your impact on the environment and slash operating costs by investing in a multi-function printer (MFP). Choosing a single device that can handle both printing and scanning can reap rewards in terms of paper usage, space requirements and improved efficiency.
It can bring productivity benefits, too. An MFP makes it easy to integrate scanning into your workflows, so instead of photocopying a document, you could send it by email, share it over the network, upload it to the cloud or even – if you’ve invested in a model with a modem – send it by fax.
Of course, these are all things you could do with dedicated devices, but by centralising document printing and processing, an MFP makes it easier to manage the use of your various facilities. That’s something worth thinking about: a busy office that prints and copies documents without a second thought can incur steep running costs.
Of course, there’s nothing new about MFPs. Many businesses have been using these versatile devices for years, and there’s a constant demand for replacements and newer models. That helps drive costs down, which means an MFP is within reach of even the smallest business. This month, we look at colour A4 MFPs from four of the big names – Brother, Epson, Kyocera and Oki – and put them through their paces in the lab to help you make the right buying decision.
Features to look out for
The first thing to think about is speed. A low-cost MFP may seem like a good choice for a small office, but if its print and scan speeds are slow it has the potential to harm your productivity as staff queue up to use it.
Look closely at speed claims, though. The four MFPs on test this month promise print speeds ranging from 20ppm (pages per minute) to 31ppm, but we found that these sometimes only applied to simple text-based documents. As you’d expect, all of them were slower when printing fullcolour marketing materials at their highest resolutions.
Double-sided printing, or duplexing, is another thing to look for, as it can slash paper usage. However, you’ll need to persuade your staff to actually use it: we’ve yet to see a printer that’s capable of enforcing double-sided printing.
Most MFPs come with good-quality colour flatbed scanners, but if you anticipate a high scan volume, you’ll want to choose a model with an automatic document feeder (ADF), which means it can
churn through piles of documents without your needing to feed in each one in turn. Ideally, make sure that the ADF supports duplex operations, allowing it to scan both sides of a page in one pass.
When duty calls
How much do you expect your MFP to be used for printing and copying? Come up with an estimate before you buy – and then choose an MFP with a recommended (not maximum) duty cycle that’s at least twice as high, ensuring you have the headroom to cope as your needs grow.
Don’t be seduced by a low purchase price. Cheap models often require expensive consumables, and in a high-demand print environment your running costs will quickly rack up. A more expensive MFP won’t just perform better – it will often work out cheaper over the course of a few years.
Choosing the right printing technology is just as important. Inkjets used to be expensive, but today’s models have running costs comparable to laser and LED models. Inkjets also do a better job of photo printing than lasers and LEDs – but those latter print engines are less choosy about paper quality. On cheap 75gsm recycled paper, a standard laser printer will produce lovely sharp text that’s more readable than an inkjet. That means you can keep your paper costs down. You can also save on toner (and in some cases speed things up) by encouraging staff to use the driver’s draft mode for internal documents.
Get yourself connected
An MFP is almost always a shared device, so a network connection is a must. Wireless connectivity is desirable, as it makes it easy to position your MFP wherever you like. Not all MFPs include wireless as standard, however; check whether your chosen model can be upgraded and for how much, as costs for add-on modules vary considerably.
Workforces with Apple mobile devices will also appreciate AirPrint support, which will let them print documents directly over the network. NFC (near-field communications) is another boon for mobile users, as they can walk up to the MFP and connect their device with a simple tap for quick printing.
Several vendors even go a step beyond this with free dedicated apps for iOS and Android devices. These let users remotely print to the MFP, and even access the scanner over the network, with images transferred directly to their mobile.
Cloud support varies greatly across different vendors, meaning it pays to check what features are available. How useful would it be to email a document to the MFP and have it print immediately? Or, to scan a document using the MFP’s touchscreen and send it straight to shared cloud storage?
Security first
Internet-connected MFPs can be easily hacked, so be sure to change all default passwords immediately. If you’re handling confidential information, look for driver features that provide extra security, such as holding print jobs until you walk up to the device and enter a PIN at the touchscreen.
Some MFPs can even enforce user authentication from their web interface, allowing you to strictly control access to print, scan, copy and fax functions. Unfettered access to cloud storage is another back door so make sure that any accounts set up as scan destinations can be secured with a password or PIN.
Finally, keep an eye out for uncontrolled personal use – many businesses are unaware of just how much this costs them. Look for management features that place limits on colour usage or block it completely, restrict access to the copier and provide job accounting facilities so you can see who’s printing what.
There may be a lot of factors to consider when choosing an MFP, but it’s a device that can pay for itself by streamlining your workflows. Read on to see which one will help you reduce costs, increase productivity and be more environmentally friendly.
“Keep an eye out for uncontrolled personal use – many businesses are unaware of just how much this costs them”