How to choose an MFP?

This article is devoted to the question: how to choose an MFP for home use? Manufacturing companies, hoping to attract customers, are constantly improving their models. But unfortunately, the choice of office equipment for the house can not always be called successful. Two or three weeks pass, the charm of novelty disappears, and suddenly it turns out that the chosen thing is not at all as good as it seemed at first glance. In addition, if you purchase a full set of office equipment, it will take up too much space. An entirely different matter is MFPs.

Important! This device combines several functions: a scanner, printer, fax, copy machine. At the same time, the MFP is compact in size and does not clutter up the desktop.

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What is an MFP?

In essence, this is nothing more than a copy machine with a set of additional functions (optional or standard). The best MFPs can not only provide high-speed printing, but also carry out electronic processing of documentation. If you do not have an MFP, you have a difficult job of scanning, editing, printing a document on a printer and sending it by fax.

Important! A good multi-functional device reduces the time to perform routine work to a minimum. Therefore, knowledge about which MFP to choose for your home will never be superfluous.

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Benefits of MFPs for Home Use

The use of multifunction devices has a number of indisputable advantages:

• The price of MFPs is less than the total cost of individual items of office equipment. The “wholesale cheaper" principle works here at 100%.
• Economical organization of the workspace.
• Convenience of operation and maintenance.
• Reducing the cost of copy - compared with facsimile equipment.
• Auto paper feed function.
• It is necessary to work with documents on one device, which contributes to a significant reduction in time costs.
• To copy the documentation, turning on the computer is optional.

Important! The multifunction device has one drawback: all the device functions cease to work in the event of a breakdown: fax, scanner, copier, printer.

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How to choose an MFP? - Main criteria

To make the right and thoughtful choice, you need to know what MFPs are.

Printing method

Depending on the printing method, there are three types of devices:

• Inkjet.
• LED light.
• Laser

Color rendering

Depending on the color, distinguish between color and monochrome devices. Each type of office equipment has its own disadvantages and advantages.

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We precisely set the goal of the purchase

For this reason, before choosing an MFP, you need to consider the following factors.

• The approximate number of pages that will have to be printed during the year. If the print volume exceeds 1 thousand pages, then you should pay attention to the laser device.
• Type of printing: color or black and white. If the volume of color printing is large enough, then “inkjet” is preferable.
• Paper size.
• If you have to scan books, brochures and bound documents, it is advisable to purchase an MFP with a scanner and a tablet copier.

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Laser or inkjet MFP

Laser and inkjet MFPs are the most common devices. They are fundamentally different from each other. How to choose an MFP for this feature?

Laser technology - differences:

• Multifunction laser-type devices are used in offices because they provide good print quality and are easy to use.
• Laser devices have proven particularly good when printing black and white documentation.
• One refill cartridge is enough for a long time. The cost of refueling a cartridge is low.

Important! The disadvantages of a laser printer include its high cost, as well as a significant price for the purchase of a new cartridge. There are also color laser printers, but their cost is so high that they are not profitable for home use.

How to choose a laser MFP for the home?

For home use, a black and white printer is suitable, since a color device allows you to print only documents, but not photos or pictures. Find a service for refilling cartridges in advance: it will cost you five times cheaper than acquiring a new one.

Inkjet models - features:

• In terms of print quality, these devices are somewhat inferior to laser ones.
• The main advantage of inkjet printers is that there are features for both color and black and white printing, which is great for home use.
• The cost of “inkjets” is much lower than laser MFPs.
• They are advantageous to maintain - provided that the cartridges are refilled independently or the continuous ink supply system is used.

Choosing an Inkjet Printer for Home Use

First of all, pay attention to the number of colors. Inexpensive MFPs have 4 colors for printing:

• The black.
• Crimson.
• Blue.
• Yellow.

Important! More expensive models have a greater number of shades, so that the color rendering and print quality are much better. To perform the simplest tasks, four basic colors are enough. If you want to print photos with good quality, you should give preference to more “advanced" models. If the number of photographs is small, then you should not buy an expensive model. Photos will be printed for you in the cabin as well. Save money at the same time.

When buying a “inkjet”, consider the cost of new cartridges (these devices cannot be called cheap). Of course, the original cartridges provide good print quality, but their analogues are not much inferior to them. At the same time, the cost of the analog is much lower.

It is very beneficial to use continuous ink systems or refillable cartridges. The first option is especially beneficial. The system is a pseudo cartridge and ink-filled containers.

Important! The pseudocartridge is equipped with a button resetting the chip. The MFP receives a signal that new cartridges are inserted in the device. Using CISS, you significantly save ink. One refueling is enough for you for a long time. The disadvantage is the relatively high cost of the system, as well as some of its bulkiness.

Refillable cartridge in its device is identical to the original. The difference is that its container has the ability to refuel, and the cartridge itself is equipped with a level zeroing system. This is the most economical option.

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MFP selection by parameters

Here are the main parameters that you need to consider in order to choose an MFP for the home.

Print speed

As a rule, when choosing a home MFP, this indicator is not given much importance. Although, low print speed is not too comfortable.

Important! Print speed is measured by the number of sheets per minute. High is considered the speed of 30 sheets per minute, average - 20.

Noise level

To evaluate this feature, ask the seller to perform a test scan and print.

Types of Printing

For many people, the supported print formats matter - plain A4 paper, labels, photo paper, envelopes, etc. If you want to print not only on plain paper, you should pay attention to this characteristic.

Scanning

When buying an MFP, you need to pay attention not only to print quality, but also to scanner resolution:

• For the use of MFPs for domestic purposes, a resolution of 600-1,200 dpi is enough.
• For professional use, pay attention to the scanner with a resolution of 2400 dpi.

Important! It will not be superfluous to ask a consultant or seller about the scanning speed.

Interface to connect

The most popular connection interface is USB. In addition, interface options such as Wi-Fi and Ethernet are possible.

Important! The last two options involve connecting to a local network. In addition, connecting via Wi-Fi makes it possible to install the MFP in a convenient place, without the use of a wire.

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How to choose an MFP for your home by brand?

• If you have chosen the laser option, then the best products are from Samsung, Canon and HP.
• The best models of inkjet MFPs are Canon, EPSON and HP products.

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Best MFPs for Home Use: Model Overview:

1. Samsung Xpress C460W - MFP with integrated laser printer (4 colors). Print Speed: 20 sheets / min. for black and white and 4 sheets / min. - for color prints. The monochrome two-row display shows the connection status of the device and the current operation. It is possible to connect the MFP via WiFi. For this reason, the device can be placed in any convenient place without using extra wires.
2. Canon PIXMA MG6840. Five-color inkjet MFP. Thanks to the double-sided printing function, it takes much less time to prepare documents. The device has a high scanning speed. Information about the operations is displayed on a convenient liquid crystal display.
3. Epson L655. Epson models are distinguished by excellent color rendering quality. If you want to print a photo, this is exactly what you were looking for. Thanks to the automatic feed mechanism, it is possible to create digital copies from a large number of photos. It is possible to connect to the CISS, which makes this model extremely economical.
4. HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5645. It features a stylish design that fits seamlessly into the home interior. Special printing technology allows you to print up to 21 photos in 1 minute. There is also the possibility of a wireless connection.

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So to summarize

After you have weighed the pros and cons, analyze again all the characteristics of the selected option. After all, the MFP is not a one-day purchase. We list some of the final nuances to choose an MFP with excellent qualities:

• Serving a laser printer will cost more than an inkjet.
• If you have chosen an inkjet MFP, stop at the model with refillable cartridges.
• Do not forget to calculate the possible costs of paint.
• Do not purchase a device with minimal functionality. It is possible that over time, options that you did not pay attention to from the very beginning will come in handy.
• It is advisable to purchase products from well-known companies. See reviews on themed forums about a particular brand.

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Stock footage

It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer as to which model of the MFP is the best, since each customer has his own set of wishes, requirements and preferences. It is for this reason that you need to carefully study all possible options and only after that make the final choice.