Copying, scanning, and faxing are some of the common activities in an office with diverse document management needs. However, maintaining a standalone office printer, scanner, and fax machine can derail your employees’ productivity as they move from one machine to another. Not to mention that you’ll also need a large office space for this equipment.
Fortunately, a multifunction office printer can save the day. It combines the functionality of multiple devices, helping you handle your document needs from a central place. Here, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about multifunctional office printers.
Key Features and Capabilities of a Multifunctional Office Printer
Although an office printer has received improvement over the years, the best one by far is merging the functions of several other office document management devices into one. With a multifunction office printer, you can print, email, scan, fax, and browse the internet like you would on a computer. Moreover, these machines can staple, fold, mark booklets, and punch holes. Let’s explore these features in depth.
Printing Features
Printing is the core function of an MFP. Like stand-alone office printers, multifunctional office printers use laser or inkjet technology. The former uses laser beams to transfer an image onto a drum within the printer. The printer then uses heat and pressure to attract toner particles to the image and onto the printing paper.
The latter, on the other hand, prints by applying droplets of ink onto the paper. Based on the document data, the printer’s system directs the printhead where to spray ink.
Besides these basic functions, a multifunctional office printer features duplex printing. As such, it’s able to make double-sided copies in a single pass. It also can support cloud printing, enabling you to access your documents and print them from wherever you are.
A multifunctional printer supports multiple paper sizes, including standards, envelopes, labels, and cardstock. To make it easiest to switch from one paper type to the other, it comes with multiple drawers.
Scanning Features
The scanner integrated into a multifunction office printer uses a cold cathode fluorescent lamp or a light-emitting diode. Light from these sources moves across the document, making a reflection. The reflection hits an array of sensors, which convert it into electrical signals. The office printer then produces and stores the signals as digital images.
When handling a huge volume of papers, feeding each individually can take time. Multifunction office printers resolve this problem with an automatic document feeder. This way, the machine will keep loading papers for scanning or printing all on its own.
Better still, you can import and export your scanned documents to your PC, allowing you to email, fax, store in a network folder, or send to the copy function of the office printer.
Faxing Feature
Although technology has made faxing a less common method of communication and sharing documents, its features make it relevant for some businesses. Unlike other digital communication methods, faxes are more secure and don’t carry viruses or malware. This makes the faxing feature an essential inclusion in the multifunctional office printer.
When you insert your document, the printer scans it and converts it into radio frequency tones transmissible over a phone line or the internet to be received by another fax machine or program.
Copying Feature
The copying feature comes in handy when you want to create duplicates and don’t have a computer near you. When you place your document in the scanner bed and hit the copy button, the office printer scans it to make a digital copy. Next, it sends it to the printer component, which makes a copy of the original document.
Connectivity Features
Most office documents created today exist in digital format. As such, having a device that can bridge the gap between paper and digital documents can improve efficiency. In this case, a multifunctional office printer would be appropriate because it has connectivity features such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB. This, in turn, enables you to send documents to and from the printer to your desktop, PC, and smartphone. You can also send commands to the office printer from other devices.
Security Features
A multifunctional office printer stores any data you scan, print, copy, and scan. To prevent such data from being a target of malicious individuals or being accessed by unauthorized persons, it comes with a set of security features. It has data encryption to secure the contents of the document during transmission. It also has password and two-factor authentication features for access control.
Why Go for a Multifunction Office Printer?
A multifunctional office printer will undoubtedly come with a host of benefits to a business compared to a standalone printer. Some of them include:
Saving on Cost in the Long Run
The initial cost of acquiring a multifunctional office printer will exceed that of a standalone office printer by a large margin. Nonetheless, the benefits it offers will recoup the cost sooner and minimize expenses in the long term.
For instance, you won’t have to keep other document management devices. This will cut down on replacement and maintenance costs. In addition, these devices are energy efficient, reducing energy bills and overall office expenses.
Increasing Productive Time
When maintaining multiple document management devices, productive time can go to waste as employees shift from one corner of the office to the other. With a multifunctional office printer, however, employees can complete document-related tasks in one place. The time they save can be put to use in other business activities.
Saving on Space
A multifunctional office printer reduces clutter in the office. You don’t have to maintain a copier, a printer, a scanner, and a fax machine. You can use the extra space to create a more comfortable working environment for employees or reduce rental space to save a few coins.
What to Remember When Buying
By now, you might have decided you want to get a multifunctional office printer. But there are a few tips to remember.
- Not all multifunctional office printers are created equal. Some are quality, and others are not. So make sure to research to find a reliable seller.
- How you use an office printer influences its lifespan. Train your employees before allowing them to use the device.
- Carry out routine maintenance to catch issues before they turn into genuine problems.
Reduce Office Clutter With a Multifunctional Office Printer
Keeping up with the latest technology can make your office run smoothly, even when dealing with large volumes of hard copies. One way of doing this is getting yourself a multifunctional office printer. And if the initial cost sounds discouraging, you can opt to lease one or consider sellers with lease-to-own payment methods.
If you need a reliable multifunctional office printer in New York, Totowa, Cherry Hill, Edison, and Ft. Washington, Docutrend is the right place to start looking. Contact us today, and we’ll begin the selection process for you.