Guides

• What is a multi-function device?
• Before you start looking around
• Downsides
• What to expect
• Other important considerations:
• Extra features
• Questions to ask / considerations

Other important considerations

Other issues you might like to examine include noise, cost, connectivity and ease of use. Some of these issues will be more important to you than others.

If you are planning to buy an inkjet MFD, you may also want to look for a model that has separate ink cartridges for each colour. Inkjet running costs can get quite high, especially if regular photo printing is required and separate ink cartridges will allow you to replace ink on a per colour basis. Depending on your usage, this could turn out to be a little cheaper, but more about this later.

Other things to consider are paper handling capacity and automatic document feeders. A machine with a large paper tray or even dual paper trays will allow you to print a larger amount of documents without worrying about constantly re-filling the trays. An automatic document feeder is usually found on machines that have a fax-modem built in, and allows for multi-page documents to be photocopied or scanned without having to place each sheet in the scanner flatbed individually. These features are more pertinent to machines that will be situated in offices.

Likewise, speed will be an issue in an office environment where more than a couple of users share the same machine.

Find out how much the claimed speed is reduced when two tasks are happening at the same time. That is, for example, when the device is printing and faxing simultaneously.

Noise can also be a factor when using one of these machines, but the good news is that their mechanisms are getting quieter, especially on more expensive models.

Noise

Noise may be a factor if you are in a home or small office environment.

Smooth roller, paper feed and paper eject mechanisms contribute to a device with lower noise emission. In addition, some devices will have ink tanks that instead of being fitted to a moving print head are fitted to the actual body of the machine. Ink is transferred from the ink tanks to the moving print head via a tube system. This keeps the print head's weight to a minimum, which reduces noise and vibration caused by the side-to-side motion of the print head. Although devices with this feature might be quieter overall, this is not necessarily the case if the paper feed mechanisms, rollers and even the print head, are all still noisy. Some devices will make annoying beeping sounds as "messages" for different tasks being completed, and if this "feature" cannot be turned off, it will be a contribution to the general noise emission from the device.

Other than considering these points, it is hard to determine how noisy a device is without trialling it yourself or reading independent reviews first.

Ease of use

Ease of use will probably be an important consideration, especially if the device is to be used by a number of people with varying technical skills. Ease of use can be somewhat up to personal preference in terms of where you like control buttons to be placed, how large you require them to be and where you like them to be arranged. Shortcut buttons can definitely help in using the machine quickly, but too many can actually be confusing.

It's a good idea to make sure that there are rising hinges on the scanner lid, or that it is removable, so that you can copy from thick books. Also, if you plan to copy from books make sure that the control buttons are located in such a way that they do not accidentally get pressed if half a book is hanging down over them.

Devices with integrated memory card readers on the front of the unit win points for ease of use if you plan to print photos. A large and clear LCD panel is also a helpful feature making it easier to navigate the control panel and also view photos and documents from your memory card or other storage device.

Many MFDs are now designed to be easy to use as standalone devices without the need to be plugged in to the PC. This is useful if you want flexibility, portability, ease of use and quick set up.

The accompanying software interface on the PC will vary in terms of user friendliness and efficiency. Look for a point and click interface which allows as many tasks as possible. At the very least, it should enable you to easily manage documents, scan, print, copy and fax.