As anyone who is looking for a multifunction printer (MFP) knows there are hundreds of options you could choose from. Of course not all of them will be in your particular budget so that is one tool for narrowing your choices but there are also other considerations which you must think about. 
In the ultra small office you will often see small MFPs which are based on the same inkjet technology found in cheap home printers. Combining print, scan and copy at minimum and perhaps fax as well these are really designed for infrequent low volume use but for very minimal needs offices they often fit the bill. Their biggest draw back is speed and cost of operation as the inkjet cartridges required only permit a few hundred pages of print and usually you have to keep both the colour and the black cartridges charged to make them work. Reliability can be questionable at times so be ready to trouble shoot if your have a critical job and you hit an operation snag. These products are usually bought at the box stores or online so don't expect much support.
The next step up and the most common device for the small office or departmental use is a toner based MFP mono unit. Again these will have at least three functions and often four although for most people the fax function will not be a critical need these days since scan and email has replaced a lot of fax use. Being toner based the yield for printing will usually permit a couple of thousand pages or more although the toner cartridges will cost more than inkjet but with the increased yield they are much more cost effective. Prices for mono MFP offering basic speeds and capabilities are a bit more than inkjet based product but well worth the additional investment even for low volume use. One key feature is if you only print intermittently the toner does not dry up like inkjets tend to do so you will be able to print reliably to the projected life of the toner cartridge. Scanning will be fairly basic but will permit the capture of mono output with decent resolution and crispness.
Add colour.Stepping up one more level you obtain the same functions and size capabilities while introducing colour into the mix. Smaller colour capable MFPs matching the capabilities of the mono units above are not substantially more expensive but they will require the maintenance of four toner cartridge systems one for each of the four components of colour production, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. If you have the need for colour even for occasional purposes this can be a great small office choice as long as you buy a solid brand name unit with some support available. At this point your purchase is most likely going to come from an office products dealer who can help you size the purchase correctly and who can help you understand what the support needs may be.
Full scale multifunction devices. Once the needs to be met enter into the range of a main office, fairly active department or steady print or scan requirements then you will want to look at a professional MFP from a full line office product vendor. The range of capabilities offering massive print and scan capabilities at the upper end and multiple additional features in the scanning and copying modes make understanding the choices available as well as the potential paper configuration and document assembly features post print challenging.
One major consideration in this type of decision is the maximum paper size you need to handle both in printing and in scanning. Devices in the MFP range can offer capability up to ledger and in some specialized products even beyond that size.
Colour is again an option. While the traditional office MFP was mono only their now are full ranges of MFPs which offer full colour output at surprising speeds and very cost effective operating levels.
Get help and advice. Once you start looking at professional level MFP devices it is time to talk to one or two professionals who specialize in assisting companies to right size and properly configure a print and MFP fleet. There are massive potential gains in cost control and in performance benefits by making the right range of choices. All vendors are not the same and all devices do not necessarily compare either when considering speed or costs. Talk to solid vendors who can offer you good references and who have a track record in the field and your investment will be more worthwhile.
Support
Once you move into the field of toner based MFPs support for your installation becomes critical. Often ten or more people may be interacting with one device and having it off line for any time can be a major deterrent to productivity in the office. Expand to bigger and larger fleets and the support plan becomes even more critical. There are network integration issues to consider. There is response time, machine upgrades and software to consider. There is a critical component of matching the right supplies so reliability is maintained. All of these come with the right support plan. Don't buy or lease without it.
Lee K
