Introduction
A stand alone printer may be the only type of printer most consumers need on a daily basis, but all-in-one printer copier fax scanner machines are so affordable now that more consumers are buying them even it they are mostly using the printing function. That's because even if they only need to make copies, fax or scan something once in a while, the convenience of knowing these tasks could be done at home or at their desk is the reason why many consumers are buying all-in-one printer copier fax scanner machines when they are in the market for a new printer.
History
Mufti-function printer copier fax scanner machines have been in the business world for years, but they used to only be available in the large industrial sized models that are still found in the copy rooms of most businesses today. Smaller, more personal versions of these machines have exploded in the market within the last 10-15 years. These machines are now more affordable and many of them are powerful enough to be the main printers in many small to medium sized businesses. Although these machines are popular, consumers should understand what they need to look for when buying them.
Features
When looking for the best printer copier fax scanner model there are several key features to consider. The main considerations are printer speed, quality of the prints, amount of memory the machine has and the speed and the quality of its fax function. Good quality machines that will be used for business purposes should print at least 30 pages per minute because a slow printer will cost a cost a business time and money. The last thing any company will want is to be tied to a group of slow printers when they have to have to rush to a business meeting.
The amount of memory an all in one has is important because the more a machine is used, the more memory it needs to function quickly and well. Businesses and consumers who print a lot of large documents and will need a machine that has at least 16 MB of memory. More is better. Less than 16 MB is only suitable if the printer copier fax scanner will be used by one person. Multiple users, even if they do not print large documents need at least 16 MB to avoid the frustration that an overworked machine could cause.
The quality of a printer's resolution is measured in dpi (dots per inch). The higher, the better. Industry standard is 600 x 600, but most newer model printers, both laser and inkjet will have have dpi resolution that is much higher. When looking for good all in one printer copier fax scanner model, consumers should make sure they check the dpi of the scanning function in addition to checking the overall printing dpi. Some all in one models have very low scanner resolution compared to their print resolution.
For the fax function, the best all in ones will include a fax modem with a transmission speed of 33.6 Kbps. The best machines also other fax functions like group dialing and color faxing capability. An automatic document feeder is also very important and it is a function that many consumers don't think about until it's too late. This feeder is used when faxing, scanning and making copies of multiple pages. Single users and small offices should buy all i one printer copier fax scanner models with document feeders that hold at least 50 pages. Larger businesses should look for feeders that hold more pages.
There are several very good all in one printer copier fax scanner models on the market, but the HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One Printer consistently ranks at the top of the list the best models and here are its features:
This model prints up to 35 ppm, has a maximum print resolution of up to 1200 x 600 for black and white prints and up to 4800 this modelx 1200 dpi for color prints. Fax resolutions are from 200 x 200 dpi to 300 x 300 dpi. Its scanning resolution is 4800 x 4800 dpi and it has a 50-sheet document feeder.
Tips and comments
Always try out a printer copier fax scanner before buying it. Most stores have floor models for this purpose.
