Which multifunction printer for a small home office?

Looking for a printer to work in a paperless office may sound illogical, but the demise of his desktop laser printer set John Stokdyk on a quest for a multifunctional replacement. AccountingWEB members offered their advice.

In the face of technology's near instant obsolescence, IT Zone's environmental and economic philosophy is to minimise kit acquisitions and to stretch out its lifespan for as long as possible. But the demise of a four-year-old HP 1015 desktop laser printer forced our hand. After moving the device around a bit, it started to print out "ghost" text and covered each page in a sooty sheen of extraneous toner. Forced to consider replacements, I put out a call in Any Answers [1] for recommendations for a device that could cater for the following needs:
● Modest output volumes for home office.
● Multi-function capability to handle occasional scans.
● Good software for importing scans to document storage folders.

As Paul Johnston correctly pointed out, the brief was very wide and ill defined, but the purpose of the exercise was to seek out broad insights from the collective experiences of AccountingWEB members with multi-function printers (MFPs). I was not disappointed. The selection of devices that follows is based on input from both AccountingWEB members and participants on our sister site UK Business Forums.

Before we get to the gear, it's worth repeating some of the excellent advice provided by both communities.

Cost considerations

As Simon Hurst explained in his 2007 techno-rant, Why a £520 colour laser printer is cheaper than a £199 one [2] working out the total running costs of modern printers is ridiculously complex and depends more on the cost of consumables than the device itself. As several people pointed out, lower cost devices tend to have higher running costs - especially with colour output.

Knowing the expected workload is also very important. Paul Johnston again: "Once the number of sheets per month is over 500, the cost of maintaining any small office machines becomes expensive because of time sorting out problems, electricity costs and cartridges." The cost per copy including maintenance and consumables is around 5-6p per copy for colour (0.5p-1p mono) for his high-volume Canon colour MFP. An old HP 4450c colour printer works out at nearly 30p per copy for him.

Drawing on Simon Hurst's article and a suggestion from David Park in last year's IT Zone Guide to printers, the products we have selected are presented with the retail price on most models quoted by PrinterBase.com [3], plus example costs of replacement ink and toner cartridges and any warranties/maintenance policies on offer. We then divided the combined costs with the expected number of pages produced to reach a comparative calculation. [Unless otherwise indicated, output of consumables supplied with machine assumed to be 1,500 pages; electricity costs were not included; products with paid warranties will have higher per page costs - but more peace of mind].

The two-machine approach

Several people who contributed to the multifunction printer debate suggested I buy two machines rather than looking for an MFP. "If you want faster or better scanning you'll need a specialist stand alone scanner. For cheaper and possibly faster printing, I use a black and white laser," advised Angela Williams. As the total cost of ownership figures show, relying on a small, expensive-to-run colour device to produce large volumes of basic documentation does not make economic sense. "You then have a backup printer as well," added Michael Donkin of the IT Dept on UK Business Forums.

Donkin is not a fan of the all-in-one. He favours the same approach as hi-fi fans who prefer to buy separate components that deliver better quality and can be upgraded independently. If an all-in-one option goes wrong, Donkin warned, "You've lost all your functions at once."

Paperless functionality

Semantically it may be difficult to get your head around the concept of a suitable printer for the paperless office. "What you really mean is scanning," prompted Alastair Harris. For anything more than a few scans a day, smaller devices without paper feeders are going to cause bottlenecks, he added.

Most MFPs come with some kind of scanning management software that allows you to store scanned files into particular directories, or to email them to others (or yourself) as an attachment. Initially I was sceptical, but if I wanted to share an article I'd scanned from a magazine with a colleague, it would make life very easy and the incoming email would fit quite well into my daily workflow. Each system has its own software, but they are not all equal. For example, the scanning software from HP was "a nightmare to install" according to Paul Johnston. I am also keen on systems that automatically convert scans to PDFs so they can be stored in a searchable archive and extracts converted into text when needed. Rather than cutting corners, Williams and Johnston both suggested considering specialist document management software such as Docusoft [4] or PaperPort - the latter is supplied free with Kyocera's FS1118MFP and Dell's 3115cn.

To save paper, we're also prioritising machines that automatically support duplex printing, where documents are printed on to both sides of each sheet. An auto-feeder would be nice to have when scanning or copying longer documents.

RECOMMENDED MULTIFUNCTION PRINTERS (MFPs)

Colour inkjets - for low volume & photographic use

Brother MFC-490CW This A4 colour inkjet/fax multifunction device is the latest model from Brother, the manufacturer that earned the most recommendations from members for this type of machine. It's fast - up to 27ppm for colour print-outs - and comes with built-in wireless networking. The 490CW can scan to e-mail, image, PDF, USB memory stick or OCR output. On the down side, it lacks an automatic duplex facility and Brother machines have a reputation for eating through ink. "These types of machine want to constantly go into a clean cycle," complained Bob Brook. "Is it to use up as much ink as possible?"
Dimensions: 390x375x180mm; Printer cost: £108; 1-year warranty: free; Inks: £12.78 (Black 425pp), colours £6 (325pp)
Total cost average: 16.5p-18.9p/page (*Entry edited in response to Steve Smith's comment belwo.)

Canon Pixma MX850 Canon MX850 If reproducing photos is a priority for you, it makes sense to look at what one of the big names in phtography has to offer. Ruth Parkin spoke up for the larger Prixma M830. but Roger Neale recommends this model. In addition to winning plaudits for build quality, Neale adds: "It does all the standard jobs really well and there's scanning to PDF, JPG, OCR scanning to Word etc. The CD label printing is great too." This Prixma can print direct from compatible cameras and memory cards. Canon inks come with the promise of 100-year fade resistance, but are dogged by "chipping" technology that prevents refills without resetting the electronics.
Dimensions: 507x482x258mm; Printer cost: £192; Warranty: 1-year onsite free; Inks £10-£11 (300-500pp)
Total cost average: 15p-19p/page

Also worth considering: Epson Stylus Office BX300F (Helen Stevens); HP OfficeJet Pro L7680 (Angela Williams)

Mono laser MFPs

Brother MFC-8860DN A network-ready mono laser with fax and automatic duplex printing that can also scan in colour. The original printer cost and price per page equation look good on paper, but several experienced users queried the long-term quality of Brother devices. This may not be such a big worry this month, as this one of the models for which Brother is offering free three-year warranties until the end of June.
Dimensions: 531x450x475mm; Printer cost: £295; Warranty: 3 years for £88; Cartridges £53 (3.5k) to £114 (25k)
Total cost average 1.5p-6p/page

Lexmark X264n A small, workgroup MFP boasting up to 28ppm output with automatic duplex and scanning direct to email & PDF using Lexmark's Scan Center software. While some quibble about Lexmark's manufacturing quality, Simon Hurst opted for this brand for the cost savings it delivered over a comparable Canon.
Dimensions: 440x428x405mm; Printer cost: £210-£220; Warranty: 1-year free; Toner: £78 (3.5k) to £148 (9k)
Average cost: 3.5p-6p/page

Kyocera FS1118MFP Malcolm McFarlin is "very pleased with the quality and low cost" of this compact machine. "For low running costs you won't beat them," adds Jheath on UK Business Forums. There's no duplex print facility, but the FS-1118 does come with bundled with PaperPort Deluxe document management software and handles PDFs in and out.
Dimensions: 496x421x385mm; Printer cost: £339; Warranty: 3 years for £159; Toner: £69.28 (7.2k)
Average cost: 3.7p-5.5p/page (with warranty)

Samsung SCX-4824FN Samsung won plaudits from users for print speed, economy, scan quality, automatic duplexing and Scan Thru 4 document management tools. The only whinge for this model's predecessor being that it didn't forward incoming faxes directly to your PC. Some reviewers have been less impressed by print quality, but this model is a strong contender for the budget-conscious buyer, while the networkable SCX-4828FN could cope with demands of a small workgroup.
Dimensions: 445x410.5x395mm; Printer cost: £215; Warranty: 1 year free; Toner: £40 (2k)- £60 (5k)
Average cost: 4p-6p/page

Sharp AL-2040 Richard Willis prasied his old Sharp MFP as "an amazing machine that did virtually everything" including a facility to scan documents and send them to your desktop as a PDF email attachment. A 15ppm unit capable of handling duplex printing this is an attractive model for a small office, let down only by the slightly high per page output cost.
Dimensions: 518x445x358mm; Cost: £268 from faxshop.co.uk; Warranty: 1-year on site free; Toner cost: £93 (4k)
Average cost: 6.5p/page

Also worth considering: Brother MFC-7320; Canon MF4690PL (if you can find one); HP LaserJet M1120; Lexmark X204n (coming soon)

Budget colour laser MFPs

Brother MFC-9450CDN Brother's four-function colour laser device comes ready to network and with automatic duplex function at an attractive price, with good looking consumable costs. The only concern would be over its stamina for long-term, heavy volume work.
Dimensions: 432x487x482mm; Printer cost: £485; Cartridge packs from £187 (1.5k) to £313 (4k)
Total cost average 14.5p-22p/page

HP Colour LaserJet CM2320 MFP Reasonably priced four-function (Print/Copy/Scan/Fax) machine suitable for small work groups. Print speed is up to 20ppm fo mono and colour and comes with a 50-sheet automatic document feeder. The CM2320fn model can't do automatic duplexing, but helpful on-screen prompts walk you through the manual process. Automatic duplex model costs £90 extra. Scan to software lets you scan and send documents to a folder straight from machine via email. Scan and send documents and images directly to your customers in e-mail without a PC.HP Colour
Dimensions: 497x492x550mm (CM2320fxi 100mm taller)
Printer cost: £454 (£544 for fxi duplex model)
Toner: c£80 (2.8k) per colour
Warranty: 3 years for £139
Average cost: 19p-27p/page (depending on duplex/warranty options)

Also worth considering: HP Colour Laserjet CM1312 MFP series, "The lowest-priced colour laser MFP with fax"; Lexmark X543dn

High-volume, networkable colour lasers

Dell 3115CN Dell's 3115cn MFP is a strong contender for an office workhorse, boasting high output speeds - if not the classy print quality of more expensive rivals. Comes with ScanSoft PaperPort document management software, but a duplexer costs £210 - or £7/month extra if paid in monthly instalments.
Dimensions: 460x570x730mm; Printer cost: £507 (£717 with optional duplexer); Toner cost: £288.65 (4-5k) to £499.10 (8k) - can be paid in monthly instalments of £3-15/month]; Warranty: free for 1 year; £134.55 or £4/month for 3-year extended coverage
Average cost: 9p-11p/page

HP Laserjet CM3530 Four-function 30ppm (mono) workgroup device in a reasonably compact box. Designed to handle up to 75,000 pages a month, with two-sided printing and copying at full speed. Can send paper documents to e-mail, network folders, printers and fax (CM3530fs) directly from the device. Can be upgraded with 80GB hard disk for extra document storage.
Dimensions: 515x519x560.5mm; Printer cost: £1,699
Warranty: 3-years for £569; Toner cartridges: £89 (Black, 5k) - £176 (Yellow, 7k)
Average cost: 24p-34p/page

Also worth considering: Xerox Phaser 6128MFP

Further reading

Top 10 printers recommended by members [5] (Oct 2008)
IT Zone Library: Print management and money-saving tips [6]