subject: Why multifunction printers are better than three separate machines [print this page] Why multifunction printers are better than three separate machines
One of the great buzzwords of the early twenty-first century has been 'convergence', the trend for functions that would have in the past required their own device coming together in a single piece of technology that can seemingly do everything. Mobile phones are perhaps the most obvious example of this shift in the consumer electronics market, with modern smartphones now able to function as everything from a digital music player or games system to an e-book reader or satellite navigation kit. In other areas too, whether its games consoles or multifunction printers, convergence is making our lives easier and less cluttered.
Thanks to convergence, the average office printer now contains multiple functions - printing, scanning, copying, fax, digital document sending and paper stapling and stacking - that only ten would have each required their own expensive device. Even small home office printers now contain the three core functions - print, copy and scan - in a single device for a modest outlay.
One of the major advantages of convergence in printers for businesses, especially in small offices, is that multifunction printers take up far less space than three separate machines, let alone five of them. With devices like business-grade photocopiers often having an enormous footprint, using a multifunction printer can help free up space for an extra desk, a small meeting area, tea and coffee-making facilities or simply just allow your employees more breathing room.
The multifunction printer can also help to eliminate problems with one of the most difficult of all office devices - the fax machine. Although faxes have, to a large extent, been superseded by email, they remain an important part of high level business, especially when it comes to exchanging signed documents between distant locations. Combining fax functionality into a printer makes sending faxes - sometimes a notoriously difficult and laborious process - easier and allows you to create backup copies on your computer for future reference.
An often overlooked advantage of using a single device over several separate machines is that it makes staff training and troubleshooting problems easier. It's much easier - and more cost effective - to train staff to use a single machine made by one manufacturer than it is to get them up to speed with using separate devices made by several different companies. Some manufacturers may use interfaces that prove counter-intuitive to people used to using those of a rival company, sowing confusion in the workplace and causing no end of problems.
In a similar vein, combining your separates into a single multifunction printer can help to eliminate compatibility issues and reduce the chances of something going wrong if your devices stop talking to each other. This can help to increase productivity, both due to less hardware downtime and the greater efficiency that performing all tasks at a single machine can allow.
Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
