The Best Multifunction Printers

In addition to a printer, do you need a copier, a scanner, and sometimes a fax machine? All these tasks can be done by only one device – a multifunction printer, also known as an AIO (all-in-one) . Every multifunction printer can perform the role of a copier and scanner, while certain models, primarily business ones, can also replace a fax machine.

There is a large selection of different models of multifunction printers available on the market, so choosing the right model is not an easy task. Here’s what you should think about:

Do you need a home or business AIO printer?

The best criterion for choosing multifunction printers is their purpose. Will you use the printer for private or business purposes or maybe for both?

If you are looking for a ˝home˝ multifunction printer, the quality of the photos is probably important to you, which in translation means that you want an ink-jet printer. Are you most interested in printing photos and want to print them from different sources, such as USB, memory card or camera? In that case, you need a multifunction printer of photo lab quality.

When you’re looking for a multifunction printer exclusively for the office, text is probably more important to you than photography. This means you want a laser printer or a laser class printer (including LED and solid ink printers and even some ink jets). Ideally, such a printer has fax and e-mail functionality and an automatic document feeder (ADF) so you can scan, copy, fax and e-mail multi-page documents.

If you need a multifunction printer for dual use in the office and at home, our recommendation is to choose an inkjet printer for the quality of photo printing, and a model that also has some features of an office printer, such as ADF and fax modem.

Functions and properties

After you have decided whether you need a multifunction printer of home or office type, it is very useful to make a list of functions and features of the printer that you actually need. Printing, scanning and copying are functions that go without saying, but even that is not quite as simple as it seems. For example, some multifunction printers are limited to scanning via a USB connection. Therefore, if you plan to connect over a network, make sure that your printer supports the scanning function in network mode.

Some models of multifunction printers require a computer to copy using them. If you want to copy without depending on a computer, make sure that your multifunction printer can function as an independent copier.

The e-mail function can also be used in two ways. The direct e-mail function allows you to scan a document and send it by e-mail directly to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). On the other hand, cheaper multifunction printers usually work in such a way that you have to open your e-mail on the computer and add a scanned document to the e-mail attachment and send it that way. Remember that the function of sending scanned documents directly by e-mail does not work with all ISPs, so you should check this option before purchasing.

Most multifunction printers have a surface that is adapted only for scanning photos or single-sided documents. If you work with documents that have several pages and you want to scan, copy, fax or send them by e-mail in a simple and fast way, you need the automatic document feeder (ADF) function, so pay attention to that as well.

Color printing

If you never print in color, there’s no reason to spend money on this feature. However, be aware that many multifunction color laser printers are of sufficient quality to print marketing materials, which will be cheaper than printing smaller quantities of such materials at your local copy shop.

Connection options

In addition to USB input, many multifunction printers have Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi for easier document sharing. If you prefer Wi-Fi, keep in mind that with a wireless access point on your network, you can use any printer or multifunction printer on that network to print, regardless of whether that printer has Wi-Fi. And while some models of multifunction printers have wi-fi direct or its equivalent that allows compatible devices to connect to them without a wireless access point, there are also multifunction printers on the market that use NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology, which means that it is enough to bring your mobile phone or tablet closer to the printer and thus start printing.

Printer size

Multifunction printers are much larger than ordinary laser printers, and some of them can be so tall that they will seem like a tower on your desk. Although you won’t be moving them very often, it is still advisable to check the size and weight of the multifunction printer.

Costs

The price of multifunction printers starts at 400 HRK for inkjet and 1000 HRK for laser models and up to several thousand HRK for the most expensive models that offer better print quality, durability and better features . It is also advisable to take into account the number of pages that can be printed with a single charge of ink/toner, which you can find in the specifications. Whether you’re looking for a home or office printer, a good place to start your search is the list of the best multifunction printers we’ve prepared just for you:

 

HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 –  affordable professional multifunction color printer!

Universal HP multifunction printer that provides photos with professional print quality and at a 50% lower price per page compared to laser printers. However, it lags behind laser-class printers in terms of print speed and resolution. It enables high productivity and helps you cope with a large amount of work.

Functions : printer, copier, scanner, fax

Screen : 2.65″, touchscreen 

Cartridge : 4 (black, cyan, magenta, yellow)

Print speed : 22 ppm (black and white); 18 ppm (in color)

Scanning speed : 8 ipm (one-sided); 4 ipm (duplex)

Connectivity : Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n

Type of printer : inkjet

Consumables : HP 952 Black OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~1000 pages); HP 952 Cyan OfficeJet Ink Cartridge; HP 952 Magenta OfficeJet Ink Cartridge; HP 952 Yellow OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~700 pages); HP 952XL Black OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~2000 pages); HP 952XL Cyan OfficeJet Ink Cartridge; HP 952XL Magenta OfficeJet Ink Cartridge; HP 952XL Yellow OfficeJet Ink Cartridge (~1600 pages)

Dimensions : 500.3 x 403.8 x 317.5 mm

Weight : 11.54 kg

price on moj-toner.com: HRK 1,170.31 with VAT

 

Brother MFC-L6800DW –  the most diligent worker in your office!

Designed for large volumes of work. Double-sided scanning and an automatic document feeder option for scans with a capacity of 80 pages. An excellent selection of connectivity functions, high scanning speed and a reasonable printing price per page are the key features of this multifunction printer. This device offers you a winning combination of speed, long duty cycle, competitive maintenance costs and solid text print quality. As with other monochrome printers, the quality of printing graphics is not its strong point.

Functions : printer, copier, scanner

Screen : 3.7″, touchscreen

Cartridge : 1

Print speed : 41 ppm

Scanning speed : 50 ipm (black and white); 20 ipm (color)

Connectivity : USB, Ethernet, wi-fi, wi-fi direct

Type of printer : laser

Consumables : input toner – up to 8,000 pages, standard toner (TN-3430) – up to 3,000 pages, high yield toner (TN-3480) – up to 8,000 pages, extra high yield toner (TN-3512) – up to 12,000 pages

Dimensions : 495 x 427 x 518 mm

Weight : 18.9 kg

price on moj-toner.com: HRK 6,902.00 with VAT

 

CANON PIXMA TS9120 –  premium class home printer that has everything!

A compact AIO printer that is very suitable for home use, but also for less demanding office work. The first thing you will notice is the 5″ color touchscreen display. CANON PIXMA TS9120 offers an enviable copying and scanning speed, and the only complaint concerns the thin and unconvincing paper cassette.

Functions : printer, copier, scanner

Screen : 5˝, touchscreen

Cartridge : 6 (pigment black, black, photo blue, cyan, magenta and yellow)

Print speed : 0:26 (black and white); 1:57 (in color)

Scanning speed : 0:07 (black and white); 0:37 (in color)

Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, Ethernet

Type of printer : inkjet

Consumables : PGI-280 Pigment Black Ink (~ 750 pages), CLI-281 Dye Based Inks (~ 1562 images of size 4 x 6″)

Dimensions : 373.3 x 325.1 x 142.2 mm

Weight : 6.62 kg

 

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4740 –  Large selection of connection options!

Connect using Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi Direct or NFC. PrecisionCore printhead technology enables high-quality printing at high speed and makes this model many times faster than traditional inkjet printers. The small size of the output tray and the lack of a multipurpose tray could rank among the most common complaints from users.

Functions : printer, copier, scanner, fax

Screen : 4.3″, touchscreen

Cartridge : 4 (black, cyan, magenta and yellow)

Print speed : 24 ppm (black and white); 22 (in color)

Connectivity : wi-fi, Ethernet, wi-fi direct, USB, NFC

Type of printer : inkjet

Consumables : 802 DURABrite Ultra Standard-Capacity Ink Cartridge Multi Pack (~750 pages black text and ~650 pages color)

Dimensions : 424.1 x 388.6 x 330.2 mm

Weight : 11.8 kg

 

CANON MAXIFY MB5420 –  ideal for small offices!

It is designed to meet the needs of small offices with up to nine employees. It has two paper containers with a capacity of 250 sheets each. This model is characterized by high-quality image printing and printing and copying speed, one-sided and two-sided, unlike scanning, where the speed could be a little higher. With a maximum duty cycle of 30,000 pages per month, the MAXIFY MB5420 will meet all your business needs.

Functions : printing, copying, scanning, faxing

Screen : 3.5˝, touchscreen

Cartridge : 4

Print speed : 0:17 (black and white); 2:05 (photo)

Scanning speed : 0:07 (black and white); 0:13 (in color)

Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, Ethernet

Type of printer : inkjet

Consumables : PGI-2200 Black – 29.1 ml (Std) / 70.9 ml (XL); PGI-2200 Cyan- 9.6 ml (Std) / 19.3 ml (XL); PGI-2200 Magenta – 9.6 ml (Std) / 19.3 ml (XL); PGI-2200 Yellow – 9.6 ml (Std) / 19.3 ml (XL); print up to 2,500 pages in black and white and 1,500 pages in color (XL refill).

Dimensions : 464.8 x 459.7 x 353 mm

Weight : 12.9 kg

 

Choosing an adequate multifunction printer will save you time, space and money. As a starting point for your mini-analysis, you can use information about print speed, dimensions, printer prices and print capacity per toner charge, which you can view and compare in the specifications for each recommended model. Most of the AIO printers available in the market are of satisfactory quality, but we believe that our list of the best multifunction printers will help you choose the one that perfectly suits your needs.