How All-in-one Printers Work

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Introduction to How All-in-one Printers Work

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All-in-one printers copy, scan, fax and, of course, print.

If you've ever been on the hunt for a new all-in-one printer, you know what it's like to walk down the aisles of an electronics or office supply store. Shelf after shelf of similar-looking home appliances can seem overwhelming instead of liberating. Well, fret no more. In this article, we'll break down what you should know about this powerfully helpful combination product so that you're equipped to make the best choice for your home.

All-in-one printers can print, copy, scan and even fax. Also called a multifunction printer (MFP), this combination product is designed to meet the needs of a home office as well as those of a small, medium or large business operation. That said, all-in-one printers are perhaps most fitting for a home office or small business. (The reason why will become clear throughout the course of this article.)

All-in-One

But businesspeople aren't the only ones who can put an all-in-one printer to good use. Many consumers -- such as students and those without sophisticated printing requirements for their workspace -- only need a printer, but they opt for an entry-level all-in-one printer, instead. The reason is quite simple: They can get much more for about the same price. Basic MFP models can cost between $75 and $125.

Copying, scanning and faxing aren't the only additional capabilities consumers get in all-in-one printers. As prices come down over time, manufacturers continue to introduce more features in all-in-one printers. Examples of these features include color LCD displays and memory card ports that allow you to plug a phone or digital camera directly into your printer. Just a couple of years ago, these features were only found in high-end versions; now, they're also part of the design of mid- and entry-level MFPs.

Go to the next page to find out some of the hottest technological benefits of all-in-one printers. Discover a few of the latest features on the market and what they can do for you. You'll even get a word of caution that you won't want to miss.

All-in-one Printer Technology

Thanks to strides in technology, all-in-one printers have come a long way. They're capable of doing more now than ever before.

One way these office or home appliances continue to improve with time is their increasing ability to get more mileage out of the ink they use. Also, they become more compact and less obtrusive for work spaces. Bulky units have gotten much more streamlined. And today, you can plug your cell phone directly into your multifunction printer (MFP) to print photos saved on your phone.

Wireless Internet for all-in-one printers was a novelty a couple of years ago, but today, Wi-Fi is practically standard for MFPs. A printer is considered wireless if it can access the Internet without an Internet cable. There are even Web-enabled MFPs, which allow you to access the Internet and offer services beyond those available on your ordinary printer or computer.

For example, you could look up driving directions on MapQuest using your printer's interface. In other words, you wouldn't have to use your computer to look for this information. Instead, you could skip this step and go directly to your printer to conduct the search. Then, you could print directions from the same source.

A word of caution: Whenever there's an open connection to the Internet like this, your privacy could be in danger. A person with a computer near your Web-enabled all-in-one printer could conceivably print off something on your printer using a laptop from a nearby car or building. This person wouldn't be able to see what's on your computer or printer but could send unwanted communications to you.

While all-in-one printers' technology and their bells and whistles evolve quickly, their core technology hasn't changed much.

Learn what kinds of all-in-one printers are available to you today, and identify which ones best fit your needs by checking out the next page.

Types of All-in-one Printers

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Thinking of upgrading your old inkjet printer? A multifunction printer could transform your spare bedroom into a real home office.

While there are many kinds of all-in-one printers on the market, there are only three main types: black-and-white laser printers, color laser printers and inkjet printers.

Core technology is the only difference between laser and inkjet printers. Laser multifunction printers (MFPs) use a powder toner, just like some photocopier machines. The laser makes markings, such as alphanumeric characters, onto paper. Toner is applied and adheres to these markings. Then, heat is applied and the powder permanently dries to the paper. Because of this process, anything printed onto the paper doesn't smear if it gets wet. An inkjet MFP gets an image onto paper using tiny jets of liquid ink, which can smear if the paper becomes wet.

If you need a considerable amount of output and printing in color isn't important, you can save a lot of money by buying a monochrome (black-and-white) all-in-one laser printer. As the name implies, it prints only in black and white. On the other hand, if you want the option to print in color, consider a color laser MFP.

Both color and black-and-white laser printers tend to be more expensive upfront than inkjet MFPs, but their toner cartridges tend to cost less than those for inkjet printers. Toner for a color laser printer can cost between $75 and $200 per cartridge; however, the printer's output is in the thousands.

Inkjet printers are the third kind of all-in-one printer available, and they come in two types. First, photo optimized inkjet printers don't usually have a feeder; instead, they have a lid that pops up. They have more photo and LCD features than other printers, such as red eye removal and the option to change color palettes on photographs. Office optimized inkjets, on the other hand, usually have a feeder on top, which allows you to feed 20 or more sheets of paper at a time, managing them one by one.

See how the pros and cons of various all-in-one printers compare to one another on the following page.

Pros and Cons of All-in-one Printers

There are many manufacturers of these combination products, including Hewlett-Packard, Brother, Xerox, Lexmark and Canon. Here are some of the pros and cons of all-in-one printers.

Multifunction printers (MFPs) hold their value over time. You should be able to use your all-in-one printer years from now.

All-in-one printers are all-around reasonably priced, especially compared to what they cost a few years ago. The type of cartridge your printer uses will greatly affect how expensive the machine will be for you in the long term.

Laser printers cost one cent to five cents per page, whereas inkjet MFPs cost 10 cents to 12 cents per page. (Inkjet printer cartridge costs are at a disadvantage because they're more expensive; however, they dominate laser printers in regard to superior photo quality.) Color laser printers require four toner cartridges, which each cost between $100 and $150.

In fact, some manufacturers make most of their profits from the toner or ink they sell, not the printers. Sales of all-in-one printers are secondary compared to the long-term profits reaped from selling the ink.

Here's what this means for you: When you're shopping for an all-in-one printer, start by identifying the features you want and narrowing your search to MFPs that fit this description. The next step is to find out how much the ink costs. You'll want to find out exactly how many pages per cartridge you can expect to get.

Remember, the chief moneymaker for many manufacturers is the ink they sell. So, it's no surprise that the ink-cartridge-to-page ratio isn't always provided on product packaging. Major manufacturers are notoriously vague about this information, but sometimes you can find it on their Web sites (just be prepared to dig a little).

The good news is that retail store sales attendants are familiar with the printers they're selling and are often able to answer this question for you.

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