Information about Multifunction Printer

An MFP (Multi Function Printer/Product/Peripheral), multifunctional, all-in-one (AiO), mopier (Multiple Optical coPIER), or Multifunction Device (MFD), is an office machine which incorporates the functionality of multiple devices in one, so as to have a smaller footprint in a home or small business setting (the SoHo market segment), or to provide centralized document management/distribution/production in a large-office setting. A typical MFP may act as a combination of some or all of the following devices:

• Printer
• Scanner
• Photocopier
• Fax
• E-mail

Input to multifunction devices is, almost by their nature, multimodal, as documents may be sent via Ethernet, parallel port or other digital interface from a computer, arrive by fax over the telephone line, or be scanned in locally by the user. Some devices include digital media readers such as media card readers. This allows small offices to save money by centralizing their document processing requirements in a single, flexible device.

Home or SoHo (Small Office Home Office) MFPs are usually inkjet-based, and thus allow colour printing and copying, but most large-office and a small number of relatively expensive SoHo units use a laser print engine for high-quality, low cost-per-page output at large volume.

MFPs were first introduced into the market by Okidata in the late 1980's. Nowadays, an MFP can be procured for significantly less than a good quality inkjet printer and a scanner. However, they typically do not offer the same quality performance as the individual devices. Furthermore, a failure in any of the individual sub-systems may require that the entire unit be replaced. Additionally, some suffer from a reputation of unreliability . They do, however, take up less room than the equivalent separate components and some features, like copying and photo printing (on models with card readers) can be used autonomously (with the computer turned off).

MFP manufacturers/brands include Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Lexmark, Okidata, Olivetti, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox.

Software

Computer systems equipped with the proper software must be able to take advantage of the MFP's capabilities, an important requirement to research when considering integrating an MFP with an existing office. Some or all of the following functionality might be provided:

• Device administration and configuration
• Monitoring of print quotas, ink levels, etc.
• Document type/paper input mode selection
• Document imaging, such as ad hoc scanning
• Document management such as remote scanning, document type conversion from text to pdf, OCR, etc.
• If needed: photo printing support, usually found in more expensive models.

Software developers for MFPs include Ecopy, Nuance, NSi, Paper River Consulting and Omtool.

Characteristics

Some points to look for when considering purchasing an MFP:

• Printing speed (typically given in pages per minute or ppm)
• Printer type (laser/inkjet)
• Resolution DPI is an important metric for both printing and scanning quality.
• Software Some MFPS support advanced functionality such as optical character recognition.
• Compatibility (with computer operating systems, input type requirements, etc)
• User interface By their nature, MFPs are complex devices. Many MFPs now include LCD screens and other user interface aids, which may be worth some additional outlay.
• Duplex capability Whether the MFP can print on both sides of a sheet of paper without manual intervention by the user.

See also

• PictBridge: a standard to print photos in the multifunctional without using the computer.
• Computer printer

External links

• Usenet : news:alt.periphs.multifunctions
• http://www.linuxprinting.org
• http://systems.firstchoiceltd.co.uk
• MFPs for Capture: http://www.aiim.org/article-docrep.asp?ID=32712
• Business Technology Association's 2007 Software Buyer's Guide