How to choose a cheap and reliable MFP for home use

In the era of computer technology, almost every home has a laptop, computer, tablet or other modern technology. One of them is a multifunction device (MFP). Of course, many users get by with ordinary printers, but if you need to not only print, but also periodically scan and copy, then an MFP will be the best purchase. How to choose an MFP for the home will be discussed in this article.

What is an MFP

An MFP is a combination of such equipment as a printer, copier and scanner. Some device models include an additional phone and fax. Many functions are often used at home, such as printing text, copying printed or handwritten material, scanning documents, and printing high-quality photographs.

Buying a printer, scanner, photocopier or fax separately, you will spend much more money than buying all the necessary devices in one device.

In addition, buying an MFP will give you many other benefits.

1. compactness. A set of individual devices will take up a lot of space.
2. Reliability. In case of breakage of working parts, repairs will be much cheaper.
3. Multitasking. Working with documentation, photos, etc.
4. Economical use of paints.
5. Ease of installation and configuration — You only need one outlet. The kit includes one cable, driver, and installation instructions.
6. Ease of operation. As a rule, the MFP is equipped with a modern LCD display.

Choose the type of MFP

Laser or inkjet? This question interests a large number of buyers. Both the first and the second have their advantages and disadvantages. After studying them in more detail, you can make the right choice.

laser

First, let’s look at the advantages of laser MFPs.

1. Laser models for the home perform fast printing. On them, unlike inkjet, you can perform large amounts of work (print speed up to 25 pages per minute).
2. The simplicity of the device. Repair is required extremely rarely, since the device almost does not break.
3. The device is easy to operate. Even an untrained person can cope.
4. The all-in-one works almost without noise and vibration. After refilling the cartridge lasts for quite a long time, on average from 1000 to 2000 sheets.
5. Drying of the paint is excluded, as inside the toner-powder.
6. Cheap models are available in a large assortment.
7. The device accepts paper of different quality. You can also print on labels, transparencies and thick fabrics.

At color laser models There are some drawbacks to the home. First of all, it is the high cost of the device. In addition, although the device has the ability to print in color, you should not buy it for photos. But for documents and drawings, it is quite possible to choose a laser printer. To disadvantages black and white laser models for the home can be attributed to the high cost of the device and the frequent refilling of the cartridge.

Jet

Inkjet MFPs are mostly color models. Their advantages include the following:

• affordable price of the device;
• simple cartridge refilling;
• the ability to connect with CISS (ink saving);
• photos printed on photo paper are of high quality.

There are also a lot of shortcomings in jets.

1. The main disadvantage of inkjet MFPs is frequent ink drying (if you do not use the device for more than a month). This can cause the print head to dry out, leading to costly repairs.
2. The ink in the cartridge runs out quickly, so it needs to be refilled often, and this, in turn, affects the print quality. Black stripes appear, fuzzy letters are noted.
3. Vibration during operation device — this is due to the movement of the print head to the right and left.
4. The print time on inkjet MFPs is longer, and the print speed is lower than that of laser ones (from 10 to 15 pages per minute).
5. Finished sheets should be protected from water drops, because the text may spread.

Briefly about the benefits of CISS

This system is applied only for jets. CISS are cartridge and capsule. The difference lies in the installation of a cartridge block or lightweight capsules, respectively, on the print head.
Economical ink consumption is ensured by the flow of ink from refillable reservoirs to the print head. Cartridges (or capsules) are connected to ink jars using a multi-channel silicone cable. The CISS system is absolutely hermetically sealed, with the exception of the compartment in which the pressure is stabilized.

MFP selection criteria

Before buying a device, the buyer needs to decide on the functional tasks, the location of the device and evaluate their budget possibilities. Based on these criteria, it is easier to make the right choice.

The points that the buyer of the MFP should pay attention to are as follows.

1. laser or inkjet. Inexpensive laser MFPs for the home segment are monochrome, suitable for intensive printing of high quality documents. A laser multifunction machine with color cartridges is significantly more expensive, and if you often need to print color images, it is better for your home to choose an inkjet MFP that is more affordable for the family budget. The quality of inkjet printing is not inferior to laser, but the performance of such equipment is lower.
2. scanner resolution. Any MFP is equipped with a scanner. Characteristics of the built-in scanner for different models differ in resolution. If the MFP is purchased for the task of scanning graphic images, and high accuracy of details is required, then you should choose a model with a higher resolution. In all other cases, a device with a simpler scanner will do.
3. Print resolution. The quality of a printed document directly depends on the resolution of the printing device, measured in dpi. It is important to pay attention to this parameter when choosing. For documents, a value of 600 is sufficient, for photographs, a minimum of 2400.
4. Print speed. Laser and inkjet devices differ in high-speed capabilities. The first speed is higher and is about 20 b/w pages per minute. For printing school essays, student papers, engineering documentation, models with relatively high rates of output of printed sheets are preferable. If the device is not going to be used for high-volume printing, speed settings are not so important. In this case, you can buy a standard inkjet printer with a print speed of 10 b/w pages per minute.
5. Print format. Normally, A3 worksheet models are produced for the home. Machines with the ability to print A3 size are office equipment.
6. PC connection. MFPs can connect to a computer in several ways: via a USB connector, Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters. A USB cable connection provides local communication with a computer. The presence in the equipment of the device of the Wi-Fi or Ethernet interface will allow you to work with it through a connection via a home local network from any device.

One last piece of advice for Apple device owners. Pay attention to support for AirPrint technology. This will allow you to print any documents and photos from iPhone, iPad, MAC without installing special applications and drivers.

Top 5 best models of 2020

To facilitate the choice, we offer the 5 best MFP models for the home according to customer reviews.

Canon PIXMA MG2540S

Budget option MFP for use at home or in a small office. The device is equipped with an inkjet printing unit, a copier and a color scanner. The format of printed sheets is A4, the maximum print resolution is 4800×600 dots. The device supports monochrome and color printing.

Advantages:

• low cost;
• good print quality of text documents;
• ease of connection to a computer;
• the ability to configure continuous ink supply.

Flaws:

• slow and noisy;
• USB cable is not included with the device;
• poor print quality of color images;
• ink and cartridge costs.

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M28w

speed machine with laser type printing. Per minute, the device produces 18 monochrome printed pages with a maximum resolution of 600 × 600 dots. The built-in color scanner is characterized by an optical resolution of 1200×1200 dpi. The paper input bin holds 150 sheets and the output bin holds 100 sheets.

Advantages:

• high-quality scanning and printing;
• high-speed;
• works locally and over a Wi-Fi network;
• compact;
• affordable.

Flaws:

• overheating is possible;
• low cartridge resource (up to 1000 prints);
• significant costs for a branded cartridge, and a compatible analogue is expensive.

Brother DCP-1612WR

Laser MFP with high-speed black-and-white printing with a resolution of 2400 × 600 pixels. The device differs in the increased resource of a cartridge (to 10000 prints). Compact dimensions allow you to install the MFP on a computer desk. Scanner resolution 1200×600 dpi. The copier supports 99 copies per cycle.

Advantages:

• affordable;
• easy to install;
• Wi-Fi printing possible;
• easy to maintain;
• non-chip resource-intensive cartridge.

Flaws:

• long warm-up;
• noisy at work
• no USB interface included;
• short network cable;
• image print quality is poor.

Xerox WorkCentre 3025BI

Multifunction machine with laser printer. The maximum resolution of b/w printing is 1200×1200 dots, the output speed is 20 ppm. The resolution of the scanning device is 600×600 dpi. Speed ​​of digitization of the document/image is 3 seconds. The device is equipped copier with zoom function in the range of 25% — 400% in 1% increments.

Advantages:

• quick warm-up and delivery of the first page;
• inexpensive cartridges;
• USB interface included;
• there is a Wi-Fi module;
• fast networking with printing and scanner;
• budget cost.

Flaws:

• to set up a Wi-Fi connection, you need a router that supports WPS technology;
• housing and key parts made of cheap plastic prone to breakage;
• skew occurs when paper is picked up from the tray, resulting in a crooked printout.

Epson L3150

MFP for home and small office with color printer. The technology of the printing device is piezoelectric inkjet. The device is equipped with a flatbed scanner and copier. High-precision scanning quality with a resolution of 1200×2400 dpi. The maximum resolution of b/w and color printing is 5760×1440 dpi. Speed ​​10 and 5 sheets/min in monochrome and color modes, respectively. The device is equipped with the function of continuous ink supply, borderless printing mode for photos.

Advantages:

• can work via USB or Wi-Fi;
• excellent quality of prints;
• acceptable speed;
• can print pictures from mobile over the air;
• easy to operate;
• economical ink consumption.

Flaws:

• takes a long time to prepare for printing when turned on;
• no USB cable included;
• does not work well with glossy paper — jams, traces of rollers.