What's the best Multi-Function Printer?

What is the best Multi-Function Printer (MFP)? There’s no right or wrong answer here — it’s completely dependent on your business’ needs. While we can’t give you a definite answer, we can provide you with questions to ask yourself that will steer you in the right direction when it comes to making the choice about which MFP is best for you.

There’s also a few criteria through which you can measure the benefits of a MFP: reliability, flexibility, and usability.

Theres no single brand or even individual machine that is best in all three of these categories — and there’s no single MFP that will satisfy the needs of every business. Due to the nature of a MFP being a multi-function printer, there are many combinations of functionalities — so if you need a highly flexible machine capable of a high number of tasks and processes, the reliability of the machine will most likely suffer.

The more moving parts, the more points of failure. The less functionality, the less expensive a machine will be. There are tradeoffs that come with every MFP, and it’s up to you and your business’ needs to determine which MFP will be best for you.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

Here are a few questions you can ask to help determine what you’re looking for from a MFP:

1. What does my business do?
2. What is our current workload?
3. What will our workload be in 3-5 years?
4. Will I need automation solutions?
5. Does my MFP need to flexible?
6. How much training do I expect to give my employees before they can use the MFP?
7. What are our current needs?
8. What will our needs be in 3-5 years?
9. Are we leasing or buying?
10. How much are we willing to spend on a MFP?

These will help you have a game plan from which to base your research. If you’re buying your MFP online, you’ll want to make sure your machine satisfies the requirements you’ve found. If you’re purchasing from a dealer, you’ll want to bring these answers to your meeting — this will help the dealer help determine what you need.

BRAND CHARACTERISTICS

Again, it’s important to reiterate that a MFP made by Canon may be right for one business, and a MFP made by Konica Minolta may be the best for another. These breakdowns below are based on generalizations, and shouldn’t be thought of as rules.

Canon: High quality, reliable, secure, easy software integration, expensive

Konica Minolta: Workhorses — highly reliable, high discounts for non-profits, cumbersome UI

EVERYBODY’S DIFFERENT

Some people like pineapple on their pizza, others hate it. The same goes for MFPs — there’s no right answer, just the closest answer. By asking yourself the questions from above, you’ll be able to narrow down what your needs are, and based off of those needs, you’ll be able to accurately determine which MFP will be best for you.