Small offices need to have their own scanner for the simple reason that there will always be moments where documents need to be converted to soft copies.
If your office doesn’t have a scanner, consider this scenario. Your boss, who is on his way to another country to meet a client, forgot his business presentation on his desk and he tells you that he needs them ASAP; otherwise, you lose your job. What do you do? Do you take the documents and send them via Express Mail? No.
It will take too much time and you risk more delays if they get lost in the mail. Instead you will look for a shop with scanning services, have the documents scanned and send them to your boss’s email address. Your boss gets the documents, everyone’s happy, and you get to keep your job. You could have saved yourself time and money by having a scanner in the office.
The Small Printer Scanner
This is just an example where it would be a good idea to have a scanner ready in every office. There are a lot of advantages to having a scanner in your small office. By having your own scanner in your office, there is no need to keep everything on file since you can convert them into soft copies.
All you need to do is make sure that the files are secured safely and that you have a proper documentation process. This way, you get to eliminate the bulk stacking up in your filing cabinets. For a small office, this would definitely free up some space, which you could find very useful.
Another advantage this offers is that searching for documents will be easier since they are stored in your hard drive. Typing search parameters on the keyboard is far more convenient than rummaging through your filing cabinets. This way, you won’t be spending hours searching for documents, which could have only taken minutes.
Having a scanner can also save up on courier or delivery costs. Instead of sending hard copies, you can opt to send soft copies. This eliminates the waiting period associated with deliveries. Unless you are sending very sensitive material, this will be the most convenient and logical approach.
If you feel that buying a scanner will be useless since you won’t be using it most of the time, it would be a good idea to invest on a multi-functional device such as a small printer scanner. This way, you get to have the benefits of having a scanner as well as printing capability. Some also have the photo-copying option so you might want to consider that in case you have copying needs.
Choosing your Multifunction Printer
The big four in the printing industry, HP, Canon, Epson and Brother, all have multifunction printers in varying degrees of design and features. Multifunctional means it has print, scan, copy and fax functionalities in one machine. However, not many of us need all of these functions; in fact, some buyers of MFP’S end up using only at least 2 of its functions namely print and scan, more than copy and fax.
So this is where we need to follow the rule of getting only what you need. But as I had mentioned on another post, it can be more practical to get at least the 3-in-1s than just printer and scanner, for the simple reason that the price is just the same.
There are many multi-functional printers available in the market. Some are large enough that they offer more functionality than a small printer scanner. Some are also designed for heavy duty printing and scanning. This is evident by the high capacity trays. Here are the more popular ones available in the market today.
Canon PIXMA MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer
One of the top sellers of the 3-in-1 multifunction printers is the Canon PIXMA MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer. List price is $299.99 at Canon, however, you can get it for cheaper at Amazon.com for around $200 only. It is generally the most well-liked 3-in-1s with a few minor glitches. Photoprinting was highly rated, directly from digital cameras, PDAs, or cellphones, through wireless printing (via LAN or Bluetooth or IrDA) or memory card slots that are available.
It prints up to a resolution of 9600 x 2400 dpi in color, and up to 600 x 600 dpi in black. A 4” x 6” borderless photo prints up to approximately 20 seconds, black prints up to 12.5 ISO ppm, and color prints up to 9.3 ISO ppm. If you expect a high volume of documents printing in black or color, this is quite a slow printer which will not compare to a laser printer.
The Canon PIXMA MG8120 measures 18.5″ W x 15.5″ D x 7.9″ H and weighs 23.6 lbs., is a beauty with its all black features all round. Add to that the Intelligent Touch System which allows you to effortlessly operate your machine with gorgeous touch sensitive buttons.
The unique features that are on the PIXMA MG8120 are the included Film Adapter Unit that allows you to scan film and slides, plus the All new Full HD Movie Print software that can turn your favorite HD movie clips captured with your compatible Canon EOS Digital SLR or PowerShot cameras into beautiful prints.
In all, it is an excellent printer for people who want good photo printing, need scanning and photocopying capability, but do not have requirements for large print jobs on a regular basis. Many users have said that its standard interface and the simple black beauty makes operation more pleasurable.
Click here to read more user reviews
Epson Stylus NX625 All-in-One Printer
Another favorite all-in-one multifunction printer is the Epson Stylus NX625 All-in-One Printer. List price is $129.99 at Epson Store online. However, at Amazon.com, you may get it for $5 less at $124.99. Easy and affordable all-in-one printer, with wireless capability and automatic two-sided printing. Prints in black 15 ISO ppm, and in color 7.2 ISO ppm. It prints up to a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi.
Customers who bought it had said that was an amazingly fast printer all round using all of its functions, printing, copying and scanning. Output quality is high with no ink bleeding, and its quick drying ink is amazing with no smudging. The 2.5” LCD display adjusts angle for easy viewing whether the printer is eye-level or waist level. Individual print cartridges are relatively inexpensive, and don’t seem to drain that quickly.
Some customers experienced unfortunate incidents during software installation on MACs, where it failed initially but eventually the drivers installed too. But on Windows 7 it, the installation went through smoothly. The construction does not look very sturdy.
Click here for more user reviews
For other multifunction printers, check here at Amazon.com.
As you can see, every small office needs a scanner because having a scanner means you can save time, space and money, and most importantly, doubles your productivity each day.
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About James Wikkee