Multifunction printers
Computer technology is constantly improving, yet one area that seems to receive little attention is printer technology. Many home businesses require not only printing, but also scanning, copying, and faxing. Each of these devices is often set up as a separate piece of equipment, requiring not only a significant investment of money but also office space. One of the newest creations in the field is the multifunction printer, with the ability to print, scan and fax. With an MFP, an electronic equipment completes all of these jobs and takes up much less space and costs much less money than all the devices purchased separately combined.
However, when the key to a multifunction printer is that it performs all these functions adequately, but none of them to the degree of a stand-alone device. There are several characteristics to consider when looking for a multifunction printer that is best suited to individual needs.
The first characteristic to consider is the type of printer: MFPs can be inkjet, laserjet, or color laserjet. Inkjet printers work by forcing ink droplets of varying size onto a sheet of paper or similar medium. A laser printer produces text and graphics on plain paper, using the same technology as digital copiers; They use a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog copiers in that the image is produced by direct scanning of a laser beam through the printer’s photoreceptor.
The speed of an inkjet or laser printer is measured in ppm (pages per minute), the number of pages that an inkjet or laser printer can produce in one minute. Print speeds for inkjet or laser printers can vary based on many factors, including document complexity, page coverage, and the design of the printer itself. Generally, as the speed increases, the quality of the output decreases. A typical inkjet printer can print at speeds ranging from 1 to 28 pages per minute for black text and 1 to 20 pages per minute for color, photos, or graphics. The speed of a mid-range monochrome laser printer can vary between 6 and 25 pages per minute for sharp black text and between 2 and 20 pages per minute for black and white graphics. The print speed of a typical color laser printer will vary between 6 and 20 pages per minute for black text and between 1 and 12 pages per minute for color graphics. Image quality is another feature to examine and depends on the number of dots per inch printed. The standard resolution of 600 x 600 dots per inch is sufficient for most everyday printing, but is not suitable for printing quality photos or graphics. The more dots printed per inch, the higher the image quality.
The scanner function is also of great importance in a multifunction printer that can use two types of scanning technologies. A charge-coupled device (CCD) uses a light-sensitive integrated circuit that stores and displays image data in such a way that every image element, or point, in the image is converted into an electrical charge. Contact Image Sensors (CIS), most commonly used with flatbed scanners, place the image sensor in near direct contact with the object to be scanned in contrast to the use of mirrors to bounce light on a stationary sensor, as is the case with conventional CCD scanners. A CIS generally consists of a linear array of detectors, covered by a focusing lens with LEDs that allow the CIS to be highly energy efficient, with many scanners being powered via the minimum line voltage supplied through a USB connection. . CIS devices tend to produce lower image quality compared to CCD devices, but they make the printer more durable. Another feature of scanning is how documents are scanned; They can be fed one sheet at a time, in which case an automatic document feeder containing at least 50 sheets makes it easy to use, or they can be scanned onto a flat bed. The flatbed ones allow you to scan thicker objects.
The faxing function itself is the one that can be the most simplistic. The minimum fax / modem speed should be 33 Kbps. Other faxing features that can be offered include color faxing, broadcast faxing, and / or group dialing, as many multifunction printers do not offer faxing features. complete faxes.
Finally, given all the functions that an MFP requires to perform, the lack of internal memory is extremely noticeable. While 8MB of memory may be suitable for home office or small office use, an efficient and effective MFP that has at least 16MB of memory or more. The larger the amount of memory, the faster certain processes can be carried out on the MFP.
Rugged Mobile Printers
Rugged mobile printers are ruggedly built portables. Being mobile, they can practically fit in your pocket or glove compartment. Rugged mobile printers can be vehicle-mounted alongside your rugged laptop, or some mount directly to a rugged computing device. A sturdy printer is built to take a hit, and most can withstand a drop of almost 10 feet. The rugged mobile printer meets MIL-STD 810F testing, confirming its ruggedness and ability to handle the daily rigors of everyday use. From 2.5 “to 4” receipt printers to 8 “x 11” full sheet size printers. A robust printer will take care of any job while on the road, printing inventory receipts or printing citations issued by law enforcement.
