decx
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Vancouver, BC
 ·Bell Sympatico
| reply to yyzUnderdog
Re: HW recommendation - Multifunc Printer/Fax & ph
Separate components are easier to manage, upgrade, maintain, and generally have higher quality output. However separate, scanner, fax, and printers do take up a lot of space which some people don't have.
As for recommendations, it really depends on what you want them to do. Personally I like HP gear, just make sure to choose one that can fax independently of the computer (have all the buttons and it's own fax/phone interface). Something like the Officejet 6200 (if you want colour printing) or the Laserjet 3015 should do fine for a home office or small business. |
bylo
Premium
join:2004-05-04
Waterloo, ON
| said by decx  :Separate components are easier to manage, upgrade, maintain, and generally have higher quality output. From a hardware perspective usually yes (one important exception is if there are port conflicts). But usually it's just the opposite for software when you have to configure, maintain, admin, upgrade, etc. each device. Also it's often much more difficult to perform simple tasks, e.g. to fax a document you have to scan it first with the scanner then transfer (and maybe even transform) the file to the fax application. You may also have to maintain multiple address books with separates that would be consolidated in multi-function.
However separate, scanner, fax, and printers do take up a lot of space which some people don't have. I'd say most people don't have enough space to hold all that stuff. Individual printer, fax and scanner will occupy an entire desk. Moreover, there's enough of a rat's nest behind most computers without having to add unnecessarily to it.
As for recommendations, it really depends on what you want them to do. First decision is do you need colour? If not, go with a laser. Otherwise you'll probably have to go with ink jet and all the hassles that entails. Then think about what you'll be doing with all the devices. For instance, both a flatbed and auto-feed scanner/copier are very important to me. That rules out something like an HP3015, but an HP3030 is a lot more expensive. |
