While we all strive to work in increasingly “paperless” and environmentally friendly offices, most businesses still need to print, copy, and scan documents. An office MFP – that is, multifunctional printers and devices – is now the best solution. They allow businesses to invest in and manage a minimal number of printing devices to support the activities of entire teams. You can read our full guide to the benefits of using office MFPs here.
Despite being an essential piece of equipment, many businesses still don’t know the full capabilities of these devices or what to look for when choosing the right MFP for their office. In this article, we will review the essential functionality that office MFPs should be able to deliver and the key questions to ask when choosing an office MFP solution for your business.
Functionality of Multifunctional Printers
Multifunctional printers are capable of doing so much more than just printing. At a minimum, a good office MFP should be able to:
- Print – Depending on your industry, you may need several printing options including black and white printing, color printing, double-sided printing, document collation and stapling, and different finishing options. Environmentally friendly printing options, such as the ability to print on recycled paper or low-ink printing, are an attractive bonus.
- Copy – Again, depending on your industry, you may need both black and white and color copying, the ability to copy double-sided or multipage documents, and collate and staple multiple copies of multipage documents. There should be no need for you to designate someone to organize and staple papers for distribution and waste valuable time.
- Scan – A device that can copy should also be able to scan, collate multiple pages into a single digital document, and save them to multiple file locations on your company’s servers. You should also be able to save documents in a variety of formats (PDF, etc.) and have the option to email scanned documents directly from the device. Finally, the scanner should support automatic image and text recognition technology, such as OCR.
- Fax – While relatively rare these days, faxing is still a part of the business world. On those occasions when you do need to send or receive a fax, finding a machine capable of doing so should not be a challenge for most offices.
While these cover the basic printing, copying, and scanning capabilities of office MFPs, there are a few other features considered essential in the modern workplace:
- Networking – The concept behind multifunctional printers is one device that provides different functions needed for the entire office, saving on hardware, maintenance, and space. Therefore, office MFPs need to have the ability to connect to your network, both to receive print jobs from networked devices and send scanned documents to secure servers for storage. Some office MFPs can also print directly from networked servers, without the need to connect via another device.
- User Access Control – Thanks to improved cybersecurity and server encryption, sensitive data is relatively safe on company servers. However, sending documents to print represents a security threat, as information can be shared accidentally or intercepted by outside parties. In offices with shared printing devices, this threat can be heightened, as there can be significant delays between sending a document to print and retrieval. Good office MFPs can password-protect documents so that they are only printed when the sender arrives at the printer and enters their authorization code, or can only be retrieved from a server with the proper code. Linking printer activity with users can also provide a level of auditability and accountability, both for printing sensitive documents and excessive, unnecessary printing that can undermine a company’s green policies.
- Multitasking Capabilities – For large offices, your office MFP might be asked to execute multiple different functionalities at the same time. Therefore, in addition to being able to both print and copy, which many all-in-one (AiO) devices can do, it also needs to be able to store and queue tasks. The most sophisticated office MFPs may be able to, for example, pause large print jobs to print high-priority documents.
Considerations for Choosing an Office MFP
With so many things to consider, what questions should you be asking yourself when choosing the right office MFP solution?
What Are My Requirements?
Every business is different and will have different MFP needs. Do you have a team of five or 50 who are likely to utilize the MFP? Do you print mostly routine office documents, or do you need high-quality prints for distribution? Do you print sensitive materials that require data protection and auditing considerations? When you know your requirements, you can create a checklist of essential functionality that your office MFP needs to deliver.
What Is the Total Cost of Ownership?
When looking at the cost of an office MFP, remember to look beyond the cost of just the initial hardware. Often, companies make the mistake of choosing cheaper devices without considering the long-term cost of essentials such as ink, toner, and maintenance. In addition, green features such as energy-saving mode and low-ink printing can add to the initial cost but save you more in the long term.
Will It Integrate With Existing Systems?
An office MFP is a tool that is designed to complement your existing systems and infrastructure, so compatibility is essential. Consider how easy it will be to deploy it alongside your existing systems, and if it integrates easily with the devices and platforms that your people use.
Your team is also an “existing system,” so there is also a question of how easy the office MFP will be to use, and where people can turn when they need support, whether that is your IT department or a third-party provider.
Looking for an Office MFP in the Upper Midwest?
If you are looking for office MFP solutions in the Upper Midwest, contact Metro Sales. We have offices in Burnsville, Twin Cities, Fargo, Duluth, and St. Cloud, and can offer bespoke solutions that align with your business needs. We offer managed services to automate MFP maintenance and industry-leading security features.