How to Choose an All-in-One Printer for Home Use

All-in-one printers are a nice space-saving addition to your home computer setup. Instead of dealing with a separate fax machine, copier and scanner, an all-in-one or multifunction printer combines all of these machines in a single surprisingly compact chassis. Not all of these gadgets are created equal, so here is what to look for when you are choosing a multifunction printer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look for flash card readers. If you have a digital camera, it is very handy to have the option to dump your pictures straight into a printer.

2. Check for photo print quality and speed. Run a test picture on the machine and compare to the original. Banding may indicate a low ink supply rather than any critical lack of quality.

3. Run a check of the printer's speed when running off plain pages of text.

4. Test the fax capability of the machine. If you can't, then get a professional review that lists the time it takes for the machine to spit out a fax.

5. Pick a model that uses a separate cartridge for each color of ink. While it is a bit of a pain to change one or two colors more frequently than the other, it beats shelling out the money for an all-in-one cartridge.

6. Go with an inkjet printer if you don't mind waiting longer for your pages to print and if you don't want the sharpness offered by a laser printer. You'll save some money at the cost of quality.

7. Buy a laser printer if you need the extra quality and have the budget. If you are not using this multifunction printer in a professional capacity, laser printers are a luxury.

Tips & Warnings

• You really don't need networking capability if you are using this printer for home use unless you have a lot of computers in your house.
• If you do a lot of copying from hardback books, check for models that feature a removable lid. Not only does this feature improve the copy quality, it also saves your book and the printer from damage.
• USB ports are your friends. If you do a lot of photo downloads, look for USB 2.0 ports or a FireWire jack to speed up things.
• Check the terms of the warranty for conditions of coverage and exceptions to coverage before purchase.