One for everything – multifunction printers combine up to four individual devices in one. That makes them attractive, especially for people who work a lot from home. Printing, scanning, faxing, copying: TECHBOOK presents the best all-rounders.
Printers are like human workers: all-rounders are expensive. At least if you have to print a lot and are therefore considering buying a 4-in-1 laser printer. The inkjet printers are cheaper, multifunction printers are already available in the middle price segment.
What must multifunction printers be able to do?
The most important features of a 4-in-1 device that can print, scan, fax and copy are print speed, print quality, color fidelity and ink drying time. But practical extras also increase the efficiency of a device. For example, multifunction printers with Bluetooth offer the option of starting print jobs from a cell phone. Memory card readers on the printer also save detours, which, among other things, make the interposition of a PC obsolete when printing photos. USB connection and display are further features that allow a noticeable comfort when operating the device.
Also Read: The Best Color and Black and White Laser Printers
Editor’s recommendation: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw
Test winner in its class at Stiftung Warentest with an overall score of 2.6: The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw model is a powerful 4-in-1 color laser multifunction printer (printer, scanner, copier, fax, duplex, LAN, AirPrint) with Jet Intelligence. The latter is a new technology in toner cartridges that results in improved printing behavior and higher efficiency. JetIntelligence cartridges are equipped with a precision toner that ensures more detail and saturation when printing. The fast network printer has a print speed of up to 27 pages per minute (in color and black and white). The print quality reaches up to 600 × 600 dpi (dots per inch). In addition to its low power consumption, the laser printer HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw also scores with an automatic document feeder of up to 50 sheets, a feed capacity of 300 sheets and an adjustable color touchscreen with a display size of 10.9 centimeters.
Furnishing
Advantages and disadvantages HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw
- + Works very fast
- + Printouts are water and fade resistant
cons
- – Slightly increased toner costs
- – Awkward commissioning
Also interesting: cartridge empty? How to trick your printer!
Perfect all-rounder: Canon i-SENSYS MF643Cdw
It’s not for nothing that this color laser multifunction printer was given an overall rating of 2.8 by Stiftung Warentest. The Canon i-SENSYS MF643Cdw laser printer is robust, fast, prints in color and black and white and can also be used within a network thanks to the integrated WLAN interface. You can also connect to it via mobile device, which enables printing from any device within an office/household. Printing, copying and scanning in A4 is standard, with the device capable of 21 pages per minute. Automatic double-sided printing is also part of the equipment, as is an LCD color touchscreen with a display size of 12.7 centimetres. Particularly noteworthy are its good scanning properties, rated with a respectable 1.8 in the test.
Furnishing
Advantages and disadvantages Canon i-SENSYS MF643Cdw
Per
- + Robust, fast and networkable
- + Good scanning properties
cons
- – A bit loud
- – Complicated installation
The bargain hunter: Canon Pixma G7050
Print, scan, copy and fax – the slim multifunction printer with four refillable ink tanks is ready for everything thanks to a 350-sheet plain paper capacity, automatic two-sided printing and 13 or 6.8 ISO pages per minute (black and white/color). Due to its high resolution, the Canon PIXMA G7050 model is particularly suitable for printing images and color graphics. The ink tank system used is also one of the highlights. You can fill the four large ink tanks yourself, which keeps the printing costs per page low. The device is therefore a good alternative to classic color laser printers that work with expensive toner cartridges. However, this inkjet printer is significantly slower at 13 or 6.8 pages per minute. A 16-bit flatbed scanner with 1200 × 2400 dpi is just as much part of the equipment as an integrated fax unit. The communication between the printer and the job transmitter takes place via USB as well as via WLAN or Ethernet.
Furnishing
Advantages and disadvantages Canon Pixma G7050
Per
- + Two paper feeds
- + High image resolution of 4800 × 1200 dpi
- + Low operating costs
cons
- – Significantly slower than color laser printers
The agitator: Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4720DWF
The Epson model WorkForce Pro WF-4720DWF is designed for high-volume small businesses that need a fax machine for correspondence with customers. The 4-in-1 multifunction printer prints documents quickly and accurately. The inkjet prints up to 20 pages per minute in black and white and color (normal paper), the printouts are laser-sharp and immediately smudge-proof and waterproof. So you can edit them with a highlighter without damaging them. With graphics, however, details are lost. Unfortunately, there is only one paper tray for 250 sheets. Individual cartridges are provided for the printer. They only have to be changed when the color has been used up. The standard black cartridge has a capacity of up to 900 pages. Replacement cartridges are also optionally available in the form of XL inks for 2600 black and white pages and 1900 color pages. WiFi and WiFi Direct enable wireless printing from anywhere. The printer also has Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4720DWF via USB, WLAN and Ethernet interfaces.
Furnishing
Advantages and disadvantages of Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4720DWF
- + Very good print quality
- + Recommended for photo prints
- + High working speed
- + Simple operation
cons
- – Comparatively high follow-up costs for color printing
- – Only one paper tray
Inspiring mono tone: HP Laser MFP 137fwg
Although it can only print in black and white, the HP MFP 137fwg model is not only a laser printer, but also a multifunction device at a very reasonable price. You can print, copy, scan and fax with it, which makes it interesting for small offices and private users with a higher volume of printing. Although the printing speed of a maximum of 20 pages per minute is not designed for large jobs, the results are very precise thanks to a resolution of 1200 × 1200 dpi. The built-in ADF scanner, on the other hand, achieves 600 × 600 dpi (203 × 196 dpi in fax mode).
The digitized documents are saved either on the PC or on a connected USB data medium. The multifunction printer HP Laser MFP 137fwg can be set up as a network device via Ethernet or WLAN, which allows the user to access it via the HP Smart app via smartphone or tablet. In addition to HP Wireless Direct Printing, the online printing services Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print are also supported. The paper tray has a capacity of 150 sheets and is perhaps a bit undersized.
Furnishing
Advantages and disadvantages HP Laser MFP 137fwg
Per
- + Automatic document feeder
- + LAN and WLAN
- + Compatible with services like AirPrint and Cloud Print
cons
- – Small paper compartment
- – Duplex printing is not supported
Conclusion
If you swear by all you can eat, you have a choice when it comes to multifunction printers: 4-in-1 laser printers may be the measure of all things, but they are only available in the upper price segment. It is cheaper to get away with the multitaskers with ink jets. If you still don’t want to do without laser print quality, you have to consider whether you want to accept doing without colorful color explosions. Everything your heart desires to be delivered has its price with multifunction printers.