Sometimes all you need is a device that prints, and paying extra for a bigger device with imaging features you don't need doesn't make sense. In terms of design, most AIOs are printers with a flatbed scanner sitting on top. Single-function printers do just one thing-print, naturally-while all-in-ones (AIOs, also known as multifunction devices or MFPs) can also copy, scan, and sometimes fax documents. First Question: Are Cheap Printers Worth It?ĭepending on what you do, the answer can be a resounding 'yes,' or a firm 'no.' To start figuring out where your print needs stand relative to the cheap models on the market, you first want to think about whether you need a single-function model or a multifunction printer. Let's start with the big two-print-only or multifunction, and monochrome or color-and go on to the details from there. Some of the questions to ask when printer shopping haven't changed in years some are new.

Paper jams and other performance issues are pretty much non-issues with today's printer and scanner technology, letting you focus on productivity features, handy control panels, and saving money by comparing running costs. But you shouldn't have to compromise on output quality or convenience (though you'll probably need to fill its smaller paper tray more often). A low-priced printer won't be as fast as, or rated for as high a volume of pages per month as, an enterprise business model. Check them out, then keep reading to learn what to look for as you shop for your next affordable printer. We've collected our under-$200 favorites from recent reviews. And while co-workers in a corporate office might share the same high-volume printer, smaller settings and smaller budgets call for diverse desktop printers. Even part-time home-based workers, not to mention families and students, need to print, scan, and make copies, and maybe even send the occasional fax. Today, even as the pandemic seems to be (fingers crossed) winding down, venturing out to Kinko's or Staples to make prints and copies doesn't have the appeal it once did. As it happened, it took a global pandemic to bring governments and companies to their work-from-home senses-and to revitalize interest in affordable hardware, including the oft-neglected printer. Fewer office skyscrapers, less drain on fossil fuels, goodbye to nasty traffic snarls-remote work would no longer be just for a select few professionals. Best Malware Removal and Protection Softwareįor most of the Information Age, countless pundits (this author among them) predicted that, sooner or later, much of the world's workforce would be working from home.

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