Every business uses paper every day, whether it’s invoicing, record keeping, receiving faxes or copying reports. Until recently, it took a room full of machines to handle all of the tasks of running a business. Many companies have, at the very least, printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines. These machines take up a lot of real estate in the typical office and cost your company significant amounts of money in the form of lease fees, maintenance, and supplies.
Technology has given business a more cost effective solution. It’s now possible to replace that roomful of machines with a single multifunction printer that can perform all of the same functions on one machine.
Benefits of MFP Technology
There are three immediate benefits to migrating your office functions to an MFP device. They are:
1. Consolidation – By eliminating machines and downsizing, it is possible to streamline your work processes and reduce much of your inventory costs.
2. Cost Savings – Along with reduced inventory expenses, your business can save big by reducing or eliminating lease costs, maintenance visits and lowering energy costs.
3. Improved Workflow / Increased Employee Productivity – Using a roomful of individual machines for faxing, scanning, printing and copying can create bottlenecks in your office workflow. By combining all of these operations onto one machine it’s often possible to do more work in less time with fewer steps.
MFP Options and Functionality
MFP technology has improved significantly. Today, most Multifunction devices will handle black and white, and color printing, copying and scanning out of the box. They are available starting at a very low price point, making them an affordable choice for most office situations. As the technology has improved, the functions have increased. MFPs now offer:
• WiFi Connectivity – Built-in WiFi allows everyone in the office to connect to the printer without the need for hardwiring it into your office network. WiFi also allows your office to take advantage of the newest trend in office computing, BYOD or bring your own device. Your employees can connect to your printer through their personal smartphones, tablets and laptops.
• Duplex Printing – With the push for more sustainability in the workplace, most MFPs will allow for two sided printing which saves time, and office supplies like paper and toner.
• Cloud Connectivity – Cloud connectivity allows your employees to print documents from anywhere, whether it’s their home office or from the road. Documents stored on the cloud can be edited and printed as well. Your mobile workers can print orders directly from the road shortening fulfillment times.
• Automatic Document Feeder – Many MFPs offer this option. If your office scans or prints large documents, this option eliminates the need for hand feeding. Simply load the document, press print or scan and move onto your next task while the printer does the work.
• Fax – MFPs with the fax option use the scanner to send and the printer to print incoming faxes. Many can send a received fax directly to your employee’s desktop, smartphone or tablet, eliminating the need to use paper, saving you money. Remember, units that offer faxing need to have access to a phone jack.
MFP technology is a great all in one solution for businesses of any size. Remember, do your due diligence before buying a multifunction printer . Make sure you know exactly what functions are important to your operation before you go shopping. Check the warranty, and remember longer is better. Choosing the right MFP can improve productivity, streamline workflow and reduce your bottom line costs. It’s a worthwhile investment for any business.
Click here to find out how your business can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days:
Leave a Reply