Should organisations be moving from desktop to multi-functional printers?

“I find in larger organisations, they have a lot of legacy desktop devices spread across various sites. With a new solution, most of the time these devices can be consolidated into fewer numbers of multifunctional devices. However...”

Since their inception, desktop printers have been a part of consumer and business environments, providing quick access printing and improving business operations. Multi-functional printers have recently enabled organisations to perform additional functions such as copy, scan and fax, all within a single device, which is pushing organisations towards the concept of digital transformation.

These additional functions have made the decision making around purchasing such devices more complex, as organisations must weigh up if it is an investment which will be beneficial to them. This white paper will assess the advantages and disadvantages of both desktop and multi-functional printer capabilities.

A desktop printer is a device used to print documents which are sent from a digital file. They are often smaller in size, to fit on a desk or table, as their name suggests. However, they can come in many models with various capabilities, depending on the style and brand of the printer.

In contrast, a multi-functional printer incorporates the extra functionality of printing, fax and copying. They are often larger devices, however can come in smaller forms similar to desktop printers.

It can be confusing for business’ to understand whether switching to a bigger and more powerful machine, like a multi-functional device, is worthwhile. Even after this decision has been made, selecting the right hardware, software and service solutions is a difficult process.

Therefore, it is important for organisations to take into account both the positives and negatives of both types of printers in order to make a well informed, suitable decision, which is ultimately a good investment.