Review of The “All-In-One Printer” Comparison
The printing and image technology is zooming at a fast pace that has resulted in smaller size and lesser prices. Suppose you plan to buy a scanner, copier, printer, fax machine and a phone, all separately. They will occupy your entire office space as well as make it appear very untidy. As a boom, the Union of all these devices has resulted in ‘All-In-One (AIO)’ printers that can perform the tasks of all these devices in a jiffy.
The AIO printers can perform multitasking functions in a single package. That is, they can perform the functions of a fax machine, a scanner and a photocopier readily without any hassle. These printers add a touch of Beauty and Style along with being compact and cool. Some AIO printers are equipped with PictBridge technology that allows users to print snaps from their digital camera directly. Some of these printers are implemented with an LCD display to check the image’s preview before actually printing them.
The flash memory card reader present in the device along with the image editing functions is not sufficient to print photos. It is necessary for you to insert a memory card that contains the images to be printed, make some improvements in the image and press the ‘Print’ command. Sounds very simple, isn’t it? You don’t have to take great pains to run to a photo studio where they will take few hours for the same job which can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
Some of the AIO printers have a network adapter that is built-in to the device which is indeed a gift to the working sector. Sharing of the device is possible with many users on the network. A Wi-Fi adapter is provided which can print wireless text from devices like the smart phones and the laptops that access Wi-Fi. If your work profile comprises of only sending and receiving faxes, then the AIO having a built-in fax function is the right choice for you.
A few AIO printers that offer the features of an answering machine as well as a handset are the most advanced AIO devices. Along with these features, the AIO printer provides an automatic document feeder that prevents manual feeding of paper into the scanner in case you have to send or copy faxes. These devices look compelling to be accessed at first glance, but they are extremely user friendly and any one can use it with ease since they are supplied with navigational manuals.
Some of these machines are specialized to the field of photography or office assistance, while others can be best utilized at home. The AIO printer is great and comes with a shocking price of just Rs.5600.
Let us compare the various AIO printers available:
1. HP Officejet J3608:
It is the smallest and most condensed printer available in the market. The body of HP Officejet is superb with the folding of input and output trays being apt and crafted with a beautiful scratch-resistant body. It appears to be a normal paper fax at your first look, but surprisingly it can eject 12 text documents in a minute. The AIO does not concede with the quality while possessing great speed.
The 4×6-inch resolution of the AIO printer proves it to be a fabulous photo printing device while being a reasonably good document printer and fax. Sadly though, the HP printer is capable of printing a 4×6 photo in two or more minutes while the other printers were much faster taking just a minute or more. Other than this, the unique features of the HP printer are a 200 page memory fax machine that can store all your fax documents even when the printer is out of paper.
The HP J3608 has a dot matrix LCD display while the rubber buttons present on the control panel makes handling of the buttons slightly difficult and slow. This printer does not deliver a good scanning quality and has USB connectivity. This AIO is priced at just Rs.6773 and is compact for office use.
2. Lexmark X5650:
The Lexmark X5650 is priced at just Rs.7500. But, the printer does not excel in either its performance or its cost. Though it has an excellent build quality, it appears heavy and appalling. Its features are simply great with its excellent design of the control panel and the buttons. The front portion comprises of a card reader supported by a PictBridge port. The printer provides an additional USB port which can be used to connect the AIO in urgency. The connectivity is through MMC card reader, USB and the PictBridge.
The scanner lid containing the ADF is not designed well. It does not stay rigidly open but bangs down cautioning the user that it might break either the ADF unit or the scanner glass. So, the scanner section needs to handled carefully by the user. The performance of this printer in term of the font print quality is just average ejecting 14 pages a minute. The 4×6 photo printing and photo scanning quality is quite good. The initialization time is high, about 30 seconds which is a disadvantage.
Overall, the printer is not capable of surviving in the market for long period of time due to its various drawbacks in some of its aspects.
3. Canon Pixma MP496:
This printer also lacks in features and in contrast comes with a huge price. Its design looks average with a glittery look and a white body that shows scratches clearly if not handled with care. The control panel is wisely hidden in a flap which holds the 1.8-inch color LCD screen. A neat set of buttons, menu interface and menu navigation makes the AIO user friendly. The body looks like its made of a thin plastic gauge.
The input and output trays and the scanner lid are delicate that there are chances of breaking if handled negligently. The front control panel that is confined comprises of a color LCD display of 1.8 inches and a carefully concealed MMC card reader. The printer has the ability to print text of good quality but, the photo prints are of only average quality. The price of the Canon MP 496 is high at a price of Rs.6995 as compared to the other AIO printers having similar features.
4. Canon Pixma MX328:
The Canon MX328 is very similar to Canon MP496 in its features of having a built-in fax and an ADF. The fax can accommodate just 50 pages when the printer is out of paper. This printer has a control panel and a LCD display of dot matrix type. The Canon MX328 has a white glittery exterior which clearly shows any scars or marks present on the surface. The build quality is reasonably good when compared to the MP496 and MP276.
But, the paper tray looks defective. The printer has a 4800 x 1200 dpi which is able to print good quality documents although at a very slow speed of just 8 pages a minute. The photo print quality is very good and the printer can easily manage to print up to 8 pages/minute as with the other available printers. The printer utilizes two ink cartridges: one is used for black color and the other for three colors (C, M and Y).
The cartridges are available at a total price of Rs.2350. It can be termed as an AIO of average performance. The connectivity that is utilized here is PictBridge and USB.
5. Canon Pixma MP276:
The Canon MP276 has obtained the title of the ‘Best Value’ for its price, excellent performance, features, build quality, warranty and suitable equipment design. The Canon MP276 is available at a price of Rs.5595 which is indeed worthwhile to spend for a printer like this. It has a resolution of 4800 x 1200dpi and hence excels in text printing as well as photo printing.
Similar features as the Canon MP496 like the shining white finish of the body and the build quality are present in this printer. But, its unique in possessing a 7 segment display along with an intuitive control panel. The time it takes to print photos and text documents is just a second which is praise worthy. It uses a PictBridge port which acts a photo printer also. It is definitely the best choice for an ideal device which can be used at home or in a small office.
6. HP Deskjet K209A:
The HP K209A does not have those attractive features present in the printers mentioned above. Yet, it is available at a whooping price of Rs.8179 which is really too expensive for a printer like this. This AIO is actually a printer which is combined with a scanner and hence acts as a double copier machine. It does not incorporate a PictBridge and a MMC card reader which is the first major drawback.
However, it has a fine build quality with paper trays of amazing quality but will not attract many buyers because of its plain design and the dull color present on the scanner lid. The second major drawback is, the body is not scratch resistant. On the extreme left, you have a control panel that is easy to use with big, neat buttons and of good quality. The control panel appears delicate, but is in contrast, tough and slightly difficult to handle.
This AIO is quite good when it comes to the quality of photo printing and copy sections. The print quality is extremely good at draft modes also and has a maximum speed of 17 pages / minute. A 4×6 photo is printed in just 65 sec and the outcome is marvelous with perfect details of the image and the skin tones.
7. Brother MFC-490CW:
This AIO is the best among all the printers mentioned in this review. Its resolution is 6000 x 1200dpi and prints photos of great quality. The Brother MFC-490CW utilizes four ink cartridges which is a great advantage since the empty tank can be simply replaced. This AIO provides the Print option for both wired and wireless networks. It has a fabulous equipment design with well planned buttons and intuitive, great menu operations.
The printer has a large 3.3 inch wide screen with a color LCD display that has the option of being tilted to the desired angle. In the photo mode, the printer’s performance is extremely good, but the printing quality and the scanning quality of the text were not up to the mark.The printer ranks first because of its combined features and is best suited to small offices. Its connectivity is surprising with PictBridge, USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and a MMC card reader.
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First of all, excellent comparison. I appreciate your mentioning the price too. But you say Brother MFC-490CW, is the best printer and you don’t mention the price. How much does this printer cost?