I still have separate devices in our office for scanning, printing and faxing. Sure, the fax does have the ability to print. Yet it is only black and white. Most users want to simplify their office and merge all of those devices into one. Today I’ll look at a couple of different all-in-one devices.

First, let’s look at the Canon Pixma MX7600. This printer has good speed and a ton of features. When independent organizations reviewed the quality, it was rated as providing superior output. Now, look at the HP Photosmart Premium All-In-One. It’s quality was rated as very good so it is just a step below the Canon model on quality. Yet it is a tad faster and has desirable features such as wi-fi support. It also costs a bit less. Either of these is very good printers so I’ll let you research them both and decide which best your needs.

One area where users typically don’t research enough is the total cost of ownership. We all know that replacement ink cartridges are much higher than we would like. Let’s say that over the life of a printer that you’ll print 10,000 pages (maybe more or less). How much will it cost to not only purchase the printer, but also the supplies to print that many pages. The printer with the lowest initial cost can often cost more over its lifespan. Of course the printer manufacturers like when you don’t do your research. That’s why they price the printer so low in the first place. Next time you are making this kind of a decision, do the math and see what is the best deal for you in the long term.