TOP-5 monochrome laser MFPs for small office

Hewlett Packard has no experience in the MFP manufacturing industry. Its wide range of 3-in-1 printing devices includes a lot of copies for every taste and colour, whether it is solutions for home or work. HP LaserJet Pro M227FDN, a monochrome laser printer with scanner and copier functions for small workgroups, was awarded the laurels of a faithful "hard worker" of the office front.

The model's arsenal of functions is not particularly rich, however, among its skills was support for printing from mobile devices over a wireless Wi-Fi network. Mobile printing is compatible with popular technologies Air Print (Apple gadgets), Google Cloud Print and HP ePrint. The connection of the MFP in the classic way to the PC is carried out via a standard USB cable.

It takes 6.6 seconds to print the first copy of the HP LaserJet Pro M227FDN. pure time, in the future, the device issues up to 28 printed pages in black and white in 1 min. Also, MFPs are no strangers to the functions of double-sided printing, copying and scanning documents (the latter is produced in a resolution of 1200x1200 dpi). In order not to stand at the scanner with each sheet separately, the model implements automatic transmission of originals — the device for loading them holds up to 35 pages in one approach.

The control panel of the MFP is more like a calculator — similarities with it can be traced in the characteristic arrangement of the keys and a small two-line display with blue backlight. The indignation of the owners of the model is caused only by expensive consumables: cartridges HP 30A CF230A Price from 3 822 up to 5 861 ₴ with a resource of 1600 pages and HP 30X CF230X Price from 4 300 up to 6 732 ₴, designed to receive 3500 impressions. But the cost of the device itself turned out to be quite democratic, which puts it in the light of one of the most affordable options among performant MFPs, sharpened for work in a small office.

The main activity of the Japanese brand Brother is the production of printing devices. An interesting solution for a small office can be the MFC-L2700DNR model, combining the functions of a printer, scanner, copier and even fax in one person.

The built-in fax allows you to remove an unnecessary link in the way of sending documents to customers or business partners. The MFP is connected to the telephone network via the interface on the back of the device case. There is also a standard USB port and an RJ45 port for implementing the Brother MFC-L2700DNR into the local network of the enterprise.

The assets of the model have a roomy paper feed tray for 250 sheets. It is possible to completely empty it in about 10 minutes. — At maximum speed, the MFP outputs up to 24 printed pages in 1 minute. When selecting the double-sided printing function, the speed is cut in half, however, the sheets are filled from both sides. Up to 35 pages can be placed in the autofeed tray of originals (for their subsequent sending for scanning or copying) in one sitting. The resolution of scans with automatic document submission is 600x600 dpi, whereas with manual laying of sheets on the working surface of the scanner, it is much higher (2400x600 dpi).

It is easier to "make friends" with an MFP from a computer than from the control panel of the device. The thing is that it is oversaturated with buttons, the purpose of which is easy for an unprepared user to get confused. In addition, the model got a tiny screen. Sometimes in the reviews to it there are also complaints about the modest amount of internal memory (32 MB). In contrast to what has been said, the Brother MFC-L2700DNR is able to boast of inexpensive consumables. At the same time, the standard cartridge Brother TN-2335 Price from 2 301 up to 3 280 ₴ will be asked for a replacement after printing about 1200 sheets, and the toner cartridge is an increased volume Brother TN-2375 Price from 3 050 up to 3 517 ₴ has a resource of 2600 pages.

Not only cameras and objects are in steady demand among the public from the Japanese brand Canon, and also a variety of printing equipment. In particular, one of the most balanced solutions for working in a small office is an MFP with the MF427DW model index.

Under the wing of the device, the most diverse functions are brought together: printing files, scanning and copying documents, as well as faxing them "without leaving the cash register." As a result of the appearance of the Canon i-SENSYS MF247DW in the office, a separate fax is often immediately sent to a well-deserved "retirement".

The MFP works both in conjunction with a computer and regardless of it over a Wi-Fi network. Wireless printing and scanning tasks can be set via Mopria and Apple AirPrint services, or from the Canon PRINT Business application for mobile gadgets. Moreover, bypassing the PC, it is possible to send scans of documents by e-mail or save them in a network folder. During the data scanning process, the user's presence is not required, since the model is equipped with an automatic transmission device of originals with a capacity of 35 sheets.

In order not to waste precious time, the device has the functions of quick exit from sleep (Quick Print) and automatic double-sided printing. Also, the MFP does not fail in printing speed — in 1 min. 27 printed pages accumulate in the paper output tray. The monthly load on the printer should not exceed 15K sheets with a black-and-white cartridge resource of 2400 prints with 5 percent filling. Against the background of peers, the model turned out to be only too noisy (66 dB), otherwise there are no claims against it, for which the MFP is honored to be named the best option for a small office.

The monochrome laser printer from the "3-in-1" series from the Japanese company Canon is ranked among the squad of hardy "workhorses", on whose shoulders a large range of office tasks is shouldered: from banal printing of files from a PC to scanning documents directly to the "cloud".

The interaction of MFPs with cloud services occurs when using the appropriate software: MF Scan Utility for "adult" computers and Canon PRINT Business for mobile devices. Yes, the Canon i-SENSYS MF411DW is equipped with a Wi-Fi module and can be paired with smartphones bypassing the wired connection method. And a USB port is displayed on the front panel of the device, thanks to which support for direct printing of files from a USB flash drive and scanning documents on it is implemented.

When performing printing tasks, the device develops a speed of up to 33 pages / min., and the total capacity of the feed tray reaches 300 sheets. In addition, another 50 pages are placed in the autofeeder of the originals, which are then scanned at a maximum resolution of 600x600 pixels with a colour depth of 24 bits. The desired mode of operation of the MFP is selected by means of a push-button input, and quick adjustment of printing, copying or scanning parameters is carried out by tapping on the 3.5-inch touch screen.

Canon i-SENSYS MF411DW works with A4 paper and supports double-sided printing. The device also has a number of proprietary functions in its arsenal: Secure Print to protect documents with a PIN code and Quick First-Print to quickly get the first impression. The stock of toner in the standard MFP cartridge is enough to print about 2,100 pages. And in a month, the printer can print up to 50K sheets. The device is clearly designed for large volumes of work (without excessive fanaticism) and will feel best surrounded by small working groups.

A performant MFP from the renowned Hewlett Packard brand performs the missions of printing, scanning and copying documents, working with paper media up to A3.

A powerful processor with a clock frequency of 600 MHz is installed in the heart of the large-sized case of the device (560x540x413 mm). It allows you to perform scanning and printing procedures in parallel without the mandatory presence of the user. The thing is that the MFP automates the processes as much as possible by submitting the original documents for scanning or copying personally. Of course, they will first need to be loaded into the appropriate tray.

During the creation of copies, the user has the right to change the scale and choose the degree of darkening, and ready-made scans of documents can be sent to the addressee directly from the MFP. For this case, the model's arsenal provides intuitive push-button control with a central element in the form of an informative four-line display.

The decisive argument "for" in case of doubts about the correctness of choosing an MFP for a small office becomes a large resource of a standard cartridge — a full tank of toner in it is enough to receive over 7K printed pages. No less impressive is the figure of the monthly resource — 50K sheets, which clearly hints at the readiness of the printing device for large volumes of work.