If you do not plan to copy or scan documents often, and only need high-quality monochrome or color printing, then we recommend that you pay attention to the guide to choosing a printer, which will cost significantly less than an MFP.

1. Purpose of MFP depending on printing technology

Today, there are 3 printing technologies: inkjet, laser and LED. Each has a set of features, determines the capabilities and purpose of the MFP. For convenience, we suggest considering the main pros and cons of each type in the corresponding table:

Printing technology Pros Cons Purpose
Inkjet High quality black and white and color printing
  • High cost per print
  • Slow color print speed
  • Vulnerability to moisture and ultraviolet radiation
  • Low cartridge life
  • Requires constant operation
  • Printing small quantities at home or in the office
  • Photo printing
  • Commercial use (mugs, t-shirts, magnets)
Laser( LED)
  • Equally high speed color and monochrome printing
  • Low cost per print
  • Resistance to moisture and ultraviolet radiation
  • Large cartridge resource
  • Not afraid of long periods of downtime
 Not suitable for photo printing
  • Large volume printing
  • Printing of certificates, diplomas, letters of thanks, presentation and advertising materials


It is worth noting that LED technology is very similar in principle to laser technology and has similar features. The design of such MFPs is the same, but semiconductors are used to form the image, not a laser. This allows for cheaper production and more environmentally friendly printing. You can read about the operating principle of each technology in detail in the corresponding article.

Popular inkjet MFPs

2. Important criteria for choosing an MFP

In order for the MFP to meet expectations, it is necessary to pay attention to important technical parameters. This will allow you to step by step reduce the number of products and choose a suitable multifunctional device at an affordable price. Let's consider the main criteria:

  • Color or monochrome printing.
  • To print text documents(applications, questionnaires, contracts, abstracts, etc.), an inexpensive black-and-white MFP is sufficient. It is preferable to choose laser (LED).
  • For periodic color printing(graphs, advertising leaflets, statistical data, business cards, user manuals, term papers and theses), the best option would be a color laser multifunctional device.
  • For regular professional and home printing of color materials(photos, coloring books, children's's books, transferring images to cups, T-shirts, magnets), you will definitely need a color inkjet MFP.
  • Paper format. The standard for office and home use is A4, but for certain tasks (building plans, evacuations, land plot projects, stands, advertising posters) the A3 format is better suited. The latter are significantly more expensive, so you need to choose a large-format MFP only for printing the relevant materials.
  • Print speed. Depends solely on the selected technology. The average laser MFP is 40 ppm regardless of color, which is convenient for office use. For home use, 20 ppm will be enough. The speed of inkjet printers is about 20 black and white sheets per minute, and photo printing can take several minutes for one page, so the devices are suitable for home, office and commercial activities, where the main criterion is quality.
  • Print resolution. The quality of the output print depends on this parameter. It is worth noting that laser MFPs do not have high resolution (standard 1200x1200 dpi), which makes them unsuitable for professional photo printing. For inkjet printers, the optimal indicator is 4800x1200 dpi, although it can be higher.
  • Scanner resolution. Having a scanner allows you to digitize paper documents in the required format and save them on external storage media (flash drive, hard drive, cloud). The capabilities of the equipment largely depend on the printing technology, no matter how strange it may sound. Laser MFPs are often equipped with a basic optical sensor with a resolution of 600x600 dpi(at best 1200x1200 dpi), as they are focused on simple office printing and copying, where high detail is not required. Inkjet models, on the contrary, are designed to work with images, so their scanners are ideal for creating digital photographs. A good indicator would be 1200x2400 dpi.
  • Print output method. In this regard, MFPs are quite diverse and progressive. The standard connection to a PC via a USB port can be supplemented by a USB input for external drives and a card reader. Such methods are convenient for a home MFP, but on an office or photo studio scale, multifunctional devices are more often used for collaboration (locally or remotely), so manufacturers also provide the ability to network access via a LAN port, direct printing from mobile gadgets using Wi-Fi Direct technology ( AirPrint for Apple equipment), and embed cloud services. Bluetooth connection and NFC are less common.
Popular laser MFPs

3. Useful functionality

Now you can move on to additional features that simplify and automate the operation of the MFP, allowing you to adapt it to the needs of the office, studio, home:

  • Built-in continuous ink supply system (CISS). It is used in inkjet MFPs to increase the working resource of standard cartridges to several thousand pages. The best option would be to choose an MFP with a built-in CISS system. Otherwise, you will have to upgrade the equipment at service centers, which deprives you of the right to warranty service.
  • Double-sided printing (duplex). Suitable for offices where large volumes of information often have to be printed. This approach allows you to reduce paper costs, does not require manual control over the process and saves employees' time. The functionality is present in most laser MFPs by default.
  • Double-sided scanning. The design of such a scanner is more complex and more expensive, but it allows you to create a digital copy of a document on both sides in one pass. This saves time, eliminates the need to manually turn over the original, and if there is an automatic document feeder, it completely automates the process of digitizing large volumes of data. For home and even office use, this function may not be needed, but for government agencies, libraries, hospitals it can be very useful when switching to electronic document management.
  • Automatic original feed. The presence of such a mechanism in the MFP allows you to automatically pull documents for scanning. The tray usually holds about 50 sheets and significantly simplifies the creation of copies.
  • Built-in fax. A logical addition that will help save money on purchasing separate equipment for offices and government agencies. The functionality is embedded in the MFP software and allows you to create a phone book of recipients, automatically send and receive fax messages.
  • Display. The screen provides convenient configuration of the MFP locally, as well as when printing from USB drives or the cloud. Most often, displays are made in color with good detail, and in professional versions they can be touch-sensitive.
  • Built-in storage. Built-in memory is an effective solution for creating a file sharing service based on a network MFP. This will allow all users to transfer data in the corporate network, as well as store frequently used files (price lists, contracts, questionnaires, forms, application forms) for quick printing from the control panel.
Popular LED MFPs

4. Consumables and maintenance

The cost and frequency of maintenance of inkjet and laser MFPs differ. When choosing, you need to consider the availability of components and overall repairability. Manufacturers can attract attention with a low price, which will quickly cease to be an advantage when buying new cartridges, toner and other spare parts.

For ease of comparison, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table, which contains all the important data on the maintenance and repair of inkjet and laser (LED) MFPs:

MFP type Resource of one filling, pages Average cost of refueling, UAH ($) Cost of a set of cartridges, UAH ($) Average service life of MFP, years
Monochrome inkjet (CISS) 2000 400 ($10) 700 ($17) 3
Color inkjet (without CISS) 200 300 ($7) 1600 ($40) 3
Color inkjet (CISS) 6000 1000 ($25) 3000 ($75) 3
Laser (LED) monochrome 1500 200 ($5) 3000 ($75) 10
Laser (LED) color 2000 500 ($12) 10,000 ($250) 10

It is important to understand that inkjet MFPs, when used correctly and with expensive original consumables, require virtually no maintenance, but are very sensitive to low-quality ink, paper, and long periods of downtime. This can lead to premature failure of the print head and significant repair costs. Cartridges wear out fairly quickly and cannot be repaired.

Laser MFPs work well with compatible consumables and components, which are available in a wide range. They are highly repairable. Buying a new cartridge is extremely rare, and many services offer refilling and restoration services.

Important! Manufacturers can install a control chip that monitors the system status and the number of printed pages. In this case, it may be necessary to update the firmware of the entire MFP or replace the chip so that the refilled cartridge is recognized and the equipment functions fully.
Popular MFPs with built-in CISS

5. Selecting an MFP for specific tasks

It is quite easy to select a suitable MFP based on the information provided. It is necessary to determine the tasks it will perform:

  • For schoolchildren and students, the best option would be a color inkjet MFP with CISS. This will allow you to prepare abstracts, term papers and theses, accompanying them with bright illustrations, as well as convert the necessary materials into digital format while preserving the original colors. The equipment will be used almost the entire year without long breaks, so there should be no problems in operation.
  • For home use, the only affordable option may be a color inkjet MFP. It will allow you to print family photos from time to time, create exciting materials for children's (coloring books, board games, books, holiday scripts).
  • A laser monochrome MFP is suitable for the office and remote work at home. It will allow you to print documents in large volumes without the need for frequent refilling and maintenance, as well as enter digital copies of documents into electronic databases using a scanner.
  • A separate category of inkjet MFPs is intended for professional photo printing, which are focused on high quality and detail of the print. A distinctive feature of such models is the presence of a large number of color cartridges to improve color rendering and expand the palette of shades.
  • For commercial activities (printing on cups, T-shirts) you need an inkjet color MFP that can work with sublimation inks and thermal transfer paper. Epson equipment is well adapted for these purposes.
  • For government agencies (regional and city administrations, employment centers, educational and medical spheres), the best option would be a laser color MFP. The printing technology makes documents resistant to high humidity, fading, so archival data will be stored in specialized places for a long time.