SMALL COS EMBRACE ALL-IN-ONE IDEOLOGY

September 29, 2008
The Economic Times

It wasn't long ago when a printer was just another printer - it did what it was supposed to do - Print! Fastforward to today, there has been a near 180-degree shift. As business demands increase, the printer is morphing beyond its core functions, offering customers more value for money and is rapidly evolving.

While printers have added copying functionality, copiers have added print controllers. As a result, the printer and copier markets are converging. Printer-based MFPs typically offer the lowest acquisition price while copier-based MFPs provide a low cost perpage. However, under-utilised copiers represent another type of additional cost. While they offer a low cost-per-page, the actual cost of the hardware in conjunction with low utilisation is dramatically higher.

For volumes below 20,000 pages-per-month, printer-based MFPs are typically more economical. In addition, you have the option to buy several MFPs and reduce the number of users per device without significantly increasing your total cost.

"Multi-function devices are increasingly redefining office life, helping organisations to consolidate investment, maximise space and simplify workflow processes. MFDs also simplify supply ordering and minimise maintenance calls, saving time, money, and critical resources for SMBs," says Samir Shah, director, commercial & enterprise printing business, Imaging & Printing Group, HP India.

An increasing number of customers are considering color MFDs that not only combine printing and copying but also produce black-and-white output at the same cost and performance as black-and-white devices. "The new generation color MFDs are designed to remove one of the key barriers to color adoption by reducing the cost of printing black and white documents to the same level as that on monochrome printers, while simultaneously delivering on the quality and experience of color in the office," explains Shah.