Reviews related to : Multifunction printers
As the title suggests, these printers do much more than print. A built in scanner allows copying and in some cases direct fax. The scanner can then also be used to bring photographs and other sources into your computer for editing.
This is the latest ink tank unit that can print, scan and copy. Early versions required very careful filling of ink tanks, now this is easy and there is no chance of spilling even a drop of ink. The unit itself is smaller and best of all no difficult questions to try an answer as you link it into your network.
The measures 40x40x19cm; add another 13cm to the depth when you pull out the tray to receive printed sheets. I would say that that installation time from removing the various bits of tape to having downloaded the software inserted the contents of four bottles of ink and printed a test sheet at around 35 minutes. Everything is easy from the small 2.5cm square screen on the unit, and indeed from your PC.
This is an inkjet printer that uses tanks rather than cartridges and the method of filling the cartridges from bottles has shown an improvement from early offerings so there is absolutely no chance of spilling ink as even when the cap of the bottle is unscrewed there is no danger of ink exiting even if the bottle is knocked over or turned upside down.
The Canon Maxify GX5050 is described as a Wi-Fi Printer and indeed that is how I used it but it still has an Ethernet connection and even an upstream USB. The device measures 40x40x20cm with another 4cm added to the last figure at the rear where the second upright paper tray is. Unlike a lot of units that are called printers that are three in one or even four in one devices this is solely a printer.
This is quite a chunky unit, however for what it packs inside its body it is certainly worth considering either for a home office of for a small company. It has two separate input trays underneath as well as a sit up input at the back at the top. However you want to use it is catered for as you have Ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB.
The Canon Maxify GX7050 is a multi-function machine meaning that it can Print, Scan, Copy and Fax. Unlike other such machines that have Fax abilities it does not make a fuss when you want to switch it off. The Canon Maxify GX7050 measures 39x38.5x29.5cm (WDH) and power Ethernet and USB are on the back left of it.
A new series of Brother inkjet printers
Currently I have only been provided with details of a couple of the new models. However I have been informed that all the new models, including those due to arrive later this year, will offer support for the new Brother Mobile Connect app. Available on Android and iOS platforms, this app will help users to send a file to a printer device from anywhere at any time. The app can also be used to monitor the printer's ink levels and order replacement supplies when necessary.
Needing hard copies of your documents and images, this next product could help.
Adding to its J5000 range of printers, Brother has introduced its MFC J5335DW model. This particular product is a multi-function device based on its central ink-jet printer capability. Adding extra functionality to the basic printer operation are features delivered by a flatbed scanner, faxing option and an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) unit. Brother is aiming the J5335DW at the small office / home office market.
The G7050 is the latest unit from Canon to use the impossible to spill ink bottles that fit into ink tanks that are so easy to fill. The cost of printer ink is often said to be more expensive than Champagne so having it arrive in bottles means it costs less per page.
The Canon Pixma G7050 measures 38cm wide, 39cm deep and 21cm tall all these figures are when the unit is closed. Add another 10cm to the depth when the control panel and output tray are opened and add another 15cm to this when you are using the second ‘sit up’ input tray at the rear. For everyday printing you use the inbuilt paper tray at the base but for items such as quality photo paper the rear ‘sit up’ tray at the back gives more options.
This looks very similar to the other recently reviewed Canon unit the G2560 on the 3rd March 2021 however while the dimensions may be similar the speed and connection methods do vary so worth a look at both reviews to see which might fit your needs best.
The G3520 is 44x32x16cm, the exception is the rear input paper tray that doubles the height (the last figure), the left side at the back has the power input and on the right side also at the back is USB input. However this can also be used via Wi-Fi meaning the G3520 does not need to be tethered to your PC and you can also print to it from other devices such as Tablets and SmartPhones.
This is the first of a recent series of inkjet ‘three in one’ units from Canon to arrive with me. Rather different from any other inkjet offerings that Canon have previously produced it has ink tanks rather than ink cartridges so the cost per page of the ink should be a lot less, as there is a saying around that printer ink is more expensive than Champagne.
Canon are not the first to change from cartridges to tanks, in the past I have had problems transferring ink from the bottles to the tanks. So it was with more than a little trepidation that I followed the instructions, I need not have worried not a drop was spilt so my precautions of putting newspapers under the G2560 was not required. Canon have put a lot of thought into the design of both the ink bottles and the ink tanks.
The Epson WF7715DWF is a versatile A3+ multi-function inkjet that will meet the needs of the majority of small offices
Although A4 is the basic office norm there are occasions when being able to handle A3 would prove to be useful. For example one could work with larger spreadsheets as well as printing two A4 pages onto each A3 sheet and then fold to make a booklet which is much more business-like that separate A4 pages. Being A3+ with an automatic document feeder (ADF) it can be appreciated that this machine, while suitable for the smaller office, may not fit into the smallest one.
The Brother MFC-J6945DW is one of Brother’s Business Smart X-Series and is a versatile 4-in-one A3 colour inkjet machine targeted at the varied needs of today’s small offices.
As must be appreciated, as this a full A3 machine, it is both weighty (at 24kg) and occupies a fair amount of office space. It is 58cm wide by roughly 70cm deep when one takes into account the bypass hopper at the rear and the amount that the A3 paper tray projects at the front. Although the machine is only about 38cm high, in use it needs additional headroom. In fact, the total height increases to 67cm with the ADF (automatic document feed) raised to expose the platen.
The Expression Home XP-5100 is a compact 3-in-1 inkjet machine with WiFi connectivity that can print double-sided and has been designed to meet virtually every need of the home user.
The WF-2860DWF is a 4-in-1 print, copy, scan and fax inkjet machine in Epson’s Workforce Range that is targeted at the smaller business user.
The Brother MFC-J5330DW is a 4-in-1 multifunction device that can print up to A3 in size and is targeted at the small office.
This is a four in one unit as it prints, scans, copies and for those who still use it faxes. However for those wanting to use it via Wi-Fi you can print from any mobile device as well as direct from an SD Card so it’s very versatile.
The Canon Pixma TR 855 measures 43x43x18cm, the last figure is on the left as this is where the page feed mechanism is it is only 14cm tall at the right side. The dimensions given include the 39x8cm front display shelf being raised from vertical (closed) to horizontal, it can be at any angle in between to suit your viewing angle of the 10.5x6cm display mounted in the centre of it. The only other control on it is the on/off button with its LED mounted to the left of the display.
The Brother DCP-J774DW is a versatile A4 3-in-1 inkjet printer targeted at the low-volume SoHo user who wants versatility in a package that doesn’t take up too much space.
The unit is light grey in colour and rectangular in shape with a full size lift-up cover over the glass scan/copy platen. It is 40cm wide x 34cm. This increases to about 38cm when the control panel, with its 6.8 cm diagonal touch-sensitive colour LCD display, is swivelled outwards to a more convenient viewing angle and about 46cm when the paper catcher is extended to the front and still further on those occasions that the rear single sheet feeder is deployed.
Epson continues to develop and improve its range of Eco Tank devices included its ET-2750 model.
With its “ET” prefix indicating that this next product belongs to the EcoTank family of offerings, Epson has launched the ET-2750. Suitable for Home and Home/Office use, the ET-2750 offers print, copy and scan All-in-One capabilities plus double-sided printing and wireless connectivity for good measure. For the benefit of those not familiar with the Epson EcoTank system, this is a sea-change that Epson introduced with some printers in 2015.
Certainly not as small as the last ‘Small A3’ unit I reviewed but this uses tanks not cartridges and unlike the first tank unit I reviewed that had the talks on the side these are internal and joy or joys the tanks have no spill technology that works.
The Epson ET-7750 A3 printer/scanner measures 49x61x18cm, it would need to be a very strong shelf to place it on so even if you have such a shelf allow a few centimetres more to the last figure to put items on the A4 flatbed. The 61cm figur3e is with the back A3 paper tray raised as well as the output tray at the front extended. There is a small display in the 32x10cm lify up from the base area in the front this can be flat to front or extended to any point up to 90 degrees. The display is 5.
In the case of this unit it is a four in one device as not only does it print, scan and copy but it also has fax capability and while this may not be required by the majority it is certainly used by my health centre to send urgent prescriptions to chemists.
The Brother MFC-J895DWmeasures 39x34x17cm. You would need around another 14cm onto the second figure the depth for paper output and another 5cm onto the last figure to insert sheets in the feeder mechanism to scan, however this unit is perfectly flat on top when the scanner unit is closed so as we also know any flat surface in the office is useful to put things on. The total weight is 8.5kilos so if on a shelf make sure it is strong enough.
The Epson ET-2750 EcoTank inkjet printer is a compact 3-in-1 print/copy/scan unit which, instead of small capacity cartridges, uses built-in reservoirs that are filled from large bottles of ink. This is claimed to reduce printing cost by 74% and so meet the needs of the busy home user who wants to keep an eye on costs.
The unit is quite small, roughly 15 x 14 x 10 inches high, and black in colour. Hence, it does not take up too much “real estate” or look out of place in the modern home. There is just one paper input tray at the rear with the printed documents emerging from the front to land on the pull-out tray which can be pushed out of the way when the printer is not in use. The ink tanks are visible at the front right hand of the machine so that it only needs a glance to check the ink levels.
While I have seen All In One units in both grey and black colours this is a first for me, a black unit with a red top, before you ask it’s not my blood. While even if it has a CD to make installation easy it refuses to use it and downloads which could be a problem for those with a poor Internet connection.
Downloading and installing the drivers and basic software took 6 minutes and just under 400MB of hard disc space on my Windows 7 system. As seems normal on most Canon units I review, both the USB and power input are back left of the unit. This is a six ink offering. The last statement should tell you this is not a unit you would buy to print emails and documents but a photographic printer.
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