All-in-One buying basics

Being able to print in color and on many different types of paper makes a big difference if you work on projects like brochures, catalogs, and direct-mail pieces. Not only can many AiOs print in color, but they also print much faster than you might expect: up to 18 pages per minute (ppm) in color and up to 22 ppm in black and white.

The sharpness of an image is measured in dots per inch (dpi). Some HP AiOs can print photo-quality images up to 4800-optimized dpi (on HP Premium Photo papers) and 2400 x 1200-input dpi.

It used to be that scanning pages from a book or any bound document was either impossible or quite a chore, but that's no longer the case. Many AiOs are built with flatbed technology, which is similar to what photocopiers use: a piece of glass on which you place your original document. You can also choose flatbed scanners that accommodate oversized pages.

If you want to scan from separate loose pages, you can get an AiO with sheet-feed capabilities, or you can get an AiO that has both flatbed and sheet-feed functions. The sheet-feed AiOs can even scan legal-size documents. High-quality color scanning doesn't have to cost much, and the results can be stunning: up to 1200 x 4800 dpi optical resolution (up to 9600-dpi enhanced) with 48-bit color (Windows only) . And some let you scan and attach a document to e-mail with the touch of a button.

You're usually in a hurry when copying a document, so look for speed in an AiO. If you choose a color inkjet model, make sure it can scan in either 24- or 30-bit color, and check for how many copies it can print at a time. Also make sure you can produce copies without having to adjust anything on your PC.

Other special copying features to look for are reduction and enlargement, and the ability to make single copies with the touch of one button-a terrific timesaver. And with paper capacity on some HP All-in-Ones of up to 400 sheets when you add an optional 250-sheet extra paper tray, you don't have to worry about running out of paper in the middle of a job.

With the ability to fax built in to your printer/scanner/copier unit, you don't need a separate machine. And when you add flatbed technology, you can fax pages from a book. Some AiOs even send and receive faxes in color!

You don't have to use your computer to fax, but the added benefit of using the fax feature in an AiO connected to your computer is that you may be able to edit a document that was faxed to you. Many AiOs with fax capability also come with a keypad, automatic document feeder, memory presets for common numbers, and one-touch dial-up capability-and some fax modems can transmit at up to 33.6Kbps.

Many AiOs come packaged with a scanner application called "optical character recognition" (OCR). This application translates a scanned document into a word-processing document on your computer. Some AiOs allow you to scan a document and save it on your computer as a specific type of file, such as a Microsoft Word document. These types of extra features may become important to you as you learn more about them and think about how they might apply to the types of projects you do.

Some AiOs are also network-ready right out of the box; others enable you to choose a USB or parallel connection for your stand-alone system. Another advantage of an All-in-One is that it only takes one driver (the software that tells the hardware-or AiO-how to communicate with your computer once the two are attached). If it's important to you to limit the number of cables, ports, and drivers you have to work with, an AiO is worth considering.

Some AiOs offer extra features for digital camera users. HP designed its 2510 AiO model to print proof sheets of digital photographs without a computer. This feature makes printing easy-one of three media slots on the front panel prints photos directly from a memory card and the AiO takes care of the rest.