Ideal for personal or small workgroup use, AiOs can boost your small business productivity like nothing else. These powerful multifunction machines can scan, print, copy, and sometimes fax, with the extra benefit of having a space-saving design that cuts down on office clutter. So it already does it all-but you can make it accomplish even more. By mastering a few tips and tricks and by getting to know some special features, you can learn how to get the most from your AiO.
While you're streamlining your office, consider the potential of an HP All-in-One: a printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine in one space-saving-not to mention money-saving-machine. Boasting speed, quality, and efficiency, an All-in-One can take small-office productivity to a whole new level.
The tools: HP multifunction and All-in-One products have the speed and quality you need. And they're packed with special features to improve your productivity and may include an automatic document feeder (ADF), which you can use to load multiple documents for fast, hands-off copying, faxing, send to email and/or scanning.
Another advanced feature of some of these machines is its ability to scan text from hard copy into your word processor. This process of converting printed text to a computer file is called optical character recognition (OCR), and it saves you a lot of retyping! Many of these products are also network capable (with an optional HP Jetdirect print server), so they can accommodate you as your needs change and your business grows. Read All-in-One Buying Basics to find out how to choose the right machine.
Networking that works
If you're still trying to connect every single workstation to its own printer, it's time you considered the advantages of networking. It enables everyone to share files and resources, which saves you money and streamlines the workflow.
Your small business can really benefit from the ability to share printers. Networking ensures that everyone has access to all office peripherals. So if one person is using the laser printer for a large print job, someone else can be simultaneously scanning with an All-in-One or printing photos on the inkjet. This flexibility saves the extra steps and hassles of switching computers to print and lets you maximize your peripherals to their fullest potential.
The tools:
The easy-to-manage HP Jetdirect 175x external USB Ethernet print server allows you to share compatible printers with multiple users over a network, enabling your small business to increase printer flexibility and thereby save money.
Storage and backup
Consider the potential of a paperless office. Your workspace could be so clean, so organized. You could use optical character recognition (OCR) software to scan old files into your word processor instead of retyping them. You could create an archive of old records and save them to DVDs, replacing those banks of old filing cabinets with a few discs. Plus, you could e-mail those newly scanned files instead of printing, faxing, or mailing them, saving money and time.
The tools:
DVDs are becoming the new storage standard. They write and read faster and hold about seven times more than a CD. Plus, they're durable, reliable, and easy to share-and they can be rewritten again and again. To get started you'll need a DVD writer-like the HP dvd300i or 300e -as well as a few DVD+R or DVD+RW discs.
It's also important to have a computer with enough memory and speed to meet your needs. If you're constantly struggling with a computer that's too slow or one that crashes because it needs to be upgraded, you're wasting your time.
Tricks that help you get the most out of your AiO's capabilities
Besides being loaded with photo-friendly print features, All-in-Ones have a lot of other special features that save you time and money and allow you to exercise your creative muscle. But this is just an overview; to really benefit from all that an AiO can do, you'll want to read your user's manual.
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Faxing: Features like group dialing, junk-fax blocking, fax forwarding, and stand-alone faxing can save your business valuable time. And forget faxing as you know it. You can even send a computer file as a fax-directly and without a fuss.
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Copying: Copy options abound, with customizable reduction/enlargement and one-button access to features such as two-on-one (two sheets on a page) and poster (tiled sheets). Some models also have a Creative Copy button to create instant wallet-size photos, mirror images, and more.
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Scanning: The "Clone" tool lets you create multiple copies of the original on the same sheet, making it easy to create a page full of wallet-size digital pictures. And OCR software is hands-down one of the most useful AiO features (read more below).
Using your AiO as a one-stop photo shop
Yes, your All-in-One can fax, print, and much more. But some All-in-Ones lead double lives as talented darkroom assistants. You snap the brilliant shots, and your AiO prints them in brilliant photo-quality color. What's more, it can also manage your photos and connect instantly with HP digital cameras and PCs. And it offers several other amenities for digital camera aficionados: special paper trays, ready-to-frame prints, three slots for digital media, and (drum roll, please) the proof-sheet feature.
Proof sheets are an exclusive HP invention that makes the printing process much easier. Just insert your digital memory card into the right slot and your AiO prints a proof sheet of thumbnail-sized photos. Fill in the bubbles next to the photos you want to print and choose the paper type and size and the number of copies you want. Place that sheet on the scanner, press a button, and the device reads the sheet and gets to work.
Printable version
