 |
|
The ultimate tech device for the multi-taskerFinance and accounting professionals are turning to multi-function machines. |
|
|
|
| In outfitting their home offices, finance and accounting professionals are looking beyond the stand-alone single-function computer printer. |
|
| Today, practitioners need more horsepower and versatility in their home offices, now that the home office is becoming as much a primary work location at the "main" office. |
|
| So professionals are finding that a stand-alone printer isn't always the best option. In many cases, an AIO (all-in-one) or MFP (multi-function printer) is a better choice. |
|
| In fact, about one in three finance and accounting professionals plan to buy a new printer for their small-office/home-office workspace within the next year or so, according to a Bay Street Group survey, "Home Office Trends and Issues." |
|
| Many people use the terms MFP and AIO interchangeably, though an all-in-one is usually a less expensive piece of equipment than an MFP. Regardless of the term that you use, the unit will have multiple capabilities—serving as a scanner, copier, and sometimes a fax machine—in addition to a printer. |
|
| In the past, some vendors had trouble packaging all these features into a single unit. Early AIO/MFPs tended to become useless when one of the components failed. Today's models are very reliable, and are a great choice when you need the multiple capabilities, but don't have a lot of free space (or a large budget.) |
|
| For finance and accounting professionals, scanning is key area to focus on. If the only reason that you are buying an MFP is to use it as a copier in addition to a printer, the scanner and associated software are not a major concern. |
|
| But, today, many Write-up, Trial Balance, and even Tax Prep packages now support scanning, which allows attaching images of supporting documents to an entry. So, if you'll want to use the scanner for some document management functions, you'll want to investigate what software is included, and whether it has a TWAIN driver which will let the scanner be used with other applications that support scanning. |
|
| Here are three more important points to keep in mind when choosing an AIO/MFP for your home office: |
|
| 1. |
Do you need fax capability? Fax machines are waning in popularity as e-mailing documents and forms becomes more popular. Still, there are times when your recipient may not have access to e-mail, but will be able to receive a fax. Not all AIOs/MFPs include fax capabilities, but even those that don't often offer Internet fax software which may be sufficient for those times when fax is necessary. |
|
| 2. |
The same constraints in choosing inkjet or laser engines that we detailed in the column on selecting a printer, apply to selecting an MFP. For the best output quality, a laser printer (mono or color) is the best choice. For draft and occasional color, a less expensive color inkjet will suffice. |
|
| 3. |
If you do select an inkjet MFP, does it offer high-capacity toner cartridges, especially for black ink? Many inkjet MFPs these days make a big deal about how they can generate photo quality output, but most of your home office printing is likely to be monochrome business documents, which can burn through black ink cartridges rapidly. High capacity black ink cartridges give you many more pages of output before they need replacement, but not all MFPs have these available. |
|
|
Connectivity is another issue that you will want to address. If your PC is the only one in the house that will utilize this particular device, USB is fine. For maximum flexibility in being able to access the printing and scanning features, you will probably want to invest in a network-capable model. |
|
More at hp.com: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rick Telberg CEO of Bay Street Group Research, is the most widely-followed analyst and commentator for the finance and accounting profession. He has helped launch and develop a host of leading products and services for accountants and financial advisors, including Accounting Today, Accounting Technology and Practical Accountant magazines, WebCPA.com, and e-commerce portals SmartPros and CPA2Biz. He serves as Editor At Large for the AICPA Insider family of e-newsletters and blogs at www.cpatrendlines.com. |
|
| Any views or comments expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and not necessarily those of any other organization. No person quoted or cited has any known connection to or interest in Hewlett Packard, and their appearance here should not be construed as an endorsement. |
|
| Copyright 2009 CPA Trendlines/BSG LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
|
|
|
Printable version
