Helping you take care of business

With every square foot of office space at a premium in the UAE, it's vital to make the most of your work area. During tough financial times, cost-cutting solutions should be embraced by management too.

Multi-functional devices are a good way of both saving space and curbing any excess outgoings. In a small working corporation, the difference is all the more marked and any savings — both spatial and economic — can add up.

"Multi-functional machines are certainly more cost effective when compared to purchasing separate printers, copiers, fax machines and scanners," says Ranjit S. Gurkar, General Manager of Brother Gulf. "Buying separately means companies need to keep large inventories of different toner and drum cartridges, because each unit may need a different model."

Multi-functional devices

Wallid Amin, General Manager of Izumi Solutions, a Jacky's Group company and the main distributor in the region of Olivetti office automation, outlines the importance of multi-functional machines. He suggests that no office is complete without a four-in-one printer and copier. "With today's growing demand for multi-functional products in an office environment, the ideal solution for any organisation is to have a four-in-one machine that will print, copy, scan and fax," he says.

"A centralised, high-speed copying or printing facility is important," agrees Gurkar. When outlining why multi-functional devices are more efficient in an office environment than separate machines he says, "Distributing copying, printing, scanning and fax resources across the office is a practice being adopted by more small and medium-sized businesses and enterprises in order to boost employee productivity and efficiency. With most departments comprising small work groups linked by a small local area network, devices need to fit seamlessly into these environments."

Aside from the obvious immediate financial and space-saving benefits, the use of multi-functional machines also means you avoid having multiple service contracts. It's not just the employers who can benefit from the advantages it poses. MFD's can also be a more convenient option for employees too. With just one machine to master and one to install to your network, the printing process is simplified, making it the practical option for most small businesses.

There are, however, some potential down-sides to multi-functional devices if not chosen carefully. They are often not as specialised as separate machines would be. This may make them easier to use, but it can also hinder certain printing and scanning functions.

Technological breakthroughs
However, multi-functional devices are still making technological breakthroughs. The Buyers Laboratory, the office equipment industry's leading independent authority on products, at buyerslab.com is a great tool for businesses looking to keep up-to-date on the most advanced products on the market and proves that multi-functional devices can be cutting edge.
Advancements in the multi-functional devices in the past few years have made the all-in-one machines easier to use and more compatible with a broader range of networks, which had been a drawback of MFDs in the past.

Another potential drawback was that a multi-functional device was often not as specialised as separate pieces.
For example, they can often lack the variety of paper trays and fonts of a stand-alone printer and not be as capable of printing onto labels and envelopes.

The image quality was also something that could suffer, often capturing a lower rate of dots per inch than a dedicated scanner.
However, big advancements in MFD technology have been made. Brother launched the world's first A3 colour inkjet multi-function centre, the MFC-6490CW at Gitex late last year and Panasonic launched a new range of multi-function printers featuring a built-in memory card slot. This eliminates the need for PC installations, allowing the user to copy directly from the source. In addition, the printers are can print both black and white and colour copies with an impressive quality of 1,200 x 1,200 dpi.

As the demand for more specialised, efficient and space-saving multi-functional devices in the workplace grows, manufacturers are striving to fulfil businesses needs, no matter how sophisticated the technology they need. Copy quality, memory, and the range of networks MFDs are available on are rapidly improving, making them the only
viable solution for forward-thinking small businesses.