The difference between a Copier, Printer and a Multifunction Printer
Do you know the difference between a copier, a printer and a multifunction printer, they are kind of the same thing, right? Well, not exactly. There is quite a difference between them, especially when it comes to functionality and getting the job done. Let me show you why.
I know what you are thinking. How in the world are these devices different? Don't they do the same thing? I'll help you understand what these devices are and what they can do. Let me break it down for you. I am pretty sure you have seen a printer and most likely used one. It's a device that accepts text and graphic output from a computer and transfers the information to paper.
This can happen wired or wirelessly from your computer. These beauties come in many different types and sizes and can assist with something as small as business documents to larger projects like blueprints and maps. Here's a little history for you. A copier in its beginning stages included an electrically charged drum that made a negative image of your original document, then paper with an electric charge passed over the drum to adhere to the toner to produce the copy. To put it simply, a copier just copies by way of a sheet bed scanner. And that is it. Now let us get to M.F. piece or multi-function printers.
An MFP is different from the copier that I just described. So, what is the difference then? Well, a copier already has a sheet bed scanner on top to make copies. But as soon as I add the ability to plug it into a P.C. or a network that it could print to, then it's an MFP. So, what is a multifunction printer? Well, originally it was called a multifunction peripheral. MFP or multifunction device does exactly what it says it does. It incorporates multiple functions into one office machine. It is an all in one printer. Most standard Multifunction machines can copy, scan, print, fax and email documents. Additional software or apps allow you to do even more. It is the conversation of MFP sparking your interest at all. Over time, copy machines and printers have become smaller and more affordable. However, we see more added value with the development of MFP features that support more specific markets such as legal, healthcare and education.
Trust me on this one, your business does not just want a copy machine anymore. Your business probably needs an MFP. Before we had this ability, it took some time to scan a document stored on a drive or USP device and walk it back to your desktop computer to then crafted email and send it in the old days. They called this a sneaker network. This is the most secure way of sharing files. But the slowest today. You can do all of this at the convenience of your MFP. You have the option to scan your documents to another employee, a group of staff members, a set of network folders, or even to someone outside of your network by email.
The convert to PDF option is a great time saver and one you and your employees will absolutely love as fast as your MFP can scan a document. You can then quickly export it as an Adobe Acrobat PDAF for you to distribute to anyone for easy viewing and access. Let's face it, every office has a printer hog. That's right. Someone who is always hogging the printer, especially when you need it the most. And what are they even printing anyways? Well, in MFP can put an end to all of that using the access control feature on your MFP.
You can control limited access to machine use. This allows only authorized users to access your device. Eliminating unnecessary printing by some of your employees, especially devices located in open areas. You also have the ability to choose which users can print in colour. Ultimately reducing printing costs. I hope we have helped you understand the difference between a printer copier and an MFP.