Number of colors
The color palette that a printer or MFP can print.
A large number of colors is required for high-quality photo printing and obtaining color prints with many shades. As a standard, for a color MFP,
4 colors are provided.
B/W copy
Black and white copy speed – the number of copies of one page that the MFP can produce in 1 minute. Typically indicated for poor print quality. This option is important if you often need to make many copies of a single document.
Colour copy
Colour copy speed – the number of full-colour copies of one page that the MFP can produce in 1 minute. Generally slower than black and white copy speed.
Autofeed
The maximum amount of sheets that can be loaded into the MFP's document autofeed at one time.
The autofeed makes it easy to scan and copy a large amount of documents - just load a stack of sheets and turn on the programme, after which each document will be automatically fed for scanning. An auto-feed MFP is worth considering if you frequently scan or copy a large amount of documents.
Black Ink Page Yield
Approximate number of pages that the MFP can print in black and white mode without replacing the cartridge. In fact, this greatly depends on the specs of the images to print, so the actual resource may greatly differ from the claimed one in one way or another. Nevertheless, according to this indicator, it is quite possible to evaluate the capabilities of the MFP and compare it with other models.
Colour Ink Page Yield
Approximate number of pages that the MFP can print in colour mode without replacing the cartridge. In fact, this greatly depends on the specs of the images to print, so the actual resource may greatly differ from the claimed one in one way or another. Nevertheless, according to this indicator, it is quite possible to evaluate the capabilities of the MFP and compare it with other models.
Number of cartridges
The amount of cartridges required for the full operation of the MFP. In black and white devices, usually, one cartridge is installed. For colour printing, at least 4 colours are required (CMYK colour scheme), however, cartridges in such devices can be installed as
4(one for each colour), or only
2 — black and colour. The last one is essentially three multi-coloured cartridges in one case; This design somewhat reduces the cost, but creates certain inconveniences: when the ink of one colour is empty, the entire colour cartridge becomes inoperative. However, this disadvantage is not critical if the possibility of refueling is provided.
There are printers designed for more than 4 cartridges. This design means that this model uses one of the extended colour schemes; this, on the one hand, contributes to high-quality colour reproduction, on the other hand, it significantly affects the price.
Cartridge model
Types of cartridges (both black&white and colour) used in the MFP. Some models of the MFP are able to work with third-party cartridges, but this feature usually refers to undocumented, and the manufacturer's warranty applies only to specific types of cartridges. So, use third-party compatible cartridge models with caution.
Data transfer
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Connection to PC (USB). USB is a universal interface used to connect various devices in computer technology, and it is the most popular among these standards nowadays. In this case, it is used to connect the MFP to a computer.
— Network connection (
LAN). Port for wired connection to LAN and/or the Internet. This feature allows you to use the MFP in the format of a network device — getting access to printing, scanning, etc. from any computer of the network, or even use cloud printing (see below). At the same time, some models may require a print server for operating via LAN — a separate PC, router or NAS server responsible for managing the MFP and acting like an intermediary device between the MFP and the rest of the network. However, most modern MFPs can also work in peer-to-peer networks — without a print server, with a direct connection through a simple router.
An alternative to LAN is wireless Wi-Fi (see below); a wired connection is less convenient due to the need to put cables, but it is more reliable and cheaper.
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Wi-Fi. A technology used to make wireless connection to LAN and/or the Internet, and to connect devices directly to each other. For the last option, see
Wi-Fi Direct below; and a network connection allows the MFP to operate as a network device — similar to the LAN described above. At the same time,
...a wireless connection is somewhat more expensive than a wired one, but it is more convenient because of cable absence.
Modern MFPs may use different Wi-Fi standards — most often it is Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). In most cases, you should not pay special attention to this nuance: the standards differ primarily in speed, however, these differences are not significant regarding the tasks MFP are operating with; and there are usually no problems with the compatibility of different standards with each other.
— Card Reader. Slot for reading memory cards, usually, with the feature of direct printing (see above). In this case, this function is convenient primarily because memory cards are widely used in modern photo and video cameras; thus, the card reader allows you to quickly and conveniently print the footage — just remove the card from the camera and install it in the MFP. However, this function can be also useful for exchanging data with other devices — for example, laptops; and in some models of the MFP, it is even possible to work in the mode of an external card reader for a PC.
— USB. A classic USB connector for connecting various external media — flash drives, digital cameras, external hard drives, etc. The presence of such a connector usually means at least the possibility of direct printing the content from the connected device, without the need to use a PC. However, there may be other purposes of use, such as copying scanned materials to external media.
— Bluetooth. The technology of wireless communication between various devices is convenient primarily due to the absence of wires. The specific use of Bluetooth in multifunction devices may vary. Some models use such a connection to connect to a PC; this is especially convenient for laptops — almost all modern laptops have built-in Bluetooth modules. Other MFPs allow you to send files from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices for printing via Bluetooth, or copy scanned materials to external devices. There are models that combine these functions in one way or another. Such details should be clarified separately.
— NFC. Short-range wireless standard with a range limit about 10 cm. Most often used to simplify connection via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (see above): no need to fiddle with the settings, just bring an NFC-compatible device to the NFC of the MFP and confirm the connection. The other way to use NFC is to automatically send materials for printing when you bring your smartphone or tablet to the device; such feature is usually carried out through a special application released by the MFP's manufacturer.
— Wi-Fi Direct. A feature found on models with built-in Wi-Fi modules (see above). Direct support allows you to connect other Wi-Fi devices (laptops, smartphones, cameras, etc.) to such an MFP directly, without using a router and a local network. This can be especially convenient if there is no network equipment, or if it needs to be additionally configured. The functionality of the Wi-Fi Direct connection is generally similar to Bluetooth (see above); the main difference is that Wi-Fi provides a faster and more reliable connection with a greater range. This is especially useful for transferring large volume of data — for example, sending large documents for printing or copying high-resolution scanned materials. In addition, such a connection is better suited for direct printing from cameras — Wi-Fi is the most common type of wireless connection in that devices.
— AirPrint. Same function as above (Wi-Fi Direct). Allows you to connect to a device without using a router or installing specialized drivers. However, in this case, we are talking about connecting Apple equipment — iPhones, iPad, Mac laptops. AirPrint-enabled printers are natively compatible with devices running iOS or Mac OS software. Printing can be done via a wireless Wi-Fi connection, an Ethernet cable or via a regular USB connection.