MFPs vs. Desktop Printers: Which Technology Do You Buy?

MFP-vs-Desktop-Printer--Xerox-AbuDhabi

Multi-Function Printers (MFPs) have revolutionized the office environment with their convenience, versatility, printing speeds, ease of document management, and increased overall efficiency, but the desktop printer can still be found at many workstations.

In fact, despite the ever-increasing technological advances brought by MFPs, smaller one-function devices still enjoy the lion’s share of the market and aren’t going away anytime soon.

Managing a business’ printing needs is a complex task, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions that could ever provide everything an office requires. Most times, organizations will have a multitude of single scanners, fax machines, MFPs and dedicated printers running in the same building, each contributing to the workplace productivity.

In this article, we’re going to compare basic desktop printers with multi-function ones based on a wide variety of aspects and recommend which technology you should buy according to your requirements. The comparison will take into the account the following:
  1. Features & functionality
  2. Initial price & running costs
  3. Security
  4. Office space

1.     Features and Functionality

Your business’ current and future document management needs will play the biggest role in your decision. Ask yourself the following questions:
  • Does my current printing setup align with the business expansion plans?
  • Are the in-house printers causing a bottleneck in employee productivity?
  • Is there new technology available in the market that could prove useful around the office?
  • Do I regularly need to send faxes and scan important documents?

If the answer to the last three questions was ‘Yes’, an MFP is what you need. However, if you already have a dedicated fax machine and a separate scanner available, it makes sense to purchase a standard printer/copier.

We also recommend getting a free consultation from an unbiased managed print services provider, who can better assess your current setup and help you make a more informed decision.

2.     Initial Price & Running costs

More often than not, business owners will buy a new machine based entirely on the prices, especially if they’re running a small-sized organization which is working with a limited budget.

As a general rule, desktop printers are typically far less expensive to buy, but running costs overtime can see the total cost of owning a smaller device become considerable.

MFPs, such as the ones manufactured by Xerox in Abu Dhabi, represent a considerable initial outlay, but they’ll save you a lot of money in the long run on maintenance, ink toner replacements, paper usage, and more.

Multi-function devices also have a much lower cost-per-page than desktop printers, and are ideal for offices that regularly need high volume jobs completed in a short amount of time.

Pro tip: always consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) when buying a new printer or any other device for your business. The TCO for a printing machine will generally include:
  • The initial price
  • Ink cartridge replacements over the service life
  • Ongoing maintenance
  • Software updates
  • Specialized training for your employees (If not provided by the manufacturer)
  • Paper usage
  • Cost of repairs after warranty period

3.     Security

Security is one of the biggest reasons for the continued dominance of desktop printers. Business managers and CEOs prefer having a device in their own offices so that confidential documents may be printed without the fear of sensitive information falling into the wrong hands.

Over the past few years, however, companies like Xerox have started to provide highly advanced security options in their multi-function devices, such as fingerprint scanners, login-password models, and much more.

These security features ensure that no document can be retrieved from the device unless proper credentials are provided.

The modern document management system is another tool businesses have started implementing to control the visibility of their confidential data. This powerful software provides business owners with an oversight of the users currently editing or viewing a certain document, and it greatly reduces the need for keeping and maintaining large file cabinets.

4.     Office Space

The final factor you’ll need to consider will be your printer’s footprint.

MFPs can save you a lot of office space by effectively taking the place of four different devices.

Desktop printers offer users the convenience of not having to leave their workstations every time they a document printed, copied, or scanned.


If all your managers have their own separate rooms and the office building is very large, you might need to purchase separate smaller devices and MFPs for all the staff.

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