Printers/Scanners

Pop into your local High Street computer retailer and you will probably find a number of different printer units available for sale. In most cases these items will be multifunction or All-in-One devices but there could be an occasional appearance of a unit that just provides a range of basic print tasks. The Samsung Xpress M2022W is one such standalone printer.

An Inkjet multi-function machine – that means it has fax - as well as scan, copy and print. This is part of the OfficeJet range and as such has a more substantial paper input tray than you might find on those units designed for home use.

See if you can spot where I made a type that changed “faxes” into “taxes” in this review. There is more than one possible location but which was the most appropriate.

This is a Multi-Function Device in that it can print, scan, copy and for those who still use it fax. Unlike the recent offering that was monochrome this is colour and of course somewhat larger but in real terms really not that much larger.

The Canon PIXMA MX535 is a multifunction device that offers print, scan, copy and Fax capabilities. Other features include an ADF (Automatic Document Feed) and automatic Duplex printed to help save on paper. There is support for both wired and wireless connectivity when adding this device to your computer set-up.

Many of the scanners that come by way, for testing, form part of an All-in-One or multifunction devices. However there are exceptions and this is one of those occasions.

While most All-in-One devices are based on an inkjet printer, this next model from Brother features a laser printer.

This is an All In One unit, that means it can Print, Scan Copy and Fax. It is very compact and you can print by normal use from a PC or by sending items across the Network or even across the world by using your special email.

While many printers now offer a remote print solution through their own dedicated app, this next product offers a wide ranging solution for multiple printers.

From its Belgium base, as part of its “Document to Knowledge” mantra, IRIS has released the latest version of its IRISPen product. This is the IRISPen Executive 7 offering which boasts “You scan, it types” as it performs its designed role of a hand-held scanner.

suppose it had to happen sooner rather than later. With mobile devices, namely smartphones and tablets, being our constant companions giving us access to data and then storing what is important to us, you would expect companies to develop printers capable of supporting mobile printing. Well actually they have been around for a while but they are rarely promoted as such. That is until now as I have been sent a printer product that promotes itself as a “Smartphone and tablet printer”. The pro

Last year at its annual IRISLink event, IRIS introduced its IRIScan Mouse device with the tag line “You swipe, it scans”. This year the combination of mouse and scanner has been upgraded to the IRIScan Mouse Executive 2 with the same tag line.

I seem to be in a run of laser units at present. This time not a colour unit, so here a workhorse unit designed for quick, efficient printing with a high standard of finish without problems, as seems essential today you can still copy and scan.

Colour lasers are no longer huge, they are no longer that expensive and they print colour at 25% of the speed that mono pages do. In fact the ‘other half’ could even be happy as it can connect wirelessly so does not need to be in sight.

It has been a while since I last had the opportunity to check out a HP printer. If memory serves me correct, this unit was a home photo printing model that I reported on in 2008. It was therefore quite a surprise when HP’s PR agency rang me up out of the blue and asked if I would like to review the HP Deskjet 2540 product.

Colour Lasers used to cost a lot and were also rather big. The next problem was that colour pages printed at only 25% of the speed of monochrome ones. Now all that has been solved with a unit little larger than an inkjet offering.

The latest multifunction device to arrive from Samsung offers print, scan, copy and remote printing facilities to users looking for a monochrome environment.

Adding to its range of All-in-One devices, Canon has released a product that leans towards quality as against speed of delivery

Described by Epson as the “Photographer’s Best Friend”, the Expression Photo XP-950 is an A3 All-In-One device. Predominately lacquered black in colour, with a matte silver band and Epson identifier on the front face, this unit offers scan, copy and print functionality with a choice of Wi-Fi, Ethernet or USB connectivity.

While colour can add visual impact, it does add to the cost and is not always necessary for certain documents. In such cases a monochrome laser might be the better option.

This unit will immediately find favour with ladies as it is creamy white and far more likely to fit in with the colour scheme. It is also rather stylish being sleeker than most other All In One units. It is fully touch controlled.

A three in one printer, that means it prints, scans and copies. The black colour may mean it is hidden from ‘they who must be obeyed’ when in the lounge but it can be connected by Wi-Fi and in fact can do extra things when in Wi-Fi rather than USB mode.

Brother continues to develop its range of multifunction devices. This latest model is aimed more at the office rather than home users.

While it shaped life a pen it is not one, it is a scanner – a rather good one – for scanning items into such things as Microsoft Office, it also has another function in that if you right click an image it converts it into a small PDF.

A four in one device is normally called multi-function, while a three in one device is often called an All In One, this is from the former category as not only does it scan, copy and print it also has a fax ability for those who still use it.

Many years ago my first scanner was a handheld device, shaped a bit like a paintbrush, with a scanning width of about 4-inches. A more modern version increases the scanning width and adds Wi-Fi capability.

This is a four in one item often called a multi function device. It can print either from a PC or memory stick, it can scan either to a PC or memory stick, send and receive faxes for those who still use this feature and it can also copy.

Continuing my look at various Canon printers, it is the turn of a model more suited to an office environment.

This is a four in one device and somewhat larger than recent items of this sort. Being black it will either need to work in an office, in the home of a Goth or be secreted away behind a sofa or in a cupboard, with Wi-Fi or Network it can be.

Normally when I get to see a colour printer, it is an inkjet model but in this case the printer is a laser unit.