Technology in printing and imaging is advancing at
such a rapid pace that not only have printers been
shrinking in size, but dropping in price as well.
Imagine owning a printer, scanner, fax machine, copier
and phone, all separately. Not only will they occupy a
significant amount of space on your desktop, but would
also make it look cluttered. Thanks to convergence, we
have all-in-one printers that can handle all the tasks
seamlessly. AIO printers not only print, but also work
as a scanner, fax machine and photocopier. They make
your desk less cluttered, but also add a certain level
of grace and class, and more than anything else, they
come integrated with three or four functions in one single
package. Some AIOs come with PictBridge technology
that enables users to print photos directly from their
digital cameras. Some even come equipped with an
LCD display for previewing images before printing them.
Printing photos cannot get easier on some devices
with built-in memory card readers and image editing
functions. All you have to do is insert your memory card
containing the images you want to print, enhance the
pictures on-the-fly, and fire a print command—as simple
as that! You don’t need to rush to a photo lab, which will
take another few hours to do the job. Most AIO printers
today have a built-in network adapter, which is a boon
for office users. You can not only fire print commands
over the network, but also share
such a device with multiple users
on the network. A Wi-Fi adapter is
more advantageous as you can print
wirelessly from Wi-Fi-enabled devices
such as laptops or smartphones.
Such printers not only eliminate wire
clutter, but also make life a whole lot
simpler. Apart from these features,
they also have an automatic document
feeder, so you don’t need to feed
paper manually into the scanner when
you want to copy or send faxes. Such
machines may seem intimidating at
the first glance, but even a first-timer
will be able to use them without any
hassles, thanks to the user-friendly
interfaces AIOs offer. We now have
devices that come with navigational
aids such as jog dials and directional
buttons that make operation a breeze.
In this comparison, we tested
ten AIO printers. While some are
ideal for home use, others are best
suited for photographers or office
desks. And yes, owning such a
device is no longer expensive. So
turn over and take your pick.
Canon Pixma MG5270
The Canon Pixma MG5270 is an
AIO worth considering for a large
home or a small/medium business
environment. It has a rugged build,
but the shell has a high-gloss exterior
which attracts fingerprints, dust and
scratches. The AIO features two paper
input trays—one a bottom (front loading)
cassette which can stack around 150
sheets, and the other at the rear for top
loading with a capacity of 80 sheets.
Both trays can be folded to shut the AIO
and avoid dust entry. The only downside
of the build is the rear paper input tray
which is quite flimsy and fragile. The
control panel features a crisp, tilting 2.4-
inch color display along with a jog dialcum-
D-pad. Other features include a card
reader and a PictBridge port. The AIO
sports a print resolution of 9600x2400
dpi using the 1 pl ink drop technology
and a total of 4608 nozzles in the print
head. Five ink cartridges work in tandem,
resulting in excellent quality prints. The
printer can print at top speeds of 14
pages per minute, and a single 4x6-inch
photo takes just around 45 seconds. The
flatbed scanner can scan at resolutions
of 2400x4800 dpi at 48-bits. These
specs are good enough for those into
the photography and graphic designing.
The performance in terms of print quality
is excellent, and this is the main reason
it bagged the best performance award.
If you are looking for an aesthetically
appealing wireless AIO for your home or
personal office desk, which can also print
speedy and excellent lab quality photos,
you must consider the Pixma MG5270.
A good alternative is the feature-rich
and compact Brother MFC-J615W, which
features an ADF, Ethernet, wireless
networking and delivers good print
quality. The cost difference is a mere
Rs 900 and the cost of consumables is
cheaper by around Rs 700, however the
main drawback of the MFC-J615W is the
sluggish photo print speeds.
For: Excellent print quality, fast photo
printing, wireless networking.
Against: Glossy exterior, below average
Verdict:the ideal aIO device for photography
and graphic design professionals.
Specifications
Rs 9,495
Dimensions (WxHxD): 455 x 160 x 368 mm;
Print resolution: 9600
x 2400 DPI;
Scan resolution: 2400 x 4800 DPI;
Features: Print,Scan, Copy;
Interface: USB, Wi-fi, PictBridge, card reader.
Contact Canon India
Phone 0124-4160000
EMAIL info@canon.co.in
Brother DCP-J125
The Brother DCP-J125 is a great
choice for a small or medium
business environment on a tight
budget. The low price is achieved thanks
to a lack of features such as networking,
fax and ADF. The AIO features a print
resolution of 1200x6000 dpi and uses
four ink cartridges, which can be easily
loaded or replaced from the front. The
flatbed scanner is unlike its siblings,
which also feature an ADF. The build
quality is excellent, with a completely
matte shell. The control panel on top
comes with a 1.9-inch color LCD display.
The control panel features large, tactile
and well-spaced rubber keys. The front
features the front-loading paper cassette
which can hold just 100 sheets. The front
also houses the card reader for PC-less
printing of PDF and JPEG files. Unlike
other printers, Brother printers feature a
unique cable management system for the
USB interface, wherein the printer needs
to be opened to access the USB port.
The AIO is compact and uses minimal
head room if the scanner is not used
very often. The printer makes use of four
cartridges which cost around Rs 760 for
black and Rs 410 for each CMY tank. The
black tank can yield around 300 pages,
while the color ones can yield around
260 pages. The printer performs well,
with decent print speeds of 16 pages per
minute in draft mode, and four pages
per minute in normal mode. Photo prints
take less than three minutes. Though the
quality of photo prints is at par with the
Canon Pixma MG5270, the DCP-J125 lost
out due to average text and copier prints.
If you need a multi-function printer with
features such as fax and networking, we
recommend the HP OfficeJet e-All-in-One
4500, which costs around Rs 3,000 more.
The 4500 delivers better print speeds and
crisper photo prints along with networking
features and an ADF. It also uses only two
ink cartridges.
For: Rugged build, matte-finished
exterior, good photo print quality.
Against: Average text print quality,
slow photo printing speeds, no
networking feature.
Verdict: An extremely compact multifunctional
printer for small offices.
Specifications
Rs 5,950
Dimensions (WxHxD): 390 x 150 x 368 mm; Print resolution: 1200
x 6000 DPI; Scan resolution: 1200 x 2400 DPI; Features: Print,
Scan, Copy; Interface: USB, card reader.
Contact Brother International India
Phone 1800-222-422
EMAI L info@brother.in
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