Question 1

What's the difference between an inkjet and a laser multifunction printer — and which should I buy?

Accepted Answer

Inkjet MFPs are better for colour printing and lower monthly volumes; laser MFPs are faster, cheaper per page on monochrome, and built for high-volume office use. If you print fewer than 300–500 pages a month and need decent colour output, an inkjet (particularly an EcoTank-style model) will serve you well. If you're printing thousands of pages a month — mostly text documents — a laser or LED MFP will have a significantly lower cost per page and a longer service life. The mistake most buyers make is choosing on upfront price alone without factoring in consumables.

Question 2

Is an A3 multifunction printer worth the extra cost for a small office?

Accepted Answer

Only if you genuinely print or scan A3 documents regularly — otherwise it's money wasted. A3 MFPs like the Brother MFC-J6955DW cost noticeably more than equivalent A4 models, and they're physically larger. If your use case is standard office documents, invoices, and correspondence, an A4 machine is perfectly sufficient. Where A3 earns its keep: architectural drawings, large spreadsheets, marketing materials, and anything that would otherwise require tiling across two A4 sheets.

Question 3

What does 'duty cycle' mean, and why does it matter when choosing an MFP?

Accepted Answer

The duty cycle is the maximum number of pages a printer is designed to handle per month without degrading performance or voiding the warranty. Exceeding it regularly causes premature wear on the fuser unit, photoconductor drum, and paper feed mechanisms. A small-office MFP might have a duty cycle of 5,000–10,000 pages/month; a workgroup device can handle 30,000–50,000. Always check your actual monthly print volume against the recommended monthly page volume (which is typically 10–20% of the maximum duty cycle) — not just the headline figure.

Question 4

Are cheap multifunction printers a false economy?

Accepted Answer

Very often, yes. Entry-level inkjet MFPs below 166 £ frequently ship with starter cartridges that yield only 50–60% of a standard cartridge's page count. Once you factor in replacement ink costs, a machine that seemed like a bargain can cost significantly more to run over 12 months than a mid-range laser model. The exception is EcoTank-style inkjets, where the higher upfront cost is offset by dramatically lower per-page costs. Always calculate the total cost of ownership over two years, not just the box price.

Question 5

What connectivity features should I look for in a shared office printer in 2026?

Accepted Answer

At minimum: dual-band Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet, AirPrint, and Mopria support. For a shared office environment, wired Ethernet is more reliable than Wi-Fi and should be considered essential for any device serving more than two or three users. Wi-Fi Direct is useful for guest printing without network access. If your team uses iPhones and MacBooks, AirPrint compatibility is non-negotiable. For Android-heavy environments, check for Mopria certification. HP's Smart app and Brother's iPrint&Scan are also worth evaluating for ease of mobile setup.

Question 6

Which brands offer the best value in multifunction printers — HP, Brother, or Canon?

Accepted Answer

Brother consistently offers the best balance of upfront price and running costs in the small-to-medium office segment. Their MFC-L series laser and LED MFPs are well-regarded for reliability, and high-yield toner options keep CPP low. Canon's MAXIFY range is competitive for home office inkjet use. HP has the widest range but their average price is higher — you're partly paying for ecosystem features like Instant Ink and the HP Smart platform. Epson's EcoTank models are the standout choice if minimising ink costs is the priority. Lexmark sits at a different level entirely, targeting enterprise and regulated-industry deployments.

Question 7

What security features should I require from an MFP used in a professional or regulated environment?

Accepted Answer

At minimum, a secure print queue with PIN authentication — this holds jobs in memory until the user physically authenticates at the device, preventing sensitive documents from sitting unattended in the output tray. For regulated industries (legal, healthcare, finance), also look for user-level authentication, encrypted data transmission, and hard drive wiping on decommission. These features typically appear on devices priced above 448 £. For GDPR compliance, the ability to audit print jobs and wipe stored data is increasingly important and worth specifying explicitly when purchasing.

Multifunction Printers Price Comparison

Multifunction Printers price comparison UK