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10
PRINT.IT
Scanners vs MFPs
MFP does it all
best for the team.”
If print volumes continue to
fall, might it be better to replace
MFPs with single function
network printers and dedicated
desktop or network scanners?
The latter, essentially an
MFP/scanner hybrid, is a
key growth area for scanner
suppliers. “Network scanners
that connect directly to the
network are close to MFPs
in terms of what they offer,”
explained Brosnihan. “The
Canon ScanFront 300/300P
is designed to be shared by
users; and it has a user-friendly
interface that gives people a
personalised home screen when
they log on so they can send
scans to their desktop or to their
own workflows.
“Canon has been a driving
force behind MFPs but we
see network scanners as a
key growth opportunity where
people want a compact device
that can be shared by several
users in the office. Because they
are connected to the network
they can be managed centrally,
with centralised security and
access control; you don’t need
a connected PC and software
installed on that PC; and its
straight paper path can handle
mixed batches and thick and
thin paper sheets. It’s quite
an interesting solution for
customers.”
That said, office MFPs have
great strengths: scanning is
included as standard, so there
is no additional cost and no
additional management burden;
they offer flatbed and sheet
scanning; larger machines
have an A3 capability; they are
familiar tools that people use
every day for printing, copying
and, increasingly, scan-to-email;
they have large, easy to use
displays; printing and scanning
can be monitored and managed
by a single system (e.g. Canon
uniflow); and they are available
with embedded applications so
that users can select routing and
indexing options at the device
itself.
For Toshiba marketing
manager Jeremy Spencer, the
functionality and ease of use
of modern MFPs, and the fact
that they print and copy, gives
them a clear advantage over
desktop and network scanners.
“If you choose a scanner that
has intelligence built-in and a
touch-screen, the price you pay
will not be vastly different to that
of a mono MFP like our new mid-
range products, which scan at up
to 47 pages per minute in colour
at 600dpi,” he said.
These qualities make
MFPs attractive to SMEs with
fairly simple scanning needs
and limited budgets who
might value the convenience
of having a single device
that does everything. In the
last six months, Develop
has taken this to its logical
conclusion and launched
embedded applications for its
MFPs, including Store+Find
(document management) and
Convert+Share (scan conversion
and distribution). According
to marketing manager Glen
Kershaw, these are now used by
dealers as “leading tools to sell
MFPs”.
“For our customers in
the SME market, it’s often a
question of convenience. You
might not be able to justify
having a document scanner on
your desk solely for scanning.
But having a machine that can
print, copy, scan and fax is a
more attractive proposition,” he
said.
Pat Johnson, Xerox product
manager, suggests that for
businesses with large volumes
of paperwork and clearly defined
processes, a mix of scanners
and MFPs might be the best
option. “The MFP is normally
about bringing on the first step
of a workflow. The ability to print
and route scanned images
back to process is about
workflow. But scanners
have a very specific
requirement for digitising into
a specific process. MFPs suit
a balanced deployment of
scanning and print and that is
the key consideration. I don’t
think you would look at an MFP
to do 80% scanning and only
20% print,” he said.
Ultimately, there isn’t a
definitive answer to the question
‘Which is best, scanner or MFP?’.
It all depends on a business’s
needs. All one can say with
confidence is that competition
between scanners and MFPs
has driven improvements in
both categories, with scanner
vendors enhancing ease of use
for ad hoc scanning to email,
folder, cloud, USB etc. and MFP
vendors aiming to match the
scanning speed, paper handling,
image quality and accuracy of
document scanners.
Financial Management
Bureau (FMB), based
in the Lake District,
has four directors,
10 financial planners
and 20 support staff
who look after the
financial affairs of
2,500 clients.
It recently
made the decision
to digitise its
hard copy
archive of 65,000
documents, which
at the time was
stored in an adjacent
building, to save space,
reduce document retrieval
times, give staff remote
access to files and provide
an electronic back-up of
important documents.
It asked Toshiba TEC to
configure a new electronic
scanning and back-up system
for the archive and all future
documents. In order to keep
costs down, FMB wanted to
make use of as much of the
existing infrastructure as
possible.
Toshiba chose the
e-STUDIO2500c that FMB
had purchased several years
previously as the scanning
device. This was used with
Toshiba e-BRIDGE Re-Rite
software, which automatically
converts scans into editable and
searchable digital formats, and
Toshiba Meta Scan technology,
which allows users to scan
documents directly into FMB’s
electronic client folder from the
MFD control panel.
Since the initial installation,
Toshiba has supplied two
further networked MFPs –
an e-STUDIO2330c and an
e-STUDIO255 – with scan
speeds of up to 57 pages per
minute.
Gill Forrester, FMB director of
operations and HR, is delighted
with the results: “Toshiba has
done a fantastic job in providing
a system that complies with
industry legislation and is quick
and simple to use. It has made
our operation extremely flexible,
offers demonstrable benefits
and allows staff to access files
from any remote location as and
when required,” she said.
www.toshiba.co.uk/imaging
...continued
The fi-6230Z and fi-6240Z
scanners feature an automatic
document feeder and
additional built-in
flatbed unit.