B/W printing
The number of pages the printer can produce per minute in black and white mode. Typically indicated for low print quality, higher print quality takes longer. This setting is important if you need to frequently print text documents.
Colour printing
The number of pages the printer can proceed per minute in colour mode. As like b/w printing, the print speed is usually indicated in the worst quality (at maximum speed), in higher quality the print speed is lower. This setting is worth paying attention to if you need to print colour graphic materials frequently.
Photo printing
Printer's print rate in photographic (highest) quality. Unlike other similar parameters, in this case the speed is usually indicated for a 10x15 sheet (A6 as the most popular format for photos). In addition, photo printing speed is not expressed in pages per minute, but in seconds per page, because such printing takes a lot of time. This option is worth paying attention to if you plan to
print photos frequently.
Double-side printing
Feature of a
double-sided printing function. This mode implies that after printing on one side, a special gear turns over a sheet of paper and feeds it for printing on the other side. This not only saves the user from manual paper turn-overs, but also exclude the risk of printing the second side upside down.
Ink Type
— Pigment. Ink based on pigments — solid dyes, which are diluted in the form of microparticles in a liquid filler to a state of suspension. Compared to more popular water-based inks, these inks are noticeably more expensive, and the finished image may turn out to be somewhat less bright (compared to printing with water-based dye on the same MFP). On the other hand, pigment ink gives higher detail, which is especially important for photo printing. In addition, finished images resist humidity better and do not fade as quickly in bright light — this resistance is not enough for outdoor use, but indoors such prints can be stored for a very long time.
— Water soluble. Inks based on water-soluble dyes allow achieving high realism of colour reproduction in colour printing, they are well absorbed into the deep layers of paper and are cheaper than pigment inks. Also, water-soluble ink does not dry as quickly in the cartridge or print head of the MFP. They are recommended for use with inkjet paper — ordinary thin paper strongly absorbs dropsy, which can cause ink to show through on the back of the sheet. At the same time, water-soluble ink is afraid of moisture and direct exposure to ultraviolet light — when water gets on, the paint on paper “floats”, and it fades under the sun light.
— Pigmented / water soluble. Some MFPs have a print head that allows you to print with two types of ink at once. A common case is when their black cartridge is filled with pigment...ink, and the colour one is filled with water-soluble ink.
Cartridge model
Types of cartridges (both black&white and colour) used in the MFP. Some models of the MFP are able to work with third-party cartridges, but this feature usually refers to undocumented, and the manufacturer's warranty applies only to specific types of cartridges. So, use third-party compatible cartridge models with caution.
Diagonal
The diagonal of the display installed in the MFP.
The larger the display, the more convenient it is to use, the better you can see the image on it.
MFPs with a large display(from 7" and above) are especially convenient when you need to view various graphic materials on the screen — for example, photos for printing or scanned results. In addition, a large diagonal is highly desirable for touch screens (see "Display "). On the other hand, the larger the display, the more expensive it is and the more space it takes up, despite the fact that a small diagonal is enough for basic tasks and settings (this is already better than
models without a display). Therefore, even in the most advanced models this indicator does not exceed 10.4", and in general, large screens are typical mainly for high-end MFPs with an abundance of additional features.
More Features
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana. The presence of one or more of these names in the specs of the MFP means that the device is compatible with the corresponding
voice assistant — a system that allows you to give commands to various devices using your voice and receive voice notifications. Note that this is usually not about the presence of an assistant in the MFP itself, but about the ability to connect the device to a gadget equipped with a voice assistant — for example, a smartphone or laptop. However, this feature provides additional convenience — it allows you to control the MFP with just your voice, without using the control panel or touch screen, in particular, to send various files to print. At the same time, you should note that the functionality of the voice assistant and the possibilities for connecting it may be limited. For example, Amazon Alexa is able to print only content directly associated with the assistant (shopping lists, calendar templates, coloring books, and some other types of materials) and does not allow you to randomly select a file for printing from a third-party source, and you need to connect a device with such a voice assistant via a local network — this cannot be done directly via USB.
— Keyboard. In this case, we are talking about a full-fledged QWERTY keyboard, like those used in computers and laptops. For basic tasks, such equipment is not required, so the keyboard is a sign of a fairly adv
...anced device. Models with this function, usually, provide a network connection (via LAN and/or Wi-Fi), and also have additional tools for managing materials (sorting, sending by fax or e-mail, etc.).
— Built-in fax. Allows the MFP to receive and send faxes. Two devices are involved in such a transfer: the first scans the document and transmits information via the telephone network, and the second prints a copy of the document based on this information. Despite the popularity of Internet technologies, fax communication is still quite widely used in business. Therefore, the MFP with built-in fax can be recommended primarily for use in the office. Fax is often combined with a telephone.
— Disc label printing. This function allows you to arrange the recorded disc (Printable CD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW) as you wish. Special software can be included to the package of the MFP with such a feature to create layouts for label printing.Grammage (max)
The maximum grammage that the MFP can print on. The grammage of the paper depends primarily on its thickness; thick paper is strong, but if it is thicker than allowed by MFP's manufacturer, the paper feeder simply cannot handle such sheets.