Multifunction printer/scanner/copier recommendation needed

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Mike Hauber
> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 8:15 PM
> To: freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> Subject: Re: Multifunction printer/scanner/copier recommendation needed
> 
> 
> Has _anyone_ out there found an exception to this?  I'd be 
> interested to know.  
> 
> Is it that the hardware _must_ be software driven (in 
> addition to the drivers)?  Is it a problem with the 
> structure of the drivers themselves?  What gives?  
> 

The companies that make multifunction units are really in
the business to make a quick buck.  The only way they can
do this is to produce the units dirt-cheap then only produce
just enough support so that people don't get pissed at the
units and return them to the store right after purchasing them.
This isn't hard as the
target market for these devices are the small home office 
people who are, in a word, cheapskates, who don't care about
long term ROI.  They just want a cheap $99 multifunction device
and if it breaks in a year they figure they will just landfill
it and get another one on sale.

These devices have terrible support even within Windows.  Lots of
people bought Canon multifunction fax/scanner/printers a couple
years ago then found no Windows XP drivers were forthcoming
when Windows XP was released.  The multifunction devices selling
today aren't going to be supported past Windows 2003 either.

There's lots and lots of retired office equipment out there that
is fantastic, plain paper faxes, laser printers, photocopiers, etc.
Sure you may have to drop $100 on a new toner cartridge and a
fuser when you buy it - but it's going to last a home office's printing
needs another decade at the rate they print paper.

> I ask because when people ask me, all I can relate is what 
> I've experienced, and I can't give them an explanation 
> other than, "Multi-function products bite."
> 

Cheap office equipment bites, period.  If your going to work at
home, spend the dough for decent gear.  Why turn your home office
into a nightmare of cheap crap?  It always amazes me that people
setting up a home office will buy a $25 chair from Target that
will fall apart in a year and feels like sitting on a board,
when they can go to a used office dealer and get a used commercial
chair that sold for $250 new, for about $50, and won't kill their
lower back.

Ted