As we all now, the trend for most gadgets is going towards multitasking. A lot of gadgets that are released in the market are able to do more than just one thing. The one we are particularly interested in are portable printer scanners. To put simply, a portable printer scanner is one portable device that is capable of printing and scanning. Buying a multifunctional machine may not always be the best choice. In fact, each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will focus on the critical points that will help you decide which option to choose, buying a combination or buying distinct machines.
Initial Cost
If you buy a portable printer scanner, it is definitely much cheaper than buying a printer and scanner separately. We are still in a transition stage where most stationary machines are converting into portable gadgets. Printers and Scanners are two of these machines. Unfortunately, the prices of them being portable have not gone down significantly yet. So if you buy a portable printer and a portable scanner, you can expect to pay twice as much compared to buying a single portable printer scanner.
Availability
If you buy a portable printer scanner, most likely, you are not able to print and scan at the same time. Unlike having a separate printer and scanner, you can do both tasks simultaneously. If time is not always of the essence, then you can just line up your tasks with a printer scanner. However, if you think that you will need to do both simultaneously, then it is much more practical to buy two machines.
Quality
Currently, printer companies are still in the process of squeezing features into small packages. They have recently succeeded in cramming printers into one small portable device. Unfortunately, they have not yet succeeded in cramming the same printers of the same printing quality and scanners of high scanning resolutions into one portable device. The more you decrease the size of a machine, the more features are sacrificed. As of today, the portable printer scanner from Canon can only print up to 5 pages per minute whereas the portable device can print up to four times this speed.
Portability
Buying portable gadgets means that you are intending to carry them with you at some point in time. Having a combination of two machines is much more advantageous in this scenario. This way, you only have to allocate space just for one machine. However, if you have two gadgets, then you have to allocate more space. You're in luck if the space taken by both machines is equivalent to the multifunctional machine you have. However, this is very unlikely. If you plan on purchasing the world's smallest printer and smallest scanner separately which you can both fit in a pocket, then there's hardly a problem at all. However, the capabilities of these smallest gadgets are not on par yet with professional printers and scanners.
The choice of buying a portable printer scanner against buying a printer and portable scanner is totally up to you. You need to know which convenience is preferred. You can save money by opting to buy a portable printer scanner but you can save time in doing tasks when you buy both a portable printer and portable scanner. The choice is up to you.
