Does this sound familiar? The copier is across the room, the fax is by the receptionist and the scanner is buried under reams of paper on a shelf somewhere. The tools you need should be close and easily accessible, but many times they just aren’t. If this sounds anything like your workspace, there is a Cool Tool you might consider. It’s called a multi-function printer. It’s a printer (color and black and white), scanner, copier and a fax machine all rolled into one. With an average width of about 20 inches and weight of about 30 lbs., it’s bigger than any one of the machines it replaces, but it’s still small enough to sit on a desk or small table for easy access. Of course, there are many multi-function printers that are inexpensive, but we took a look at those that also feature a network card. The network card allows everyone in your office to use this very cool tool. Here’s a quick and easy side-by-side comparison of the features of three popular manufacturers.

Features	HP Office Jet D145	Canon MultiPASS 730	Lexmark All-In-One X6170
Target	Small Offices	Small Offices	Small Offices
Multi Functions	Color and black & white printing, scanner, copier, fax machine.	Color and black & white printing, scanner, copier, fax machine.	Color and black & white printing, scanner, copier, fax machine.
Interface	USB	USB	USB
Compatibility	PC and MAC	PC Windows XP, ME or higher, 2000 or higher.	PC Windows XP, Windows ME or higher, Windows 98 or higher, Windows 2000 or higher.
Memory	32 MB	Compact flash, memory stick, multimedia card	16 MB
Printer Features	Black & White – 19 pages per minute. Color – 16 pages per minute	Black & White – 22 pages per minute. Color – 14 pages per minute.	Black & White – 19 pages per minute. Color – 15 pages per minute.
Copier Features	Black &White – 18 pages per minute. Color – 19 pages per minute.	Black & White – 22 pages per minute. Color – 14 pages per minute.	Black & White – 16 pages per minute. Color – 12 pages per minute.
Fax Features	Memory of 100 pages	Memory of 250 pages	Memory of 100 pages
Scanner Features	Flatbed	Flatbed	Flatbed
Media	Maximum size – Legal. Maximum capacity 150 pages.	Maximum size – Legal. Maximum capacity 150 pages. Inkjet, envelopes, plain paper and transparencies.	Maximum size – Legal. Maximum capacity 100 pages. Banners, coated papers, index cards, photo paper, plain paper, envelopes, labels.
Size	13 inches high, 16 inches deep, 21 inches wide. Weight – 32.4 lbs.	12 inches high, 19 inches deep, 17 inches wide. Weight – 28.2 lbs.	11.7 inches high, 17 inches deep, 19.7 inches wide. Weight 21.2 lbs.
Warranty	30 days	30 days	30 days
Price	Approx. $500	Approx. $400	Approx. $250

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www.cnet.com
www.canon.com
www.hp.com
www.lexmark.com