I know this isn't directly related to kids. But hay, if we can't run our businesses than it is really hard to be a good mommy :-)
I run a preschool/daycare from our home and my husband owns a delivery company. We were working on our quarterly taxes and realized how much we were spending on ink (we have and HP AiO) and faxing at the UPS store (my husband faxes a lot of invoices). So we need a better solution!
Do you have a great copier/fax/scanner/printer that you use?
It would be great if it were wireless (our current one is not :-) But I would love to not have to plug my laptop in every time I want to print.
Thanks for all your help ladies!
I have an Epson 500, copier, scanner, printer, fax. It's a great printer and I love it. The ink is a little pricey to buy, but aren't they all?!
Can you scan your invoices and e-mail them? Or if the billing software has a save as you can save your invoices to your computer and e-mail them.
I had a brother all in one (copies, scanner, printer) but I upgraded my system and everything works except the scanner and they don't have a patch for that so i won't be buying another brother all in one. I bought a Kodak but it didn't work with my Qwest Actiontec wireless so I had to return that.
Knowing this I would ask the question - how much ink does the printer use next to other printers (all in ones), does it have double-sided capabilites (automatically), does it work with all routers or is there some routers it doesn't work with. Warranties? ease of use? How many copies per minute and how fast?
Look on line and compare to other brands. Office Max, Office Depot, etc online can probably give you that info.
Good luck - I eventually will be buying a new all-in-one because the scanner does not work as mentioned above. I want one that when you upgrade your computer you can also upgrade your printer or I don't want the printers. That would be my choice.
N.
we went paperless and email most of our invoices. Would that be an option?
Consider using Greenfax. It's an online service that allows you to send faxes via email (you email them a PDF, they fax it to the phone number you specify). For one page it's 7 cents, 12 cents for 2 pages. I bet that's cheaper than UPS- especially if you don't have to drive there!
As for generating your invoices on the computer- there are several services/products that can work. QuickBooks has a feature that allows you to print your invoices as a PDF. If you are using Excel or some other standard program with a print feature, consider downloading Bullzip PDF printer. It will add a printer to your list, but when you print to it a PDF is created. Then use your email program and Greenfax to fax away!
As for actual hardware, the network printer I use is no longer in production. Very sad. But instead of a wireless printer (which costs you a whole bunch of money when your printer isn't going to move that much). Consider a standard network printer hooked into one of the ports of your wireless router. At that, you could consider a laser all in one like the Dell 2335dn Multifunction Laser Printer. I always advocate for getting the right tool the first time. The price tag is heafty ($739), but to cost savings on toner vs. ink is good, it has all the functionality you'll need, and the Dell warranty and service program is great.
If your heart is set on WiFi, then the Dell V715W Printer is $139 right now and should cover all your needs.
A little about me- I was a technology consultant before mommy-hood. I did not ever work for Dell. I just found their products to be useful, cost effective and reliable. I would NEVER recommend HP for the exact same reasons.
I have a Brother MFC (multi-function center) and love it. It's actually my second. The first one lasted about 5 years and it was cheaper to replace it than have it serviced when I started having problems. They aren't very expensive, are wireless compatible and are compact enough to fit on a small desk. I've bought mine at Office Max. Good luck!
We have an Epson Workforce all in one wifi printer,scanner,fax.
We run our business from home and I run QuickBooks Pro to run invoices and such. We email all invoices, we have E-Fax.
I do love the wireless printer and when I need to print I just hit the button from anaywhere in the house and go get it. LOVE that feature.
I bought a wireless all-in-one printer from Dell for my Montessori school, and I love it. I bought it with a new laptop from Dell, so I don't know what you would have to do to make it work with an existing laptop. Honestly, the wireless capability has saved my sanity. I was so sick of plugging in the laptop to print stuff! I guess it's the little things in life that make you hapy, right :) The model we bought is V515W(Red). The only thing I didn't know when I bought it is that no one else carries ink for it, so if you order one, be sure to order some more cartidges at the same time. Their prices for cartridges are fine, and there's no shipping charge for standard shipping, so I just order 3 at a time, and when I put in my last one I reorder. Good luck!
We have an HP Officejet 5610xi AIO. We use the scan (then email) a lot to avoid faxing but the machine does fax. The unit is wireless but hard wired to one desktop computer in the house. There is a sheet feeder for copying, scanning, and faxing. This is very helpful.
This unit is from Costco and more than a year old. I would always go there for the current and best deal.
