For most home and small-business users, space is a precious resource which needs to be used with maximum efficiency.
Although PCs are increasingly compact, they still tend to sprout a cats-cradle of wires supporting a myriad of external devices.
Wireless networks go some way to reducing this clutter as do wireless keyboard/mouse combinations and wireless headsets.
To my mind, the best space-saver is the multifunction (all-in-one) printer which combines the functionality of a printer, scanner and FAX—after all, the FAX is just a combination of scanner, printer and modem so why duplicate existing devices.
Some of these devices can operate as stand-alone faxes though this is not essential if they are attached to a computer.
Multifunction printers are now available based on either laser or inkjet technology, in both wireless and wired variants.
For example, my Hewlett Packard Photosmart 2710 offers high quality colour scanning and printing with stand-alone or PC-based FAX—it has built-in wireless networking and can be directly connected to a PC or network via a USB port or Ethernet cable.
It also has memory-card readers covering several formats—used, for example, to capture data and print directly from digital cameras.
Being wireless, the device can sit anywhere on the premises unless direct FAXing is required in which case it would need to be near a telephone line.
Links for product specifications and technical support are provided below but, as always, have a look at Amazon, eBay etc, for best prices.
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