Multifunction printers roundup

Average home PC users are equipping themselves with more and more multifunctional peripherals, to the detriment of traditional A4 printers. In 2005, the market saw an increase of 27% in the number of units sold-according to the market research company GfK-when in the same period the increase in A4 inkjets was only 12%. There are several factors behind this success. A primary one is that multifunction printers are now barely more expensive than conventional printers, but offer much greater versatility. In fact, Canon points out that the average sale price of a conventional printer is $128, when that of a multifunction printer is $127! This is somewhat of a paradox.