Navigating the Networking Maze
Photograph: Marc SimonIn addition to their standard repertoire of scan, copy, print, and fax, many of today's laser MFPs can connect to a network and handle network scanning and faxing. The additional tools you can access may depend not only on the MFP you have, but on how you configure it on the network.
There are two ways to set up an MFP on a network. The first involves installing the drivers on a server, after which each client machine finds the print and fax drivers on the server and sends jobs through them.
The main advantage of this configuration is that the network manager retains control over the print properties and settings for the printer and for all clients that use it. Also, a print queue on the server manages print jobs, so the printer doesn't get overloaded with jobs sent simultaneously from multiple clients. Typically, though, under this method you lose the ability to use the MFP's scanner and fax capabilities.
The second method for connecting an MFP is via peer-to-peer networking. In this scenario you install the software and drivers on each client individually. Often, as in the case of the Brother MFC-8840DN and the HP Color LaserJet 2840, a network installation option loads all of the drivers and software necessary for the MFP's functions on each PC on the network.
The peer-to-peer approach is well suited for small workgroups. It lets you use the unit to scan a document to a folder on the network; but it also means that the network manager must install the software on each workstation (or put the drivers on the network for others to access), and individual users retain more control over the printer's settings. And with no print server, you may also run into problems if too many users try to print at one time.
Be sure you understand the networking capabilities of a prospective MFP before you buy. For example, you can connect the Canon ImageClass MF8170C to a network only in a server-client configuration; and if you install the Brother, the Canon, or the HP in a server-client environment, you lose the networked scanning function.
In contrast, Xerox's WorkCentre C2424 has a best-of-both-worlds networking option. I installed the print drivers on PC World's test server running Windows Server 2003; then, at each client station I installed all of the software and drivers via the printer's embedded Web server--a convenience that eliminates the need either to put the drivers on the network or to carry an installation disk to each client PC.
The remaining MFPs (all monochrome) in this roundup offer external ethernet options, ranging in price from $200 to $300; all but the Samsung limit you to using only the printer component via the network.
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