1. Clearly define your requirements.

Understand what you intend the MFP to do for your end users and how adding MFPs to your mix will support business applications and provide value-add capabilities. Beyond printing and copying how do you want to use the MFP to help manage documents, reduce paper, simplify workflow, manage forms etc?

  • How many copy, print, scan, fax and email jobs will the device be asked to run each day? Are there peak usage periods when jobs might conflict with one another?
  • How many users will each device support?
  • What is the total monthly volume of output? If there are peak usage periods, how much is printed then?
  • Is there sufficiently broad range of printing, and scanning speeds and features from the MFP vendor to meet different workgroup needs?
  • Do you need robust document finishing options from the desktop?
  • Do you need to offer, as well as control, both black-andwhite and color printing?
  • Do you need a range of workflow and routing solutions (scan to email, desktop, remote location, repositories)?
  • Is the MFP configurable to meet different needs? Is it upgradeable to add new or improved functionality?
  • Can users or administrators also add metadata to any scanned document, making it ready for quick search and retrieval?
  • Are solutions available for specialized accounting applications (e.g., activity by user, for all functions)?
  • Does the scanning solution also include optional OCR software with advanced desktop layout analysis for editing, archiving and sharing?
  • Do you need to combine and route documents in a variety of file formats and does the vendor support this solution?
  • Do you have specialized forms and can the vendor support scanning, data capture, and routing of these forms?
  • Do you need full database integration support (e.g., Microsoft® and Unix®/Linux® environments)?
  • Are you looking for simple collaboration tools to better share documents, using common repositories?
  • Do you need to integrate document content with common search engines?
  • Can the vendor provide the ability to extend a point solution to larger workgroups or to the enterprises?

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