In addition to the connectivity options listed, multifunction devices/printers can also be connected through other interfaces, such as Bluetooth or NFC. Given below is some additional information on each of the connectivity options:
1. USB: This is a common interface for connecting printers to computers. USB printers can be either directly connected to a single computer or connected to a network via a USB hub
2. Ethernet: This interface is used for connecting printers to a network. Ethernet-connected printers can be accessed by any device on the network, provided that the appropriate drivers and settings are configured.
3. Wireless: Many printers now have built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities that allow them to connect to a wireless network or communicate with devices without any physical cables. Wireless connectivity can be more convenient and flexible than wired connections, but it may also be slower or less reliable.
Public/shared devices - Printer share - Print server
Printer share: A printer share allows multiple users to access a printer over a network. Users can send print jobs to the printer without having to directly connect to the printer.
Print server: A print server is a dedicated device or software program that manages printing requests from multiple client computers over a network.
Configuration settings
Duplex: Duplex printing is the process of printing on both sides of the paper. This feature is sometimes called "double-sided printing" and can help reduce paper usage.
Orientation: Orientation refers to the direction in which content is printed on a page, either portrait or landscape. This setting is important for documents that require a specific layout.
Tray settings: Tray settings allow you to specify which paper tray should be used for a print job. This is useful for printers that have multiple paper trays.
Quality: Quality settings allow you to choose the resolution and quality of the printed output. Higher quality settings result in better-looking documents, but may take longer to print and use more ink or toner.
Security
User authentication: Multifunction devices/printers can require user authentication such as a PIN code or username/password in order to access the printing or scanning functions. This helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Badging: Some organizations use ID badges with embedded chips to grant access to multifunction devices/printers. The devices can be configured to recognize these badges and grant access to certain functions accordingly.
Audit logs: Multifunction devices/printers can keep logs of who accessed the device and when, as well as what actions were performed. This can help with security audits and tracking down unauthorized access or activity.
Secured prints: Some multifunction devices/printers offer the ability to hold a print job in the queue until the user enters a code or swipes their ID badge to release it. This helps ensure that confidential documents are not left sitting in the output tray.
Network scan services
Email: Multifunction devices/printers can be configured to scan documents and send them as email attachments to a specified email address.
SMB: Multifunction devices/printers can be configured to scan documents and save them to a network location using the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.
Cloud services: Some multifunction devices/printers offer the ability to scan documents and save them directly to cloud storage services such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
Automatic document feeder (ADF)/flatbed scanner
Multifunction devices/printers can include an automatic document feeder (ADF) that can scan multiple pages at once, or a flatbed scanner that allows scanning of individual pages or books. These scanners can typically produce high-quality images with various resolution options.
