Can You Use an All-In-One Printer without A Computer?

Kyle Adam
Kyle Adam
Founder at - Printers Guider

Kyle Adam is a printer technician and the founder of this site. After completing his graduation in Computer Science and Engineering, he started work for...Read more

If you experience a terrible situation where you’ve got no place to print, scan, and photocopy urgently and your computer is not working for any reason, you’ll ask, “Can you use an all-in-one printer without a computer?” But knowing the roles of an all-in-one printer at your disposal will give a good answer.

An all-in-one printer is known to multitask, and that multitasking includes delivering even without a computer. So, you can conveniently use an all in one printer without a computer. However, it is not all the all-in-one printers you can use without a computer.

This article will show you the list of all-in-one printers that you can use without a computer. Also, we’ll educate you on the features of an all-in-one printer, where to use it, and how to use it. Therefore, keep reading this article to grab more!

Can You Use an All-In-One Printer without A Computer?

Yes, you can use an all in one printer without a computer. Some all-in-one printers’ functions make it possible to use without needing a computer handy. Generally, all printers have one feature that you can use without a computer. Such a feature is photocopying.

Can You Use an All-In-One Printer without A Computer - know the way

A printer that photocopies don’t need a computer during the photocopy process. You just need to open it, carefully place the paper document in the printer, and input the number of copies that you want. Then, press the enter button and allow the printer to duplicate your hard copy documents according to your command.

So when someone asks, can you use an all-in-one printer without a computer? The ultimate answer is yes because this type of printer has many features enabling such operation.

Functions of An All-In-One Printer that Makes It Work without A Computer

From its name, an all-in-one printer should have one-stop functions of a unique printer. The main functions are;

Photocopying

An all-in-one printer should have the ability to photocopy hard copy documents to as many copies as you want by itself. They usually have a space for you to open and place the paper for the machine to scan and print out. This’s the most common and easy use of any ‘all-in-one’ printer. You don’t need to connect a computer to it while operating the AIO printer, as it comprises buttons that will help you out.

Photocopying Functions of An All-In-One Printer

Printing

Printing autonomously is one of the key functionalities of an AIO printer; take note. You can connect your flash drive or SD card to the ports on the AIO printer. So, an all-in-one printer must have a printing feature too. This is where you get a soft copy of a document and print it to a hard copy through the printing machine. Some printers use cords, Bluetooth, and many other devices like Wi-Fi connections. Whatever the manufacturers choose to put as the printer’s receiver is allowable.

Printing on All-In-One Printer

Connecting to print with a printer is not so hard too. You just link the device that holds the printing idea to the device necessary and commands the printer to print.

Scanning

Scanning is similar to photocopying. However, it’s another completely different thing. Scanning involves converting a hard copy of a word document to a soft copy and making it editable. Many people scan documents because of wrong signatures or information that needs editing.

scaning function of All-In-One Printer

Whatever the case might be, the process is highly complex in even an all-in-one printer. You first of all need to put the hard copy in the all-in-one printer. Then, use the device you connect the printer with to scan and edit the document.

As well, you can scan a document using an AIO printer without needing a computer. Remember, all these functionalities are embedded in the printer and operated with buttons.

What Are the Key Features to Get in An All-In-One Printer?

  • Print Quality: The quality of the print is usually evaluated in dots per inch. B/W printers have a minimum print resolution of 600 x 600 DPI and a maximum resolution of 2400 x 1200 HD DPI. On the other hand, colored printers produce a minimum of 1200 x 1200 and a max resolution of 4600 x 2400 ideal quality pictures.
  • Print Speed: The standard print speed to look out for is 20 B/W pages per minute and 10 colored pages per minute. This is the standard to note. In cases where you have to wait for something to finish printing before you commence yours, that can actually be painstaking.
  • Laser vs. Inkjet: The two kinds of printers are very common and popular; however, the inkjets printer creates higher-quality pictures than its counterpart. Besides, they are a bit costlier per page than laser printers.
  • Duty Cycle: This is the maximum number of pages your AIO printer should execute each month. Office-based printers usually have a high duty cycle ranging from 2,000 to 25,000 per page. On the other hand, home-based printers have a duty cycle of 5,000 pages, which is usually ideal for most users.
  • Cost of Ink Replacement: When purchasing an AIO printer, you will need to compare the yield expected from your toner or ink cartridge. To do this, divide the cartridge cost by the anticipated yield, and there you have it. Also, don’t forget to factor in the cartridge costs as well.
  • Scanner Resolution: Noting that this is an AIO printer, it must have an effective scanner resolution. Therefore, the minimum scanner resolution is 1200 x 600, necessary for HD images. Howbeit, a resolution of 4800 x 4800 is ideal for creating ultra-high-quality images.
  • Scanner Element Type: This is quite unusual to many individuals, but scanner elements are two distinct kinds. The first one is the CCD, Charged Couple Device scanner, which is the more ideal for scanning graphic documents. The second is the CIS or Color Contact Image Scanners, which produce more effective text scans.
  • OCR Scanner Software: AIO printers incorporate software packages that offer drivers for various devices embedded in the multipurpose printer. It also comes with an interface that enables the users to use the different device functions. The Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tool is a scanner software program that converts a scanned text to an editable document which you can view and edit on a PC text editor like MS Word.
  • Fax Page Memory: The fax page memory explains the number of pages that can be scanned and temporarily stored while the faxes are being sent. Remarkably, the fax page memory can represent several faxes to different numbers. Thus, ensure that you seek a minimum fax page memory of 100 pages.
  • Copy Speed: After the scanner has reproduced an image, its speed in creating those copies is essential. Similar to a regular printer, there is a negative effect of introducing a bulky number of projects. This can cause the printer to slow down.
  • Automatic Document Feeder: On an AIO printer, you don’t have to manually load the pages of fax documents on a given scanner. It’s also worthy to note that when documents are loaded into the computer with this process, you can now save them in any required file document. However, this feature enables you to record the number of scanned documents on the feeder tray.
  • Fax Page Speed: Notably, an AIO printer should be able to send a fax page within 5 seconds. This, among others, stands the AIO printer from the crowd.
  • Internet Connectivity: It’s also interesting that the AIO printers can function on the internet only from your smartphone or router. It truly enables you to establish an internet connection.
  • SD Card Compatibility: As we had established earlier, the SD Card/memory card slot within the AIO printer is one that you shouldn’t take lightly. This feature allows you to print this directly from your memory card or even store documents on your memory card.
  • Copied Document Sizing: This is an amazing feature because not all printers can do it. The capacity for an AIO printer to enlarge or shrink an image directly from the printer’s scanner table is great. Also, you can shrink or enlarge images by percentages.

Where Will You Use Your All-In-One Printer?

It is highly useful everywhere, just name it! Since it’s an all-in-one printer, there’re no printing needs that it can’t sort out. And the good thing is you don’t have to spend a lot of bucks to get a top-quality all-in-one printer. You’ll find the best all in one printers under $200 from reputed brands if you look carefully. However, below are the places where you’ll most likely use your all-in-one printer.

At Your Office

In offices, people print, photocopy, or scan documents for various reasons. Many times, they send it to people working under their authority. So, instead of going out to print, scan, or photocopy a document, they can use the all-in-one printer in their office.

To also avoid bulky machines for different purposes, an all-in-one printer can fix your core needs at once.

In Your Home

Some people work from home every day, some work from home on weekends or holidays, while some have their growing business. If you fall in any of these categories, you may need an all-in-one printer! If you’ve got it at home, everyone can use it for school projects and many other purposes.

At Commercial Printing Offices

Another use case of an all-in-one printer is at commercial printing offices. That will be the best way to slash the cost. The cost of buying a photocopying machine and a printing machine separately is higher than buying an all-in-one printer.

And since it’s portable, it won’t occupy space. This means that you can start your commercial printing business in a small space and still handle it properly. With this, you can attend to more customers with just one machine.

What Kind of Printer Do You Need if You Don’t Have a Computer?

Don’t worry about printing, if You don’t have a computer.  There’re certain printers to print for you without a computer! You can use them for printing even when you don’t have a computer. Some of them have the following features.

SD Card

Printers with SD card ports don’t need computers to print. You can store the work on your SD card. Afterward, slot the SD card into the spot created for it, then use the operational buttons on the printer to find and print the document from the SD card.

USB Ports

There are two ways to use printers that have USB ports. Either with flash drives or mobile devices. You probably don’t need to write and edit with a computer as there are applications that work for that on your mobile devices. So, get them, write with your mobile device, get a USB cord, and connect your device with the printer.

Then, send the page or pages to be printed to the printer. Also, you can send your work to your flash drive and plug it into your printer. Then, print the work out with the printer.

Wi-Fi Connection

Some printers use Wi-Fi to connect to devices and print out documents. For such printers, you just need your smartphone to connect your hotspot and Wi-Fi and then send the document to your printer from your smartphone. Then, print out the document.

How to Use an All-In-One Printer without A Computer?

Using an all-in-one printer with no computer isn’t an issue as you might think. We’ll list the services that can go here, and how to do them without a computer.

How to Use an All-In-One Printer without A Computer

How to Photocopy Without A Computer

To photocopy a page with an all-in-one printer, you don’t actually need a computer. Just place the document in the machine, and press the number of copies that you want. Then, allow the machine to bring out the copies.

How to Print Without A Computer

Some all-in-one printers use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, and SD card ports. If you’ve got the page on your SD card, you can insert it. Then, search for the document and print it out, and the same works for the USB port.

Then for the Wi-Fi and the Bluetooth technology, you can link your smartphone to the printer and send the pages you want to print out. Then, let it print out the number of copies you request.

How to Scan without A Computer

To scan documents without a computer, place the documents in the all-in-one printer scanner and connect the printer to your smartphone device. You can use the Wi-Fi method, Bluetooth, or the USB port option, and then you can save the document to your Google Account or Cloud to get it later with your devices.

Conclusion

An all-in-one printer has printing, photocopying, and scanning features. Also, there’re other features present for an all-in-one task. However, the question is: can you use an all-in-one printer without a computer? Yes, you can use an all-in-one printer without a computer, and above in this article, we have illustrated the process. An all-in-one printer comes with an SD card slot, Wi-Fi connection, or USB port; using those mediums, you can perform the printing and other activity without a computer.

Kyle Adam is a printer technician and the founder of this site. After completing his graduation in Computer Science and Engineering, he started work for a renowned printer manufacturing company as a printer technician. Besides his job, he also loves to do research and write about what he is dealing with in his everyday life; Printersguider is the result of that. Kyle created this site to educate those who need a specialized printer but don’t have proper knowledge about it.

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