As a small or medium sized enterprise, the law of today’s business jungle is to do more with less. The law applies to everything from office space – hot desking and home office environments will drive the US mobile workforce to an all time high 75% in 2011 – to staffing headcount to technology devices.

The all-singing, all-dancing, all-in-one-printer is a response to such times. Printing, scanning, copying, faxing, document archiving and management are all taken care of under a single, compact roof. The multifunction printer has become an essential catalyst for efficient business and professional business processes, and every opportunity to save time, money, energy and space is carefully assessed by every CFO and CTO.

For decades, Hewlett Packard has been a leader in the design and development of office hardware solutions and technologies, and has well earned its reputation as an innovative manufacturer with an eye for the future.

An item high on corporate agendas in 2011 is the environmental impact of their investments. While printing has historically been the bugbear of both the CFO and environmental stewards, a compact all-in-one printer packed with functionality can, in fact, dramatically reduce energy consumption when compared to several single-function devices.

Perhaps the streamlining and space savings that can be gained collecting, organizing and archiving documents electronically rather than hard copies don’t easily spring to mind. But small things can have a big impact.

The range of HP multifunction printers runs from a few hundred dollars to above $5,000 for a fully-loaded top of the range offering, providing coverage for businesses of any size. Networking and wireless capabilities are features that make HP all in one printer not just versatile, but adaptable to the modern workplace.

Wireless printing for a mobile world.

The IDC estimates that 75% of the US workforce – 120 million people, in other words – will be mobile in 2011. That’s up from 68% in 2006 and reveals the pace at which businesses are embracing the proliferation of Wi-fi and mobile technologies. The global mobile population is forecast to reach 1.2 billion, or one third of the world’s workforce, by 2013 according to the same source.

HP was one of the early adopters of wireless printing, which supports the opinion that, having got a jump on the market, they’ve developed one of the more robust and innovative products out there, with built-in Wi-fi that enables users to print from their laptops or mobile devices.

As always, an important practice in selecting the best-fit multifunction printer is to look beyond the sticker price and appreciate the business needs. How many people will use the device? What percentage of the printing is colour? How much will be spent on consumables? Can you save paper by printing double-sided? A straightforward test of the print environment using a simple software application will provide these answers and ensure the correct investments are made.