The introduction of multi-purpose printers has taken the IT world by storm and rather than turn to the usual printer which have become disposable in a sense, the evolution of 3-in-1 printers that include a scanner, copier and a printer rolled into one has certainly been gaining ground. But the question is, are they worth the investment?

One would be surprised at the cost of one printer. Normally a Hewlett Packard 3-in-1 printer would cost somewhere in the vicinity of $80 to $150. Not bad considering the use it can give. As far as print cartridges are concerned, it is similar to the traditional ones we buy.

Other printer manufacturers such as Canon and Epson have unveiled their own versions although majority of focus is still on HP, a prime leader in printing technology. Epson and Canon have their own share of loyalists but what you have to wonder in the end is the durability of these printers.

For example if the scanner or the printer feeder gets busted, would you still be able to use it? Traditionally, we have seen most printers that bog down end up being left for naught. Why? Changing a printer head practically costs more than buying a new one so why bother?

So with that in mind, would it be wise to buy these 3-in-1 printers over the plain printers today? Depending on the use, people can get a lot of mileage out of them. But if you are just buying one because of features, think again. It may not be worthy if you just want plain quality printing.