It may not be as 'fun’ as buying a new computer, but choosing the right 'peripheral’ office equipment – that’s everything connected to your computer – can really help you save time and money.

When looking at what to buy, think about what’s going to be most important for you in your work.  For example, most offices need a printer, even if all you’ll be using it for is sending letters. But would a fax be handy too, (maybe as a back up for email or sending a document when signatures are required).  And what about a scanner, that can convert bulky documents into electronic form, saving valuable office space?

Printers come in two types – laser and inkjet. Each has similar text print quality, although laser has a slight edge. But when it comes to reproducing colour photographs, inkjets win hands down. Laser products are more expensive and tend to be larger, but they are also faster – probably best if you need to produce a large number of colour prints over a working week. If it’s an inkjet printer you settle on, Brother offers a very popular range of products that combine an inkjet printer with a range of functions in one compact machine.

For a typical home office set up, the all-in-one option offers many benefits:

	Space saving – the latest generation of all-in-ones stand no taller than the average coffee cup and combine print, copy, scan and fax functions into one compact machine. Look out for small but important details like the cables placed  inside the machine, so it can nestle neatly against a wall. Check that a compact model doesn’t expand by a third in operation (with a large pull out paper tray for example).
	Cash saving - as you might expect, an all-in-one is far cheaper than buying four separate units, four different sets of inks or toners and four different warranty covers.
	Minimum wiring – avoid spaghetti junction on your desk! An all-in-one needs just one lead, one socket, and just one connection to your computer.  And many of Brother’s latest models are wireless, too.
	Easy installation - with all-in-ones, you only have to cope with one set of software installation on your PC.
	Saves power – an all-in-one uses far less energy than four separate machines. Less heat and noise are generated too.
	Easy email – some models offer a 'scan to email’ facility which lets you email scans to another person without having to manually attach the scanned images.