Fax machines, scanners, photocopiers, and the multifunction devices that combine all three functions fall into the category of imaging equipment: machines that can turn paper documents and photographs into digital files to be sent to other devices or printed onto another piece of paper. Are they all useful? Undoubtedly. Harmless? Not always. Besides wasting energy-about 15 million kilowatt hours (kWh) annually in U.S. offices alone-imaging equipment can contain a number of toxic metals, including zinc, chromium, and nickel, according to Consumer Reports. Some displays have mercury in them.

And if the device is old enough, its plastic parts were probably treated with fire retardants that, while giving you extra time to flee should the machine burst into flame, are generally considered toxic and bioaccumulative (a fancy way of saying that they build up in your body over time).

The good news, though, is that new federal specifications are pushing manufacturers to build devices that are more energy-efficient. Companies have also started experimenting with biodegradable parts and vegetable-based printer inks. Take-back programs, refillable ink cartridges, part recycling, and rental options cut back on e-waste. USB-port connections, double-sided printing, and power strips can conserve paper and electricity. And the widespread use of networked computers makes it easier than ever to skip the paper part altogether.

Tough love: stricter standards
In April 2007, Energy Star revised its specifications for office imaging equipment, making it harder to get the rating. Before, the bar was pretty low. Devices were given an Energy Star label if they were efficient in low-power mode, went to sleep after being inactive for a period of time, and printed on both sides. "They were fairly simple requirements, which is why a lot of manufacturers built ones that qualified," says Katharine Kaplan, manager of product development for consumer electronics and information technology products for Energy Star. "It was a good time to work for more."

The new Energy Star-rated imaging equipment will be at least 30 percent more efficient than non-rated equipment, while performing just as well. The new requirements split imaging equipment into two groups based on how they work: laser and inkjet, with scanners being evaluated using the inkjet criteria. The laser-dependent imaging devices tend to be larger and run at higher temperatures, while inkjet devices run cooler and are more compact. Also, under the new requirements, any imaging device that can churn out 25 pages per minute must have a double-sided printing function.

Beyond Energy Star ratings, there isn't a federal government standard to evaluate just how eco-friendly imaging equipment is overall. As a result, we're awash in hundreds of mostly niche environmental labels and standards. The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), devised by the Green Electronics Council, is limited to computers and computer equipment at the moment, although a spokesperson says there are plans to expand it to cover other devices. The EcoLogo label is awarded by the Canadian government spin-off TerraChoice, which evaluates and tests products in hundreds of categories. Following Energy Star's lead, it is currently updating its office equipment standards.

Until imaging machines can be composted along with the potato peels, it's a good idea to look for the newest technologies, in a device that has everything you need. Think of it as an investment. "We generally tell people, 'Upgrade up front if you can,'" says Alex Szabo, founder of the Green Office, which evaluates both manufacturers and their products for greenness. "If you are able to buy a product that is more durable-especially in a tech category-with the latest, greatest inputs and outputs, that product is likely to last longer through technology cycles."

At the moment, the feds don't require us to recycle our electronic devices. In recent years, however, manufacturers, retailers, and nonprofit groups have launched take-back programs to collect broken or obsolete machines and recycle them.

You can even find refurbished machines that are as good as new. It's worth checking into these options before you buy. You might also want to consider leasing the machine you want. "It's a more environmentally responsible model than owning, because someone else is responsible for the durability of the system," says Philip White, assistant professor of industrial design at Arizona State University's School of Sustainability.

Photocopiers
We've come a long way from giant mid-century photocopiers that took 10 minutes to crank out 70 pages. But the fundamentals are still the same: Originals in, copies out.

Midsize copiers for small offices or workgroups that only copy and do nothing else run from $300 to more than $500 and can generally produce 15 to 30 copies per minute. If you need to make copies only occasionally, a small black-and-white personal copier costing around $150 will work well, but at a slow speed and with limited capacity for paper sizes other than 8 ½ by 11 inches. Your best bet-especially if you're going to do more than copy-is to get a basic multifunction device that has a copier function (see below).

Hard-core office-equipment experts call it "duplexing," while the guy photocopying TPS reports calls it double-sided printing. Whatever you choose to call it, the new Energy Star rating for copiers requires it. Even if you can't find an Energy Star-rated copier, make sure it has a double-sided printing option. Copiers, by the way, fall into Energy Star's laser category, which means that every machine is now put through its paces for a typical week's worth of use. (The way the new standard is designed, only about one-quarter of the machines tested so far have passed.) Photocopiers with the new rating must also power down when idle.

Figuring out which copier is the most eco-friendly is only half the work. How you use it counts for the rest. Paper costs not only trees but also energy. "Paper is simply expensive energy," says Bruce Nordman, an energy analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "I estimated a while back that it takes 16 watt-hours to make a sheet of paper. The average office worker used about five sheets an hour-80 watts of electricity equivalent for the paper. Just the paper. Think of an 80-watt bulb burning while you're in the office."

Fax machines
Fax machines were originally categorized by print speeds, but nowadays they're often simply grouped by price. Connection speeds vary greatly, which also has an effect on how fast a fax machine will work. A basic compact black-and-white fax machine for a home office, with a 10-page document feeder, runs about $60. Extra features, like a digital answering machine, speakerphone, extra memory, 20-page feeder, and the ability to send faxes to email addresses, will add another $40 or so. Higher-speed laser fax machines that can handle hundreds of pages cost closer to $200. High-speed, high-volume fax machines meant for large office settings cost $500 and up.

Energy Star puts fax machines in the laser category, meaning that like photocopiers they are now tested for a typical week of use. Fax machines that earn the new rating must go into sleep mode after a maximum of five minutes and turn off completely when nothing is going on. They also need to have a double-sided printing option.

Internet fax services make it possible to do away with a fax machine altogether. Most of these services are subscription-based-after signing up for an account, you can send or receive faxes via your computer. With this kind of a service, obviously, there's no need to buy a machine, accessories, and supplies. (Unfortunately, even virtual faxing can't spare us from junk faxes.)

Scanners
Scanners fall into two main categories: flatbed and sheet-fed. Flatbeds can't scan beyond the size of their glass "bed," while sheet-fed scanners can handle longer documents.

On the other hand, sheet-fed devices can't handle items much thicker than a sheet of paper, so if you want to scan a small parrot statue and send the image to your aunt, you'll need a flatbed scanner with a lid that opens all the way. In general, sheet-fed scanners can take less time to operate, especially when scanning a lengthy document. Document-only scanners work faster at a lower resolution, while scanners made for working with photos are typically the opposite.

Flatbeds range in price from $80 for a basic model to $4,000 for a high-speed one that can scan a black-and-white page in two seconds and color in several, will automatically detect paper size, and is meant for high-volume scanning. Sheet-fed scanners run from a few hundred dollars up to around $1,000. There are also dedicated business-card scanners, although some advanced scanners will have a business-card setting.

For those who want to scan on the go, there are lightweight and durable portable scanners. Some sheet-fed scanners look like bulked-up rulers and are small enough fit in a purse or messenger bag. Handheld scanners aren't Energy Star-rated unless they can be powered through a wall outlet or network connection. Most handheld scanners, though, are battery-powered. Expect to pay from about $100 to more than $400 for the portable convenience.

Scanners are grouped into Energy Star's inkjet category, meaning that the devices must be able to go into sleep mode after 15 minutes or less. "If you're burning up appreciable quantities of energy when [scanners] are doing nothing, that's a problem," says ASU's White. "Even if you have a spike of usage on a scanner, most people don't use their scanner that frequently."

For the occasional scanner, there are flatbed and sheet-fed scanners that connect to your computer through a USB port, getting power from the computer instead of from the wall. In the past, USB-powered devices didn't qualify for Energy Star ratings because, back when the specification was created, such devices didn't exist. Now they do qualify. "If you have an imaging device that doesn't use much power, you can run it off a USB," says Berkeley Lab's Nordman. "Because they have a hard limit on how much power they can use, they tend to be very efficient. Two and a half watts-not much power."

Multifunction Devices
Because these multitaskers can be any combination of printer, scanner, photocopier, fax, and telephone, multifunction devices (MFDs) have about as many names as they do functions. Some are called multifunction printers or multifunction peripherals. You might also see them labeled as all-in-one or AIO devices.

As with all imaging devices, consider your needs first. What will you be using the machine for primarily? How often will you be using each function? Are there any functions you would rarely or never use? "In general, yes, combining products is a way to use less materials and less energy," Energy Star's Kaplan says. "It likely depends on how much energy your MFD is going to use and whether you need it or whether you would have had your needs met with something more simple."

Small MFDs tend to be built around a fax machine or a printer, and start below $100 for extremely basic black-and-white models. In general, expect to pay several hundred dollars for a small or medium-size machine, not counting ink and paper supplies. Large MFDs meant for offices or workgroups can cost thousands of dollars and are extremely high-speed, with the ability to sort, staple, and handle multiple jobs simultaneously (manufacturers call that last feature "concurrency").

MFDs use either inkjet or laser technology for printing. Laser makes it easier to print on different kinds and thicknesses of paper, as well as on DVDs, CDs, and labels. Inkjet inks tend to be water-based, so for best results they need special paper that can absorb the ink correctly.

Black-and-white devices used to be significantly cheaper than color ones, but manufacturers note that color is getting less expensive and becoming more common. The price difference between a color and a black-and-white inkjet MFD can be under $100; for laser devices, the difference is usually higher than that. Good quality inkjet MFDs start around $500, and standard laser models range from $200 to more than $700.

Energy Star groups imaging equipment into two categories based primarily on the printing technology the machine uses. Thus, MFDs can be found in either category. The new ratings require all MFDs to use one-quarter of the energy that the old ones did. In addition, they all must have double-sided printing capability.

Printing devices have often been called shells for the real business: selling ink. Whether that's true or not, you'll want to take a hard look at the machine's supply requirements before buying. Check for cartridge refill and recycling services or choose a machine that does away with the cartridge system. There are inkjet refilling kits, but they can refill the cartridge only between three and 10 times. Cartridgeless technology, which uses solid blocks of ink, has been around for a while, but very few MFDs currently employ it.

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