CONNECTIVITY
Some printers now offer either USB or wireless connectivity. Others will even offer you wired Ethernet connectivity, in the office series. The wireless option works great if a substantial chunk of your work is printing and not scanning, as most MFPs won’t support the scanner on wireless. To scan you will need to connect your MFP to a USB port. In case you have a desktop at home, buy the USB version, so that you can share the printer among your PCs and print from any laptop on the network. Remember, you will still need to pick up the print so the WiFi option may not be all that great. 

MEMORY CARDS
Manufacturers still don’t allow direct prints from thumbdrives, or the option to save scans to one. But some models do come with slots for SD / MMC / MS cards. If buying such a printer, go for one which has a small LCD screen, like in cameras, to view what you are printing. Some MFPs offer PICTBridge connectivity to take prints from digital cameras. 

PHOTOCOPIER
Though we buy MFPs for prints, the maximum usage will be to do photocopies. Most printers have a separate button that allows you to do a black or a colour photocopy, make sure the printer you choose has two (Color Copy /Black Copy) buttons instead of a complex menu.

WARRANTY
Most manufacturers offer at-home service — in case of a failure they will come, diagnose and repair the printer, if possible at home. Check the warranty if the service is on-site or return to bench. Since printers are used for years, check if there are options for an extended warranty.