In search of a printer

I have finally decided to replace my home printer and scanner setup. The old printer got jostled in the last move and no longer prints cleanly – so the replacement has been forced upon me. As is the case with purchasing most electronic items today, the multitude of options is overwhelming. I thought it would be useful to document my annoyances with the existing setup and my likely usage of the new setup before sifting through the solution options.

First, I want to save on space. I currently have a separate black-and-white laser printer (Dell P1500) and HP flatbed scanner that sit on a two-tray trolley. With the new purchase I want to replace these two units with a single-unit compact multifunction printer/scanner. This would allow me to free up the bottom of the trolley.

Second, I want the printer/scanner to be wireless accessible.  Fighting the cables under the desk is problematic enough when my laptop is located close to the printer/scanner.  A pending room re-arrangement will pull the printer/scanner further away from work desk and make the cable situation worse.

Third, I want the scanner to have respectable speed. My current scanner (purchased used in 2006 for $5 at a garage sale and probably 10+ years old) takes upwards of 30 seconds to warm up. Further, each document scan takes ~60 seconds (one scan to preview and a second to actually register the full image), not counting the time it takes to save the image on a hard drive. The slow speed dissuades my wife from using the scanner as much as she otherwise would (for example to scan purchase receipts.)

Fourth, I want a fast and reliable printer. Color is not a requirement. Most of the time, my wife and I print out text documents – either for reading (example interesting articles or papers) or for submissions to a third party (example documentation required for insurance). We don’t print pictures at home and that is unlikely to change in the near future. Our expected print usage will be in the ~100 pages/month range.

Fifth, given that I have largely replaced using a fax with scanning and emailing, and that I don't actually have a landline, having a fax option on the scanner is not a requirement.

The above “constraints” seem to imply that I should get a multi-function wifi black-and-white laser printer with a built-in scanner. Looking around on Amazon.com, I discovered the Brother MFC-7840W for $250. Print speed at 23ppm is plenty. But at 25lb and ~21in x 21in x 21in it looks bulky and it comes with a built-in FAX that I probably won't use. The printer also comes with wifi but Amazon.com customer reviews indicate that configuration and operability through a wifi router is problematic. Scanning can’t be any slower than my current scanner, but to test the scan speed and file size for a basic text document, I will probably need to find a floor model in a local store.

Any other alternatives that I should consider while I am out shopping?