Hi Andy,

Panasonic no are no longer making desktop scanners as of this year, they are bowing out of the industry completely. So no direct replacement there I'm afraid.

I've worked on various models of scanners and photocopiers over the years, from desktop to full production. There isn't really much to offer in terms of networked scanners, as you then enter the MFP realm. It really all depends on what you're looking for. MFP's are a good all rounder like you describe above, but, they don't offer some of the features which desktop scanners offer. Things like deskew, double feed detection, imprinters etc. just aren't options on MFP's. It really depends on what you're looking for from each function, you might be better off with an MFP for a smaller office, but for larger offices, you'll likely need to buy the right tool for the job, and a separate printer/scanner etc.

The key thing you'll need to know is volume, how many pages are you expecting to print or scan per month, this will then make sure you get the right machine for the job. If you don't know that yet, I'd start there.

Canon MFP's for reliability are pretty bulletproof in terms of design and is what I'd recommend from a print perspective, you get the best bang for your buck with a Canon, they won BLI copier/MFP line of the year in 2020 and have continued to win this year upon year historically. Ricoh are pretty good, although not quite as reliable. Xerox, Sharp and HP fall into the next layer, with Kyocera on the bottom rung.

It's really about volume and making sure you get the right tool for the job, and the old rule applies with hardware like this I'm afraid, you get what you pay for!

Hope this helps!