Bargains for the home.

Of all the things that daunt aspiring entrepreneurs, setting up the home office often evokes as much anxiety as writing a business plan or applying for a loan. Still, designing your home office requires special care since you'll be spending long days and probably longer nights there, and your productivity may be affected.

Just think of the variables: How much equipment do you really need and at what price? How many phone lines should you have? Can you get by with an answering machine or should you invest in voice mail? And perhaps most important, how powerful a computer do you need?

Whether you are about to embark on outfitting your office or want to revamp what you already have, here are a few suggestions that are also great values.

FAX MACHINES

The linchpin in any successful home office operation is a facsimile machine. But a fax can be expensive, and a second dedicated phone line means an additional monthly charge. To save money, some people have gotten away with a single line for a phone, modem and fax. Of course, they have to switch from one to the other whenever they leave the room.

Now, such systems as the Samsung FX2500 (thermal) fax machine put an end to this drudgery. The combo fax-and-answering machine from Samsung Electronics America also functions as a copier. What's nice about the Samsung is that it can distinguish between incoming fax and telephone calls.

Perhaps someone calls and wants to send a fax while you are on another line. You can put the other call on hold while the fax accepts the document.

Better yet, there's no chance of recording the distinctly irritating squeal and trill of the fax mating call. The Samsung is not sophisticated onough, though, to tell you how many messages there are.

Other features include: polling (an electronic signal that lets another fax know when it should transmit), normal and fine modes, a 16-level gray scale, paper cutter, 10-page feed, and a 60-number memory.

As a copier, the Samsung is more than adequate; although the thermal paper curls, you can buy non-curl paper at an additional expense. For those who don't do an enormous amount of faxing, this is a good buy at a list price of $749. But you can find it for roughly $400 at discounters.

VOICE MAIL

These days, some people would rather dispense with an answering machine and rely on voice mail for handling calls.

Of course, there is no way a business owner who is pinching pennies can afford a $3,000 stand-alone computerized voice mail system. But anyone with a computer can install a fax/modem with voice mail functions, or else buy a voice mail board.

A real gem for only $199 is the Connection 96+ from Digicom Systems. Besides providing fax and voice messaging, this internal modem can be upgraded to 14,400 bps. Thanks to its SoftModem technology, you just add new software whenever you want to power up your modem.

Just keep in mind: Voice applications require a fast computer system and a lot of memory - not to mention a certain technical know-how to install, program and maintain. If your line is busy, forget about your PC picking up the call. Nor will you be able to call up your messages when you are away on a business lunch, as you could with a standard answering machine.

Yet another alternative: a voice mail service bureau. For as little as $5 a month (usually averaging about $20), you can access voice messages from a touch-tone phone anywhere nationwide.

THE NOTEBOOK ALTERNATIVE

Okay, a high-powered notebook costs as much or even more than a desktop computer, but prices have steadily gone down. As color screens are enhanced, keyboards improved and memory capacity grows, more and more people will start to see notebooks as a feasible and flexible primary computer system.

Thanks to the invention of the docking system - which may sound like something straight out of Star Trek - you can connect a notebook to peripherals as easily as sliding a paper tray into a printer. In other words, you don't have to shell out a lot of money for two entire systems, one for the office and one for the road.

Several manufacturers offer "companion docks" with a number of expansion slots, drive bays and interface ports that allow you to upgrade to a CD-ROM drive and sound board. Docking bays cost between $300 and $900.

One notebook than can be used as a desktop machine, at under $3,000, is the Z-Note 425Ln+ Model 200 from Zenith Data Systems. The Model 200 comes with a 25 MHz Intel 486SL microprocessor, 200 MB hard drive, Ethernet LAN (local area network) port and a ready-desk docking station. It also comes preinstalled with Windows for Workgroups, DOS and Windows. Features include a 3.5-inch floppy drive and a portable pointing device.

For $4,199 you can get a little more power. Texas Instrument's TravelMate 4000E WinDX2/40 is a color notebook with a 40 MHz 486 DX2 processor, 8 MB of RAM, 200 MB hard drive and a Microsoft BallPoint clip-on track ball.

LASER PRINTERS

Laser printers have come down so dramatically in price that some published prices look like typos. Sharp Electronics has two new models, JX-9600 and JX-9600PS (PostScript model) offering high resolution (600-dpi) at relatively low prices, $1,395 and $1,745, respectively.

What has won Sharp immediate kudos? Its printers manage 15,000 papers per toner/drum unit, instead of the 3,000 that most other laser printers eke out. Special features include a "sleep" mode, which cuts down on your energy bill and noise level.

Another real bargain is the Fargo Primera Color Printer from Fargo Electronics. Listing for $995, it costs $100 less than an ink jet color printer, and offers better quality. It's also a quarter of the size of other thermal transfer printers.

DESKTOP COPIERS

Given the stiff competition, you can probably find personal copiers selling for under $1,000 on the street. The number of copies you'll need will dictate whattype of copier you should buy. Low-end machines best suited for personal copying handle about 400 copies per month and produce 10 copies per minute.

Two gems: the Z-8511 and Z-88 from Sharp Electronics. These compact, lightweight desktop copiers (listing for around $1,399 and $1,499, respectively) can run up to 50 continuous copies. They can also handle up to3,500 copies per month and 10 copies per minute.

If you're interested in a little more advanced features, Canon U.S.A. offers the Canon PC-11, selling for about $1,795. It can reduce and enlarge copies in specific percentages, and makes copying on transparencies, labels and business cards a snap. For an extra $100, you can get color cartridges for both the Canon and Sharp models.

BUSINESS STRATEGY SOFRWARE

The market is inundated with software programs promising to analyze your business and turn it around. Business Insight from Business Resource Software is one such package. At $495, Business Insight is inexpensive compared to paying a couple of thousand dollars to a consultant.

Simple to use, Business Insight walks users through a series of extensive questions. You may not be able to answer every one of these questions, but the more information you give, the better the final outcome. After analyzing the data, Business Insight can make various suggestions, from forecasting sales projections to implementing a marketing plan. A major downside: Its spreadsheet isn't as comprehensive as, say, Lotus 1-2-3.

Of course, you need to shop around to get the best product at the best possible price. Whatever your agenda, the right components will do wonders for your business.

TECH TIPS

Spending all day Saturday with the family driving around town bargain hunting for a computer isn't child's play, particularly with all the models on the market. Wouldn't it be nice just to pick up the telephone and order everything you need from a catalog? That's definitely the beauty of one-stop shopping.

Manufacturers are increasingly marketing their products directly to consumers. They're even taking it one step further - bundling together PCs and software packages, from spreadsheet programs such as Lotus 1-2 3, to fax software such as WinFax PRO 3.0. In one shot - at a discount - you get all the hardware and software you need to get up and running.

These deals are attractive. But, before buying directly from the manufacturer, be aware of certain potential problems that can arise. For starters, there have been horror stories of missing floppy disks and manuals. The software may be already loaded on the system or it may come as a separate uninstalled package. Either way, you need back-up disks for every program. More importantly: Are you getting the full blown application of the software or a lightweight version?

Yet another caveat: registration and support. Make sure the company includes a registration card for each application it ships with the computer. By sending in a completed card, you're ensuring that when you call for technical support, you'll get it. Otherwise, the software developer is not obligated to answer a thing about its program.

Some computer dealers even include a certificate of authenticity, do you know you're getting a legitimate copy of the software. What about upgrades? You need to know that when the new and improved software versions come out, you're in line for free upgrades. Never assume anything.