Brother Intl MFC8840D -LASER FLATBED MFC ( MFC8840D )

Rating:
Summary: Worthy of serious consideration!!
Review: 65% of its use is as a copier, 20% as a printer and 15% as a fax machine. So far, it has perfomed as I expected. We have 3 Brother laserprinters in the office. Brother has always proven to be an excellent workhorse and this is no exception. Also, Brother provides great tech support for both Windows and Mac systems. I have no loyalty to Brother. But as long as their products have proven themselves, they stay near the top of my list.

Software installed without any problems on both Windows XP Pro and OS X. Haven't used the scanning abilities and I doubt we will (so I can't comment on its capabilities). But as a copier, fax and printer, it has worked great. The ADF is a pleasure (no jams after 3,000+ copies) and the copier itself is fast. This copier DOES have a page counter, but it can't be reset. So if you have an unknown amount of papers to put in the ADF and need 20 sets, you can determine the amount of copies made.

Toner life is an expected 6,700 pages and I suspect we'll get close to 6,300 before needing replacement (always seem to get 5% less then the expectd yield on text imaging). The unit did come with a smaller yielding toner cartridge (3,500 impressions), but we had the higher yielding in the office and used that first.

If there is one thing I wasn't expecting is the noise it makes. Not that it is any louder then the Canon 780 in our other office. Having various Brother printers throughout the office, this unit is a bit louder then I expected. Also, it is built well, but not as solid as the Canon 780. But comparing the two is like comparing a Buick to a Cadillac. Both good and reliable cars, just one make is slightly better constructed then the other. All in all, this is a great unit and worthy of serious consideration.

Rating:
Summary: Worthy of serious consideration!!
Review: 65% of its use is as a copier, 20% as a printer and 15% as a fax machine. So far, it has perfomed as I expected. We have 3 Brother laserprinters in the office. Brother has always proven to be an excellent workhorse and this is no exception. Also, Brother provides great tech support for both Windows and Mac systems. I have no loyalty to Brother. But as long as their products have proven themselves, they stay near the top of my list.

Software installed without any problems on both Windows XP Pro and OS X. Haven't used the scanning abilities and I doubt we will (so I can't comment on its capabilities). But as a copier, fax and printer, it has worked great. The ADF is a pleasure (no jams after 3,000+ copies) and the copier itself is fast. This copier DOES have a page counter, but it can't be reset. So if you have an unknown amount of papers to put in the ADF and need 20 sets, you can determine the amount of copies made.

Toner life is an expected 6,700 pages and I suspect we'll get close to 6,300 before needing replacement (always seem to get 5% less then the expectd yield on text imaging). The unit did come with a smaller yielding toner cartridge (3,500 impressions), but we had the higher yielding in the office and used that first.

If there is one thing I wasn't expecting is the noise it makes. Not that it is any louder then the Canon 780 in our other office. Having various Brother printers throughout the office, this unit is a bit louder then I expected. Also, it is built well, but not as solid as the Canon 780. But comparing the two is like comparing a Buick to a Cadillac. Both good and reliable cars, just one make is slightly better constructed then the other. All in all, this is a great unit and worthy of serious consideration.

Rating:
Summary: A Slick Machine....
Review: After much research and some looking and testing, decided to go for this Brother machine based on reviews and my other good experiences with Brother equipment. Bought this at Costco for somewhere around $375. Set up was a breeze -- less than 30 minutes, and no problems with XP Pro. Networked it to my colleagues without problems. Works like a champ. Faxing is a breeze and sheet feeder is fast and well-designed. Copying is also slick. Printing has been fast with sharp text. Have not needed to scan anything yet. Toner save is a real plus for us b/c of the volume of faxes, copies, etc. that come through every day. Making command changes is a snap and pretty much intuitive. I thought the manual was very clearly written, and it's easy to find command changes you want. The size of the thing is a little intimidating -- I think it frightened away our other little inkjet, but I'm perfectly happy with it -- in fact, I think we got a steal on this thing. If you're looking for a sturdy, reliable, quick, 4-in-1 laser, take a look at this one. I think Brother has pretty much won me over -- I still have HP's, Epsons, and Canon printers around, but Brother is making some darn good quality stuff these days. I know there are a ton of 4-in-1 machines out there and prices are dropping quickly, but give this one a shot as you're looking around. I'm sure glad I got me a Brother.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but disappointing
Review: Pros: For $450, getting a fax + copier + scanner + duplex laser printer is a pretty good deal. I considered buying higher quality printer, scanner and fax-modem components separately and then using my computer to integrate them, but there is something to be said for "press-a-button" copying and faxing. I've found a lot of unexpected uses for the copy machine - no longer need to tote the whole textbook; just copy the chapter I plan to read, etc.

Cons: My biggest requirement in a printer was built-in duplex (double-sided printing). I couldn't find another laser duplex multifunction device for under $1000. (For those deciding, if black & white text print quality matters to you, do NOT buy an ink jet - or at least do a careful side-by-side print comparison. Laser is much better.) Anyway, I was really mad to find out that this printer only supports printing at 600 DPI duplex. There was absolutely no mention of this in the specs. There is a very significant quality difference between 600 and the HQ1200 mode. Lots of jaggies in 600 dpi - almost looks like my old deskjet, though slightly better. I may still sell this and go the high quality component route. The other con is that this printer is butt-ugly. Also, when photocopying a textbook it is almost impossible not to accidentally press at least 10 of the over 50 buttons littering the front panel. Another thing, Brother customer service is pretty bad - I had to wait 45 minutes on hold to speak to someone about the duplex issue.