Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have been using this printer heavily for about three months. We are both teachers so we use it a lot to print mostly text documents. We use it on a network using the ethernet connection, and do not use the USB connection.
Install/instructions:
The installation of this printer will be easy if you're used to adding network printers. I was able to assign it an IP address easily and get it working without even looking at the instructions. The printer has a web page where you can adjust settings and so on, very easy to use. HOWEVER, to install the scanning functions was a totally different matter. That required the instruction book, which refers you to the electronic manual if you're doing a network install. The instructions are incomplete and leave out some XP settings you need to adjust in order to use it. I had to call tech support to resolve the issue, but it was relatively quick and painless. They really need to make the instructions for this process more complete.
Print quality:
Print quality is excellent. The one problem, one that you've probably heard about, is that it curls the output paper. For small jobs this doesn't tend to create issues other than the annoyance of your paper curling up at the ends. When printing ten pages or more though, they tend to fold over while outputting, thus jamming up the output tray and/or spilling papers on the floor. Sometimes this is just annoying, and sometimes it creates an internal paper jam. This gets to be a hassle when printing 30 copies of a 5-page test and the pages get all scrambled by the jam. This effect is always there, though certain kinds of paper seem to curl more than others.
Scanning:
There's a really frustrating problem with the scanner feature. It auto-detects the edge of your paper such that you can not scan a larger area than the paper occupies on the glass. At first it seems like that wouldn't be a problem, however the software forces a 1/8" blank margin around the image, which cuts off anything close to the edge of the paper. So if you have documents or photographs with important stuff close to the edge of the original, it will be lost and there's no way to compensate. You can't stretch the scan area, move the paper on the glass or anything else I've tried. You just have to give in to losing an eighth inch around the edges. Argh!
Toner:
On my first toner cartridge I got 2215 pages. Exactly 2215, and no more. Why does that matter? Because with most printers, when the toner gets low you can pull it out, rotate it a few times, put it back in and keep printing as long as you can tolerate the results. Not with this printer. Once it senses that the toner is low, it will never print another page from that cartridge. It displays a "toner low" message and refuses to print. This is especiallly irritating for a couple reasons. First, the pages still look perfect so I know there's more toner in there and I'd like to use it until the pages look bad. Second, if it's not a convenient time to run out of toner and you don't have the replacement standing by, you're not going to print a single page. You get NO warning, the printer just quits. This is unacceptable design in my opinion. When the pages start to look bad, I know the toner's low. I should be able to keep printing as long as I can tolerate the results. Unacceptable.
[update 2/20/08: On later toner I have managed to remove the cartridge, rotate it to redistribute the toner inside, then put it back in the printer for a few more pages. Inevitably it does detect that toner is low and refuses to print until you repeat the process, but at least you can finish the print job without being stranded. This really is an unacceptable 'feature'. A warning that toner is low might be nice but refusing to print when the pages still look fine is just bullying us to waste money, and I resent that emphatically.]
Telephone Answering Devcice (TAD):
This multifunction printer will allow you to connect to a telephone answering machine. It automatically detects if an unanswered call is a fax or voice call. It will route the call accordingly, either to the fax or to the TAD. The one thing about this that they bury in the fine print is that in order for this to work the TAD has to be plugged into the jack on the printer itself, thus meaning the printer and answering machine must be located together. I find this to be a significant drawback because I would rather have the TAD in the kitchen where we've always kept it. Now instead we have to keep it way back in my office wiht the printer where we don't spend a lot of time, and especially not convenient when returning home to check for messages.
That's my roundup of the important issues you might not know by reading the specs. Other than these I am very happy with the printer and would reccommend it as long as you can live with these few shortcomings.
UPDATE:
After using this printer for 6 months, the curling problem has gotten worse. The printer jams much more easily in the output tray than it did originally. Also the pickup mechanism often jams when pulling fresh paper from the tray. It is working OK, but it seems that it's not going to last too much longer without crippling problems.
3-year Update:
I am now quite impressed by this printer. After three years of pretty heavy use this guy is still doing great. It has lasted much longer than I expected for a 'cheapo' consumer grade laser printer. The paper curling is still a hassle, but the low toner warning problem has improved somewhat. It now lets me remove the cartridge, shake it around and re-insert for more printing, however it will only do a couple pages at a time before it senses the low toner and stops again, forcing me to repeat the process--but at least I can work at it and get my job printed instead of being stranded. It tried an office-depot brand cartridge last time which was total crap, it made streaks and uneven print density on anything that wasn't text. Just buck up and get the real Brother toner, the 'equivalent replacements' are no such thing.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Brother MFC-7820N 5-in-1 Network Monochrome Laser Multifunction Center
MFC-7820N MLTFUNC LASERP 20PPM ETH USB PAR FB
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