Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been using this for a couple of months now and it's been performing very well. This replaced an old HP LaserJet 4050 with a network print server that finally died. This unit has not been setup or used for faxing, so that is not taken into account in this review.
Setup and installation was quick and easy, and the print quality is excellent. Crisp letters and text, as well as good b/w images.
The unit does take a little while to start printing a job - maybe 15 or 20 seconds - but when it does begin the speed is very good. This isn't a problem for us and I really don't see that it would cause anyone much of a problem at all. In most cases the job is done before you go to retrieve it. I just needed to mention it because I'm sure someone will give it a 1* rating just because of that... I guess if you need INSTANT prints, then don't get this.
The software that comes with it is very good, especially in that it allows you to easily configure the functionality of both the software and hardware 'buttons'. I liked the fact that in addition to changing the standard 'buttons', it also provides another 4 custom software buttons that you can use to setup specific scanning tasks without interfering with the normal buttons.
Scanning is a little slow, partly because the default resolution is quite high. Bringing this back down in line with other default scanner resolutions helps, but it is still slower than other AIOs I've used in the past. It won't be a big deal if you only use it occasionally or can lower the resolution a long way for your needs, but if you need frequent high-res scans then this is probably not the machine to get.
Scanning is also a little louder than on some other AIOs, almost like the mechanism belt is hitting some kind of specific vibration frequency every now and then. Again, this isn't really a big deal for me.
I did see another couple of reviewers that weren't happy with the hinges on the scanner cover, but they seem perfectly fine to me. The hinges are supposed to be loose and moveable to allow you to scan large books etc, and I don't see anything wrong with them apart from that.
I'm not really going to go into the Copy feature, since that is just a product of Scanning and Printing...
The paper feed tray seems pretty smooth and I get the feeling that it would be less likely to jam or pick up multiple pages than some other feed types, e.g. vertical feeds. Not very scientific I know, but just a hunch. Perhaps that's an indication of the build quality?
The paper out tray area is small, but that seems to be a standard feature of Brother AIOs. I don't know why they do it this way but it is certainly peculiar and it can make it tougher to get at your jobs than on other devices. This is more of an issue when the print job is quite large. I knew what I was getting having checked it out at the store first, so I'm not surprised, however its definitely an odd design "feature". It didn't put me off getting it because of the other good points, but this is certainly a weakness.
All-in-all this is a good network AIO for scanning, copying and printing. IMO, for the price, it is clearly a better buy than other name brands and the quality of the machine seems to be very sound.
I haven't yet used enough pages to verify the estimated number of pages per toner, but the high-volume toner I purchased at the same time was certainly cheaper than the HP equivalent (about half the price) so even if the count is off by some amount it probably won't be any more expensive in the long term.
As I mentioned at the top of the review, I have not taken into account the Fax features as I do not use them. If I ever do, I will update this review accordingly.
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Update 12/22/09:
913 pages printed, mainly text, using the initial small "starter" toner that came with the unit before it needed replacing. In my experience that is pretty good for a starter toner. Print quality was good to the end, and it was only changed because it sensed it was empty and wouldn't let us continue printing otherwise. I suspect there might be a workaround to trick the sensor and get more pages but I haven't tried anything myself. Still recommend the product.
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Brother MFC-7440N Laser Multifunction Center with Ethernet Network InterfaceThe Brother MFC-7440N Laser Multi-Function Center with Networking is an economical, compact device that can handle all your small office printing, copying, scanning, and faxing needs. With crisp, high-quality output and fast print speeds, you won't be waiting around long for this printer to finish its job.
Built-in Networking for Easy Office Sharing The MFC-7440N features a USB interface as well as an Ethernet connection. You can easily connect a single computer via USB, or hook up the device to your network by simply plugging in an Ethernet cord. Once connected to your network, the device automatically handles requests from all the Macs and PCs in your office, allowing them to print, scan, and fax seamlessly.
Fast Print Speeds and Outstanding Output With crisp black output at 2400 x 600 dpi, the MFC-7440Nwill make certain that no one will be straining their eyes to read your latest report. And with the prints coming out at a speedy 23 pages per minute, you won't have to wait for them either. The printer includes 32 MB of memory and has a maximum monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages.
Flexible Paper Handling with 250-Sheet Input Capacity The MFC-7440N features a 250-sheet paper tray that can be adjusted for both letter and legal size paper. Other media, such as envelopes and labels, can be fed through the single-sheet bypass slot. The fold-out rear output tray reduces the possibility of paper jams by allowing for a straight paper path when printing envelopes and other thick media.
Make Copies and Faxes without Turning on the Computer Using the same components that does the printing, you can make copies at the same, brisk 23 pages per minute. Thanks to a 35-page auto document feeder, you can copy, fax, and scan multiple pages without standing around manually swapping pages. The copier also lets you reduce and enlarge from 25 to 400 percent of the original, and you can put two or four sheets on one page. The copier also supports a sorting function.
A built-in 14.4k bps fax modem lets you fax documents at speeds of up to six seconds per page. The device supports Caller ID, out-of-paper reception, external TAD interface, distinctive ring detection, auto fax reduction, fax forwarding, automatic redial, dual access, and fax broadcasting of up to 258 locations at once. Built-in memory allows the device to store up to 500 pages in memory for faxing.
Scan Photographs, Images, and Documents The MFC-7440N lets you scan photographs and pictures at a resolution of up to 19200 x 19200 dpi (600 x 2400 dpi optical) at 48-bit color depth for integrating high-quality images into your documents. With the included OCR software for both Windows and Mac, you can also easily change paper documents into editable digital copies.
The Brother MFC-7440N Laser Multi-Function Center with Networking measures 21.7 x 20.1 x 20.5 inches (WxDxH) and is Energy Star compliant. It is backed by a 1-year manufacturer's warranty.
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