Brother MFC8660DN LASER FLATBED MULTI-FUNCTION Review

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(More customer reviews)Prior to this I had an HP 3330, and it was good to me for over 7 years, but I decided to upgrade to a duplexing unit. I bought a Canon laser printer, and sent it back two days later to Office Depot--whoever designed that unit should be shot. Anyway...
My wife was in Costco a couple of days later, and told me they had the Brother MFC 8660DN there, and since it's easy to return stuff to Costco, I told her to bring it on home.
This unit is a dream. The footprint is small. The door for inserting envelopes and single sheets of paper (so you can easily use recycled paper) is right there in front where you need it and is simple (unlike the Canon); I use a lot of recycled paper.
The copier works FAST, and the settings are easy to use and very intuitive. The fax unit works better and faster and easier than the HP ever did--finally, it coordinates with my answering machine without any hassles.
The scanner and my computer (Windows XP) work together seamlessly.
The printer (although not the copier or fax) has great duplexing capabilities. (A more expensive unit, I believe, has duplexing for the copier and fax too if you need it).
Let's talk about Brother support--I stupidly sent an envelope with a metal clasp through the unit, and realized that that's why a couple of little dots were appearing on my pages. I called Brother, and they sent me a new drum AND a new toner cartridge (okay, I had to call two times)at n/c.
btw, you'll read some reviews online that say it's noisy. It's not noisy. There is more noise coming from the plane that's flying overhead right now, or the dogs barking next door, than from this printer, and it's right behind my desk chair, where I can easily access it. I use it all the time.
So, I'm really happy with this Brother product, and recommend it.

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Brother MFC-4420c Multifunction Review

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(More customer reviews)I liked this printer at first because I was able to insert my CF card from my digital camera right into the front of the printer. It would then download all my pictures.
Soon I found the ink clogs so easily that after about 5 pages printed the black ink was only half there. It was very light and smudged. I would have to get it to run a cleaning cycle. Sometimes it had to clean 3 times or so before the black would work. It also happened with the colors several times.
The photo printing was so-so.
Then I got an "error 41." This says to unplug the printer and call brother. Great. Its a generic catch all error I've found and it can mean your printer is now useless. This happened to me after only having the printer 5 or 6 months.

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This unique, low-profile flatbed multifunction center is the ideal product for your home or home office. It offers color inkjet printing (up to 11 ppm color, 13 ppm black), standalone color copying and color faxing, PC faxing (send only), and color scanning. Plus, the included Brother PhotoCapture Center lets you print high-quality color images from most digital camera media (Memory Stick, CompactFlash, and SmartMedia cards), with or without a PC. You can also select high-resolution, photo-quality 2,400 x 1,200 dpi printing for exceptional color output.
The device offers a simple process for scanning directly to e-mail, OCR (optical character recognition), and imaging applications, as well as high-resolution color scanning at up to 9,600 dpi (interpolated) and 600 x 2,400 dpi (optical). Maximum scanning resolution with Windows XP is limited to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi; resolutions up to 9,600 x 9,600 dpi can be selected using the Brother Scanner Utility.
The MFC-4420c's 16 MB memory stores up to 480 pages so can scan your next faxes while sending or receiving others. Other features include a versatile flatbed design to simplify copying from bound documents, copy reduction and enlargement from 25 to 400 percent (in one-percent increments), and award-winning ScanSoft PaperPort and TextBridge OCR software (OCR does not work with Mac OS X).
Compatible with both Windows and Apple computers, the MFC-4420c offers a USB interface (cable not supplied), and a 100-sheet-capacity paper tray. It is backed by a one-year warranty.

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Brother MFC-8840DN Network Multifunction Laser Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)After doing a lot of research for multi-function printers I selected this printer and love it! I wanted a laser since it's cheaper to maintain (no $$$ ink cartridges) and didn't really need color (since I have a very nice photo printer for the rare times I want to print in color). I love the duplex mode (double side printing) to save paper and it'll automatically print 'n' pages to one physical page which is also handy. I have it networked between my computer and my husband's so we both can use it. (DSL connection with separate Linksys router and DSL modem.)
All wasn't 100% rosey at first.... I connected it via my network and it worked great but due to a problem using it while connected via VPN to my employer, I decided to use the USB connection (when I was on VPN I couldn't see the printer). I got all features working fine except for the scanning (it wouldn't scan at all). After reading so many bad reviews of Brother's tech support I was leary to call them but after many reinstalls w/o luck, I finally called them. The support folks were GREAT!! I ended up calling twice; one for help uninstalling the network drivers and again for a scanning problem. The second call I was on the phone for almost an hour and they found a patch (from Scansoft) to my original VPN problem as well as a registry patch (from Microsoft) for the USB scanning problem. The fix for the uninstall problem was because I had to log in as Administrator not just be in the admin group (I'm running Win2k) so that's why I couldn't completely switch from network connection to USB (the network drivers were still partially installed). In both calls, the tech support folks were helpful, pleasant, and knowledgeable.
The only remaining problem is configuring the fax with an answering machine. The manual has a lot of info but their explanation of the features for the fax isn't all that clear. Right now I don't need the fax much so I'll wait a bit and call tech support back again later.
I love this printer, I like that it has all the features I need in one nicely packaged unit, and for a change, I have good things to say about a company's tech support. (Every company says customers are number one, but only a tiny % actually mean it.)
Other reviewers have complained about the included scanning software (Paperport 8.0 SE from Scansoft) but so far so good, it works ok for me. I haven't tried the OCR feature though but supposedly it'll let me scan pure-text documents for later edits (like in Word) as well as let me search for docments by providing words inside of the document (not just file name which isn't too useful).
I ended up purchasing this printer at PCuniverse (free shipping and no sales tax) for the same price listed here. The reviews of the MFC 8840 printers in Amazon were a great help in selecting which printer to purchase.

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The Brother MFC-8840DN multifunction laser printer offers fast printing, up to 21 ppm (draft); crisp resolution, up to 2,400 x 600 dpi; plus great copy, scan, and fax performance. A complete range of easy-to-use front-mounted controls facilitateseasy walk-up single-job use, while Ethernet connectivity accommodates workgroup sharing.
With versatile paper handling, the MFC-8840DN performs two-in-one and four-in-one copying, automatic duplexing, poster copying, and reduction/enlargement options from 25% to 400% in 1% increments. It also has a 50-sheet ADF for even greater convenience.
The MFC-8840DN offers your choice of Ethernet (10/100BaseTX), USB (2.0), and parallel connectivity, and is PC and Mac compatible.Fax features include a built-in 33.6 Kbps modem, 300 speed dial locations, 40 one-touch dialing locations, and more.The MFC-8840DN also allows access via PC fax interface.
What's in the Box MFC-8840DN, ADF, power cable, AC power adapter, Quick Reference Guide, CD (software), warranty information

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Brother MFC-8220 Laser Multifunction Center Review

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(More customer reviews)I just bought the mfc8220 after almost seven years with an older brother mfc 4350. It was still going strong, but the drum needed to be replaced, and prices have dropped so much it made sense to upgrade.
The printer is wicked fast. The industrial design is top notch. Print quality is good. Paper handling is good. It integrates with my favorite scanned doc management applciation, paperport.
If you want a laser, instead of inkjets that are slower and cost much more to run over time, and you don't need an integrated flatbed scanner, this is the one to get.
Brad

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Multifunction Printers, Brother, MFC-8220 21PPM 600DPI Laser Multi-Function Printer, MFC-8220

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Brother MFC-3360c Color Photo Inkjet All-in-One Review

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(More customer reviews)I really like that it has a built in fax modem. That means it can function as a standalone fax machine/copier. you don't have to connect it to a PC to use it as a Fax machine.
Text quality is good. Photo quality is OK. Good enough for casual photo printing, but pros and advanced amateurs will want a dedicated photo printer.
Very easy to set up. Instructions are well written and easy to follow.
It comes with PaperPort SE with OCR and the device control program (Brother control Center 3)is very well designed and allows you to do all the things the device can do pretty easily.
I think the paper supply cartridge is poorly designed. It is too easy to accidentally change the size of paper that you are using and this can cause paper jams. I think this problem can be minimized with practice, but if you have a spouse who is a technophobe, it could be a point of frustration.
I just got it, so I can't confirm this, but the manual claims the black ink cartridge can produce up to 900 pages of text, assuming an average of 5% coverage. If this is anywhere close to true, this means it is one of the most economical ink jet printers on the market.
I paid $99 for this device, and for the money it is a remarkable value.
Update 8/18/2007 - I have resolved the paper cartridge issue. Apparently, I hadn't set up the cartridge properly, and that was the cause of the paperjams. However, while I can upgrade the unit for overall design, I must downgrade it for its owner's manual's poor description of the paper cartridge set-up. It's still a good product overall though. I still have no regrets buying it.

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The Brother MFC-3360c is a powerful color multi-function center, making it a great addition to your home or small business office.
Color Printer With the MFC-3360c you'll enjoy up to 25 ppm black and 20 ppm color print speed, as well as photo quality printing up to 6000 x 1200 dpi. With a droplet size as small as 1.5 picoliters you can be assured of fine details and color accuracy. The unit's front loading paper tray holds up to 100 sheets, and borderless photo printing is possible. A USB interface is included for connectivity with a USB-capable computer. The printer works with Windows and Mac operating systems.
Color Copier The MFC-3360c offers easy copying in color or black and white. No PC is required for copying, and you'll enjoy up to 18 cpm black and 16 cpm color copy speeds. The copier also offers up to 1200 x 600 dpi resolution, as well as multi-copying for up to 99 copies. Reduce or enlarge your copies from 25 percent to 400 percent, in 1 percent increments.
Color Fax When it comes time to send a fax, you can choose black and white or color faxing using the ITU-T30E standard. A 20-page auto document feeder makes big faxing jobs a snap, while the 33.6 Kbps Super G3 high-speed fax modem delivers your documents quickly. No PC is required for faxing, and you can also take advantage of 110-station auto dialing, and 16 MB of total memory means you can store up to 200 pages.
Color Scanner Use the MFC-3360c for color scanning at up to 19,200 dpi (interpolated) resolution, and up to 600 x 2400 dpi (optical) resolution. The unit includes award-winning ScanSoft PaperPort SE with OCR Software for Windows and Presto! PageManager for Mac.
PC Fax The MFC-3360c comes with the Brother PC Fax Driver for sending and receiving faxes from your computer. The software supports fax broadcasting from your PC, as well as network PC fax send and receive. PC fax functionality works with Windows and Mac operating systems.

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Canon imageCLASS MF4370DN Laser All-in-One Printer Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this about a week ago and have been using it ever since. I have a Mac and finding a multifunction unit that is Mac compatible hasn't been easy. This unit, the MF4370DN, works great with my Mac. The lower models, the MF4350D and the MF4150D are NOT completely Mac compatible.
I couldn't find any reviews for this item - so I will tell you everything I can about it.
I know there is some comparable Brother models out there, but have heard they surge the power in the room. I haven't tested them, but I have a Brother laser printer and it makes all the lights in my home office dim when it gets ready to print. Also that model doesn't duplex print (print/copy on both sides of the page. The MF4370DN does.)
This unit works great with my Mac - it scans, prints, copies, and receives faxes. I originally bought the Canon MF4350d which despite all the information I read is not entirely mac compatible, its scanner is not compatible with Macs, which was confirmed for me by talking with a Canon rep. It would be nice if they mentioned that on their website specs instead of wasting hours of my time and then having to drive 70 miles to return it. (I didn't buy it from Amazon because they didn't have it at the time.)
Canon support told me the MF4370dn is entirely mac compatible - just hit the Scanner button on it twice so it is in "USB SCANNING MODE."
Overall I'm pretty happy with this unit. The print quality is great, the faxing speed and quality is much faster than my old thermal fax. The copier works great. The scan quality off the glass is great. The duplexing feature works great. Unit is very, very quiet - in fact I can't hear it when it's on or sleeping.
Now I can finally get rid of three bulky devices - my fax, laser printer, and scanner, and replace it with this one unit.
Cons:
1) No software comes with this unit that allows you to create a single PDF from the Auto Document Feeder. So if I wanted to scan 10 pages through the feeder and create a single PDF it can't do it. It would create 10 different documents in your scanning program, then you would have to save each one as a PDF and use another program to create a single PDF. After hours of research I discovered Acrobat Professional can create a single PDF directly off the auto document feeder. Acrobat Professional is an expensive program at $449 which is available for Mac. I happen to have it and used it successfully to create a multipage pdf. On Acrobat Professional you go to FILE > CREATE PDF > FROM SCANNER. It worked great. But some kind of software should really be supplied from Canon that can do that. Most people are not going to have Acrobat Professional and certainly won't buy a $450 program just to be able to use a $300 device. I know there is some scanning software that comes with the unit, but it's for Windows (and not sure what it can do.)
2) Auto document feeder also is giving me some trouble - it is scanning letter size pages as legal size. So there is all this white area at the bottom of my scans. Something I will have to talk to Canon about how to fix, if possible.
3) My home phone number doubles as my fax line so I run the telephone line from the wall into the unit -- and then then out to my phone. Whenever I use my phone to make a call - the MF4370DN turns on and starts to blink "Processing Data" and a green light on the side of the unit starts to blink as well. And it stays on for the whole call. Now when I talk on the phone I gotta see this light blinking in my periphery. Kind of annoying and a waste of energy if you ask me.
4)The instructions for using the scanner were not very clear. I installed what I thought was a scanning program on a CD that came with the device. After I installed it I thenspent ages looking for the scanning application which I just installed. Turns out there is no application, instead what you are really installing is the driver. You need to use your own scanning program - I use Photoshop.

5) Every time I want to scan something I need to push the Scan button twice on the device to put it into USB scan mode. It would be nice if it would automatically detect how it was going to transmit. Also you have 1.5 to 2 minutes from when you push SCAN twice to when the machine puts itself to sleep. So a few times now I have tried to scan and couldn't because the SCAN option timed out on the machine.
6) The manual is not Mac friendly. If it was it would have saved me a couple hours figuring out most of the above. I had to call Canon 3 times or so to get the kinks worked out.
But I must say that Canon technical support is bar none the best customer support I have ever experienced. A human will pick up the phone almost immediately and you are speaking to an educated, polite, sympathetic, and a very knowledgeable person who's first language is english and they live here in the good ol' USA. A+ on that Canon.
Despite the problems settings this up - I am happy with my purchase. As I am the first person to review this I am glad to pass on what I learned to help others make an informed choice and if you happen to buy it I hope that I helped save you some time setting it up.
Thanks!


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