Brother has launched a new range of sleek, feature-packed all-in-one inkjet printers specifically designed for home and small offices. We've reviewed the high-end MFC-620CN (£199 ex. VAT), an attractive unit that's smaller and more feature-packed than most competing models. Brother also throws in a one year on-site warranty, even on the entry-level models, and the four ink cartridges can be replaced separately, which makes the machine one the best in terms of value for small office users. Unfortunately, its paper handling is poor, print quality is below par, and it frequently suffers from paper jams, which is a real shame because it looked so promising.

Pros: Low-profile form factor; lots of features; built-in NIC
Cons: No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth; poor paper handling and image quality


Brother's new range of all-in-ones comprises the entry-level DCP 110C (£99 ex. VAT), DCP310CN (£119 ex. VAT), MFC-210C (£119 ex. VAT), MFC-410CN (£129 ex. VAT), and MFC-620CN (reviewed here). Differences between the models include print resolution and speed, as well as built-in networking support. Unfortunately, none of the models come with built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless networking, but their space-saving designs will be appreciated by anyone looking to consolidate space.

As expected with a business all-in-one printer, the MFC-620CN (375x455x165mm, 6.5kg) is a network ready all-in-one machine that can print, fax (optional external handset available), copy and scan. It also includes a digital telephone answering device, speaker phone and photocapture centre, which has the ability to print digital images from a memory card without the need of a computer (PCs and Macs supported).

Brother has made improvements to its Piezo printhead technology, which means the new range is smaller in height and footprint. In fact, the MFC-620CN is one of the smallest devices of its type we've ever seen - it's actually about the size of a regular inkjet printer. This has been achieved by moving the ink cartridges off the print head and using tube-fed technology. The result is a lighter head, creating less movement, and the drive motor is smaller and quieter. Combined with new u-path paper path technology (paper is stored below the machine), the overall height of the machine is reduced to create a sleeker, low-profile design that would look good in all modern working environments.

Other enhancements to the printing technology include inkjet speed enhancements up to 20ppm in monochrome and 15ppm in colour, which is acceptable for all but high-throughput environments. Print resolution is at a Brother all time high too, with a native resolution of 1200x6000dpi. Borderless printing is now also supported on media up to A4 in size, which should please digital photographers and those looking to produce in-house marketing material. A built-in NIC lets you share the printer on a network, and three front-loaded memory card readers (Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital and xD-Picture Card) let you print independently of a computer.

There are a few other neat features too, including a built-in mono microphone that picks up your voice when you use the device's speakerphone function, an ink management button that lets you clean the print heads, check the print quality and ink volume levels, as well as a mute/recall button that lets you place phone calls on holds, recall or transfer a call to another extension when the printer is connected to a PABX.

Technical features of the printer are moderate, including a native print resolution of 1200x6000dpi, claimed print speeds of up to 20ppm in monochrome and 15ppm in colour, and an optical scan resolution of 600x2400ppi (19,200ppi enhanced). Paper handling is more disappointing, with a paper-in capacity of just 100 sheets (80gsm), although there is an additional sheet feed for up to 10 sheets of paper. Those who regularly fax will appreciate 80 speed dials and up to 400 pages transmit/receive memory, and there's also a digital answering machine with up to 29 minutes' recording time. You can also scan to e-mail, image, OCR or file, as well make photocopies independently of a computer.

The MFC-620CN makes printing from a digital camera or computer relatively easy, but its print quality and speed are mediocre, even on a variety on media - a criticism that can be levelled at most of Brother's inkjet products. The black ink has been changed from dye ink to pigment ink, so blacks are darker are prints are splash-proof and less susceptible to fading in the light, but prints suffer from significant banding and dithering on plain paper. Colours are realistic and show good tonal balance, with realistic skin tones and smooth greyscales, but you really need to use expensive paper to get the best from the MFC-620CN. Text quality on regular paper was reasonable, remaining tight and controlled with little evidence of bleeding. Areas of solid black appeared more grey, but this is a feature frequently seen with entry-level inkjet printers.

Print speed was also an issue. For example, an A4 photograph took 15m 35s to print at its highest resolution, and a 20-page presentation took 21m 53s to print in standard mode. A high-quality 6x4in. photo printed in 10m 16s, whereas a 12-page PDF file took 10m 02s when printed in standard mode. We were also disappointed by the MFC-620CN's paper handling which, quite frankly, was appalling - especially for a business product. The paper input tray was fiddly at best, the output tray was virtually useless, and the printer frequently jammed. Although the u-path paper path helps to reduce the size of the printer as paper is stored and output at the bottom of the unit, removing jammed paper was frustrating and often messy. You can't remove the scanner's lid to digitise bulky material either, which is a further productivity oversight by Brother.


About our tests:
BIOS uses a range of popular office-type documents to test the image quality and speed of printers and all-in-one devices. Our test suite comprises an A4 photograph (34MB, PSD format), 6x4in. photograph (5MB, PSD format), 12-page text file (90KB, RTF format), 12-page PDF (1.2MB) and 20-page presentation (2.5MB, PRZ format). For our throughput test we print a single dot onto multiple A4 pages. Unless otherwise indicated, printers are tested using default print settings. In all but the throughput test, the higher the number, the slower the printer. Print quality is subjectively analysed by the reviewer, based on experience and comparisons to printers we've previously tested.

BIOS, Nov 08, 04 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In All-in-One printer