Brother - Network-Ready Wireless Color All-In-One Printer

There are two main negatives, and they are not a big deal when you think about it for most people, so I'll mention them straight away: There is no media reader. Many previous AOI machines had media card readers for camera memory and all that, but now that every desktop, laptop and netbook has card readers, who cares! No need to waste the money by Brother. The other fairly unimportant missing detail (for most people) is that the scanner is not legal paper sized. If you're a law student, you'll want a little higher end machine. Okay, that's about it for bad news. The good news is that if you're even slightly tech-acclimated, you don't need the manual except to make sure you've removed all the well designed and effective shipping inserts. But first, while I really greatly dislike abs foam (styro) packing, this was not only well designed, but perfectly intact, as was the machine. I was surprised the Brother was as heavy as it is: they must be using that space-aged material, metal, in this. Compared to machines that sell for $50-60, this weighs about twice as much. I've always felt that you should buy stationary tech products, in part, by the pound. Shipping is costly, and a company that cares enough to make their product heavy is worth noting. The printer was very well protected, took a while to remove all the film, spacers, locks and extraneous sales-verbiage stickers. It comes packed with a utilities loaded CD for PC and MAC, and a set of starter (light use) ink tanks. There is a "quick start" guide and a full (and for most people, probably unneeded) manual. There is also a registration sheet describing the full One Year Warranty, which is pretty cool, since most printers in this price range are only covered for 90 days. Shockingly, this is a US market product: NO WALLWART OR ADAPTOR! It actually has a hardwired regular ol' AC cord on it! Woohoo! That saves space on your outlet strip. This printer has WiFi, which, after I plugged it in, it was clear from the Quick Start sheet that I could just go to the menu, which on first powerup, let's you do an initial setup. Let's just say it was a snap, once I got used to the menu, which was quickly. So I decided to join my WiFi network. The numeric keys are also alpha. First they show lower case alphas, like a cell phone, then UPPER CASE and then the numeral on the button. you CAN enter a long key with mixed upper and lower case characters. It worked the first try, easy peasy. Next, I added the software (drivers and a couple of specialty items for scanning or photos) from the disc. On Windows 7 it went fine, but there are, as they warn, lots of windows to say "yes" to, and to not close any of them: the installer does it all, and it worked. Restarted the computer, everything was where it should be and worked and the printer was now visible as hardware on the network. So, at the end of the actual printer powerup before messing in the menu, you print a test sheet after installing the ink carts. They are CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black), and the black tank is larger (which makes sense). The slide in with a reassuring snap after hearing a "woosh" and seeing ink fill a small sump on the front of the cart upon releasing the vacuum seal. Nicely done... I'm scared to see the cost of replacement carts. The go in the front of the machine through their own little door: no harangue at all. Very well thought out. The Test Sheet looked great on the first go through, all colors were bright, text clean, no gaps, on plain ordinary universal paper. The speed is okay. Not earth shattering, and the noise level is also. It's not a "hush" quiet printer, but it doesn't vibrate and slide around, either. I then printed a web page and it came out great. Absolutely ZERO issues, and that's been the case with all subsequent pages. Easy, quick enough, machine stays put (having weight helps), and seems to have good paper handling. There is a document feeder, which is shocking for this price point. It works, the scans are good enough (for a student or scrapbooking). If you need a high-end photocopy, you can do better with a real console copier and paying for copies. Of course, those machines also cost ten grand, too. I think the most remarkable thing about this machine is that there is nothing surprising or remarkable: no bad behavior, no annoying feature or function, though the paper tray could snap in a bit more firmly, and it was absolutely a snap to get up and running. It is not gorgeous. It's a black box that does stuff. It can handle a regular phone line or VOiP. Also, while it does not come with the cable, you CAN hardwire this via USB if you don't have or want to use WiFi, though it's as secure as your network is. It's not bluetooth. The scanner lid can sip out of it's hinges so you can lay a pretty big book across the glass. Scan rez is decent, speed is okay. This isn't the Library of Congress here. I cannot speak to the fax, haven't used a fax in years... or a wired phone line, for that matter. It's there, there is a received fax memory and it can be configured. The software included enhances text scanning, basic photo editing, which can be handled by several apps for free otherwise, a creative projects app (calendars, etc) and a "whiteboard" app that gets that blue-gray cast out of paper scans that so often happens. Sure, you can do all that in a good photo editor, but a dedicated app (ideal for students, reps, etc) does make things easier. We all like easy! Good, essential printing/communicating with documents tool, overall, and they ditched stuff you don't need anymore in such a printer. While this CAN print photos, I did not test that but may do and add another time, if I go get some Photo Paper. I'm a photographer and normally use a photo chemist for prints. Overall, nice, simple, easy to set up, no surprises, been running for several days and it just simply works well. It's pretty cool to be able to sum up a review that way. It simply works well. Woohoo!

To be completely honest, in the past, Brother was not normally my go-to brand for, really, much of anything. I remember my mother owning a Brother word processor (yes, way back when Tandys were the computers the fortunate few owned!), a few Brother sewing machines (which I also joined the ranks of, to my later chagrin! NOT the best sewing machines, from my experiences!), and, most recently, a Brother scanner/copier/printer, which, really, was the first Brother product that made me reconsider my previous bad experiences with them. Her printer is still going strong to this day, a good four to five years after she bought it. My HP printer was giving me fits two years in... So you can imagine how happy I was to get my hands on this printer, what with my positive experiences with my Mom's Brother printer, and my eagerness to FINALLY get rid of that dagnabbed HP printer of mine! And, it hasn't disappointed ONE BIT!!! Honestly, the only point at which I had any difficulty in setting this printer up was in trying to get it and my computer to communicate via my WiFi signal for the initial setup. Wouldn't you know it, for some reason, my Belkin Wireless G router chose that particular evening to give me a hard time in checking my login information... Long story short, I simply ended up having to lift the top of the printer (beneath the scanner glass, which the Brother paperwork didn't particularly outline clearly) to connect my old HP's USB cable to the Brother printer and then to my computer, for the wired connection to complete the wireless setup of the printer. Once that little bit was done, everything came together smoothly and easily. The unit comes very securely packaged, with protection for it in every possible place you could hope to find it. It's actually VERY extensively packaged, but not unmanageably so. Just be sure to thoroughly check your unit before turning it on to ensure you've removed EVERY bit of foam packaging, and plastic sheet protection. There's a LOT of it, but it doesn't go unappreciated from me! The ink nests neatly on the side, and I find myself surprised by just how small the cartridges are for it; at least, the standard size, anyway. But they so far seem to have good quantity output, and aren't overpriced, so, once again, I have no complaints. Once the unit is set up, it really does look very professional, wherever you've chosen to place it. This printer looks as if it's intended for a business office, so it won't look out of place anywhere that you choose to use it. With its matte black finish (SO much easier to keep clean-looking than that glossy piano black finish!), it coordinates beautifully with my desktop PC and all of its components, and adds a very professional air to my home office. The features that this Brother printer offers also leave nothing to be desired. While, honestly, I've had no need yet to test out the fax capabilities, it functions just as well as the printer/copier/scanner/fax at my school does, and offers plenty of document feeding/scanning options. I also love that the paper tray is enclosed, and not one of those annoying flip-down trays that I got so tired of with my old HP. Brother seems to have thought of everything here in making this unit convenient, and its footprint is no larger than my old HP, but somehow, it still takes up less space, and is more efficiently designed. The setup wizard on this printer walks you through every basic setting you could possibly need, and some well beyond basic needs. It really does address everything you could want your printer to do, for the standard user, or operator of the small to medium-sized business office. And considering how sturdily-made it is, and what solid, heavyweight construction it boasts, I can't imagine it wouldn't fit every user's needs and satisfy anyone's desire for a quality feel to his or her printer! I really love having this printer sitting on my desk! I have every confidence that this Brother printer will be with me for many, many years to come, and look forward to putting it through its paces! So much so, in fact, that I've already gone ahead and stockpiled quite the quantity of replacement ink cartridges! I plan to get LOTS of use out of this snazzy little unit!

I got angry! Researched printers AGAIN, but this time I remembered our two Brother printers at work that have held up so well (6+ years). So, I picked up a MFC-J435W at $85, and extra ink cheaper on Amazon than you can imagine. Up and running in no time. So, I bought three more (one for each neighbor, and one more in case any one dies). Wish I could buy the company. Ink at Amazon: 10 LC75 High Yield Compatible Ink Cartridge Combo (4xBk, 2xC, 2xM & 2xY) $7.28. Not $7.28 for each cartridge. $7.28 for that whole set of 10! And yes, they came in the mail and look good. I have not tried them yet, but other reviews there indicate it will not be a problem, and why should it? It just works. And some of us just want to print. Simple. Nothing fancy. This may not produce the best output, especially since I've stock piled Amazon ink which may not be as high quality (which folks say has been working fine for them), but I am just looking for a home printer that works for once - I am not in the print business (actually, I am, but not at home). But, with the original "best quality" ink that came with it, it is good enough I can't tell. And, I gather it does not eat that ink, for those that want to buy original. Me, I don't care if quality goes down a bit with other ink (for my needs). And, the front hardware panel is not very user friendly. But I setup and printed (XP, Remote Desktop XP VMs, and Win 7 all setup), and scanned from the front panel to my computer, in no time. How often does that work? Every time with the Brother's I've seen, and never with others. Programming computers for 25 years, I've gone through my share of home HP (nightmares) and Cannon's ink jets (just a bit better), with all deeply researched, and am tired of killing myself to set them up to work on the computers in my house. Then every time I go to print the EXPENSIVE ink is gone, or the software is crapped out. All I want to do is print a simple Google map to get to a party! Simple setup, working well, cheap ink now stockpiled, and then it was so cheap I have a replacement on hand... my problems should be way down. If you are tired of "what now? why can't I print?", then this may be the answer. Hint: this one seems just like the old Bothers at my workplace, which also prompted me to buy an old $100 used Brother HL-5250DN laser on eBay (one of the ones at work), to use at home for those high volume black and white community service jobs. That works too, just as expected. Brother, am I happy.

I went into the store specifically to buy an Airprint compatible printer or one that I could print directly from my iphone and ipad. The sales 'guru' kept pushing HP on me, but it was A) more expensive, B) slower, and C) lacked the fax. He thought the HP was amazing because you can email documents and photos to it. Great. That would be really cool to print things to my house when I'm on a client visit using up data k/b to send my large images and documents. Yeah, not really. That feature is useless to me. Unless I'm into scaring my cats who like to lay on a warm printer by these phantom prints showing up when nobody is home. That's an extra step anyway. As most of you i-device users know, attaching things to emails isn't possible so you have to do each document one at a time, so you go into each one, select email, select the recipient, and then send. This Brother is way easier. I click 'print' and it prints. THATS WHAT I WANTED PRINTER GURU DUDE AT BEST BUY. I had to find it out by buying it and using it at home and returning it because he wasn't listening. Sorry about the gripe about sales staff, but I'm not penalizing the product review. This printer, however, is great. SUPER easy setup. Pretty intuitive. The photos and color documents are all much much richer than the HP I'm replacing. Its fairly fast as well. Most out of the box printers come with poorly filled cartridges. This one said they were all half full. I've been printing on them for a month and the yellow is just now saying that its low. That makes sense because my company's letterhead and documents use a LOT of yellow. Awesome printer for home and small business use. Its a bargain at the full price I paid, so don't hesitate on a sale.

I bought this printer 3 weeks ago to replace a 4 year old HP unit that needed new ink because the current ink was "expired". It was going to be $65+ for all new ink so I looked into potentially replacing the HP which was big, heavy, and slow. Also, my fiance wanted to use our home printer to print a number of things for our upcoming wedding, so I figured investing in a new printer was a good idea. I have always heard Brother printers were good, but even the positive reviews didn't prepare me for just how solid of a printer this is. Immediately after I set it up (which was super easy) my fiance began printing all sorts of wedding items: ceremony programs, place cards, menus, notes for the favors, etc. The machine printed over 130 of each of those items, and handled the different types and sizes of paper like a champ. The "starter" black ink cartridge that came with it ran out after about 300 sheets, which was slightly more than advertised, and the replacement cartridge was competitively priced with other brands inks. We also used the scanner to scan a number of pictures for the wedding as well and it worked great. The scanners resolution can go very high, but I found the 300dpi setting to be more than enough for crystal clear scans of photos. I do not plan on using the machine for faxing at all so I cannot comment on that functionality. But if it is like the rest of the device I'm sure it works like a dream. I never thought I would get excited over a printer/scanner/fax, but this machine was given a trial by fire preparing all the printed items for our wedding and it preformed flawlessly when we really needed it. I can highly recommend this machine to anyone who needs a multifunction device for home or office use.

I bought this new printer to replace my 10 year old HP all in one and to support wireless printing. My wife just started up school again and needed a good printer for school work. The HPs looked good and I had very little problems with the old one. But when I read the reviews, they knocked on the quality of the product and the flimsy construction. With a kid in the house and lots of pets, this wouldn't do. The Brother was rated as being sturdy, good on ink, fast, and easy to set up by most reviewers. So I tried this model. Wow. What a great deal. Very easy to set up. You can use the disc set up or internet setup. I used both to try them out and they worked without any problems. For my 10 year old desktop running XP, the set up was very easy. I used the disc setup and in 10 minutes I was printing. For the laptop running Windows 7, I used the internet setup. My wireless network setup for the printer was so easy I thought I did something wrong. All I had to do was push the WPS button and bam, the printer was ready for wireless printing. I didn't set up the fax because let's face it, I'll never use it and I still have the old HP set up. If I have to fax in the future, I'll set it up. Based on the previous set up for the brother printer, it will be a breeze. The price is also great. A lower price than the comparable HPs, Cannons, and others. I also got it on sale and then a week later it was dropped another $30 and I used the 30 price match policy at Best Buy to match the new sale. I am very satisfied with this purchase!

I needed another color printer and decided to buy an all-in-one to have versatility in scanning and color copying. I have not been disappointed in the overall functioning and quality of this machine. It has operated reliably since installation (two months ago) and the copies have been perfect. The automatic document feeder for originals is a real plus, eliminating the need to insert each original manually on the platen. Toner cartridges are easy to install, and as of now, it appears that this printer does not use an excessive amount of toner. I would like to have seen a feed area to insert the copy for duplex printing; one has to open the paper tray and insert the copy properly placed to make a duplex copy. The paper tray is a little cumbersome to operate, but it's a small price to pay for the overall good performance of the machine. The software for the scanner function is easy to understand and configure. My only major problem with this machine is that I was not able to set it up for wireless communication, even though I followed the instructions perfectly. I ended up using USB connectivity which is probably more reliable anyway. I cannot comment on the fax function as I have not used it. I have had much success with Brother office machines and would recommend them highly over the other leading brands. All my Brother machines have lasted for many, many years.

This is a great device for an awesome price. Best Buy had this all-in-one on sale for $50 for awhile when I jumped on the deal. I was very pleased with it's sleek design which was a welcome change from the clunky piece of Lexmark cr*p I used to have until I got this. INSTALLATION/SETUP: Installing the printer on my computer was a breeze helped by step-by-step instructions. The setup is fairly easy; I ran into a few issues setting up the wi-fi the first time, but when I did the wi-fi setup the second time, it went on smoothly. PRINTING/INK: If you set the printer quality to 'fast'', the ink can last a considerable length of time. That said, the ink is fairly cheap and you could get them for even cheaper at major online retailers than in-store. Keep in mind that it uses 4 colors - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. The one thing that may be a downer for some is the printing speed. Even when its set at the fast draft speed, it spits out pages pretty slowly. I use this at home to only print a few pages everyday, so it's not a big deal for me. One thing to note is that the USB printer cable is not included in the box. You will need it at set-up while configuring the wireless feature. Again, you could get this for dirt cheap for less than 5-10 bucks. All-in-all a very efficient all-in-one which comes with a load of features at an affordable price for replacing caartridges. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!!