Brother - Work Smart Series MFC-J690DW Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer - Black

Brothers MFC-690DW all in one Scanner/Printer/Fax, will be a good addition for any office or home. The printer itself has a small foot print is not as large as other all in one printer I’ve seen. One thing that help is that is shaped like a square with rounded corners, flat everywhere including the top. Setting up the printer was a breeze once connected to the power it will walk you through the process, you have to install the 4 ink cartridges included in the box and print a test page to complete the process. Connecting the printer to the Wifi was also very easy by using the touch screen on the front. The touch screen is not that big but is very responsive and it was easy to type despite the size. On the front you have access to everything you need from this printer, touch screen, ink slots and USB and SD card slots. Using the touch screen alone you can do pretty much everything without using any app or computer, including the ability to scan directly to USB drive, SD Card and web services which includes the following: Brothers Online, One Note, One Drive, Drop Box, Google Drive, Evernote and Box. You can also print directly from the USB Drive as well. The front panel where the touch screen is located can be position into three different angles. The upper center part of the printer flips over to be use a top feeder for the scanner or fax, even when its open the lid does not protrude outward that much maintaining the small foot print, so this printer can be store in a cabinet. One thing I notice when using the top feeder, the paper will be ejected from the top and not the bottom as most scanner I’ve used, that means you must place the scanning side facing down not upward. Using the flat surface for scanning you must lift the upper part of the device which opens completely parallel with the back of the printer. One thing I did not like when you lift the lid which is the upper feeder, it’s held a by two plastic hinges on the back, I notice the hinge on the right side seems to be very loose, fragile and it wobbles, meaning it could break with long extensive used or miss handle, I’ll rather used the feeder instead more safer, faster and more convenient than the flat surface. I assume the purposed of the hinges are for scanning things such as books because they can be pullout to make the cover flat and higher. In the front you load the paper tray which hold up to 100 sheets according to the manufacture and you can use legal size paper. The paper try seems to be little fragile too especially when you need to switch to legal size, you need to press a little plastic button that if you press it too hard it may break. There is also a slot specifically for picture printing which is cool. I was surprise to find another feeder on the back, that one calls manual feeder and only holds 1 sheet of paper, honestly don’t know what’s the purposed unless for quick print, but hey another added feature. This printer can also be used via USB connection, the connector is hidden under flat scanning surface, meaning you must lift half of the device using the two small handles on each the side. Once lift that upper part will be held by a plastic hinge mechanism which also self-soft closed after giving a little push downward. Using the Brothers iPrint&Scan mobile was also painless finding the printer on the Wifi was quick and easy. You can complete most task from the phone app including sending fax. Printing and scanning pages from the app was easy to use as well. I wasn’t able to try the fax, but it seems to be fairly to use too using the touch screen tap on fax and it will bring up the dialer, and on the phone app it will let you select file from your device or from the scanner. The windows 10 app was easy to use as well but is not as useful as the phone app as it only let you scan and print only. The print quality was pretty good and fast, I used regular paper, the scanning was also fast too. Another thing I didn’t like which this maybe personal preference was the fact that the power cable is attached to the printer is not removable. Overall this is an excellent all in one printer for any office or home, due to the wireless connectivity and ease of use, this thing can be placed in any location without the need to be tether to a computer and works completely independent. In the box it includes the printer, 4 ink cartridges, manual, CD and RJ11 phone cable. I used this all in one printer on Windows 10 and an Android device.

At my place of work, I have access to two large industrial sized printers. They are great for big jobs, but I spend a lot of time working on layouts so I do a lot of proof printing. The color printer is in a completely different part of the building so it becomes a hassle when I need to print a single proof. So, I was looking for a smaller printer that I could use exclusively for proof printing in color. I’ve always liked Brother printers as the equipment holds up well over time. So, when I was given the option of using this Work Smart Series All-in-One Printer, I jumped at it. The printer itself is the perfect size for a smaller office setting. It measures 15.7 inches wide, which is only a fraction wider than most professional-grade laptops. It fits on the end of my desk really well at work. When it’s not in use, you can fold the paper tray up so that it’s not intruding on your workspace. The printer is designed in such a way that it’s perfect for compact desk spaces. When it prints, it has a minimal shake so your work isn’t disrupted by that printer’s tasks. Set-up of the printer was very simple. I have a real love-hate relationship with office equipment – especially fax machines – but Brother makes the process very simple. Once you connect it to power, the directions on the screen display the start-up instructions. You will be shown how to insert the ink cartridges and how to connect to your WiFi network. This printer is network capable and compatible with Apple AirPrint – both of these are features I was enthused about. Within about 5 minutes, I was ready to start printing. You will likely be instructed to update your device’s firmware once it’s connected to an internet signal and this might take up to 5 minutes on its own. I was impressed by the display’s responsiveness to touch commands. It’s small (2.7 inches), but it works really well. The printer does not have an Ethernet port, but it does connect well to wireless really easily. I’ve never had an issue with it disconnecting once it’s connected. There is one main paper tray that fits letter and legal size sheets of paper and with the bypass tray you can feed 4x6” photos and other specialty paper, which is really good for my purposes. I thought the printer did a good job of printing text documents and images. If you are planning on using this for professional quality graphics, I think that might be a little out of the printer’s reach. While it does a good job with clarity, it’s just not meant for high-quality print jobs. For me, when I print a proof of a layout, I’m mostly looking for reference. So for that, it’s perfect. If you are looking for a good budget-conscience printer, this is a good machine for that type of purpose.

I have used Brother printers for years, and they have always seemed to deliver great quality at a slightly lower cost than some of their other brand name counter parts. This printer comes with a telephone jack for faxing, plus usb port , and internal wifi adapter for connecting computers and mobile devices. This was a breeze to connect to my wifi, using the touch screen on the front of the machine. I also had no problems downloading their app on my phone and printing a few 4x6 photos, directly from my photo gallery. The pictures looked great, excellent clarity and color, with borderless printing. It seemed to take a little longer than some other photo printers to print, but this still did it with great results. I also printed a few pictures on regular paper, these results were as expected, the pictures were recognizable, just a little blurry. I was more so curious to the print times for text and images, these again seemed to be a little bit longer than expected, but with great results for the text. I printed the text in a reduced size, and even that was impressive, I couldn't believe it was legible. (see image**) The automatic document feeder and dual sided printing are great features to have at such a price. I also like that you can keep regular paper and photo paper in the tray at the same time, but just slightly bummed that the machine does not switch between these two medias on it's own. Someone has to manually slide the tray into position for the machine to grab the right papers, when switching between the 2 different types of media. The ink cartridges load at the front right corner of the machine, just match up the colors, and they slide right into position, locking when placed all the way in. Very easy to install. Overall this printer would be great for any small home office, or personal use. It provides everything that anyone would need, and does it very well.

I've been using this printer for a few weeks and I really like it. For the functionality it provides, it has a rather small footprint, which is great, because I was able to place it on a small table in the corner of my home office. One of the other things I like is how quiet the printer is; it's much quieter than the HP inkjet I've been using. Setup was rather simple, but one problem I ran into was with the software/driver installation CD that came with the unit; it was unreadable in every machine I tried. Not a huge problem since the same software is available online, but I also ran into a similar problem when trying to add the printer to my other computers; the remote driver installation always fails and I have to manually install the drivers from the website. I haven't called Brother support yet to see if they can provide any fix for this, but at this point it's just a small inconvenience. The printer has worked flawlessly so far with no issues such as paper failing to load or jams, and the colors are true to what is seen on the screen. The touch-pad for controlling the printer manually is small, but fairly easy to read and quite responsive. Also, being able to consistently print from mobile devices is also a huge plus; my previous printer would sometimes print documents incorrectly if they were coming from my phone. One of the features I've found most useful is the ability to scan documents to searchable PDFs using the downloadable apps from Brother; I've found a multitude of uses for this feature. The only thing I wish it had was a bit more paper capacity, but I don't print a ton of things, so that's not a huge deal. Overall, I'm very happy with this printer. So far it has managed to do everything I want and then some. I would definitely recommend this to anyone needing a solid printer for home office use.

Usually Brother brand printers are looking bulky and mostly a cheap variant of HP. This MFC-J690DW is a good way to go as superior product. Brother made this printer with very responsive and comprehensible touch screen control. Printer is slim (for the options) and has the top completely flat when closed. Looking really sharp. Setting up the printer was very easy thanks to the touch screen display! Connecting it to WIFI was fast. I even tried with a low signal WIFI, the printer did just fine. It is an MFC so there is also a fax machine included. While the FAX should be extincted... Brother fax machine built in this printer is really something different: It allows you to fax directly (through the MFC of course) from your phone, laptop, chromebook... Something that used to require some extra steps in the past. The printing quality of this MFC -J690DW is really above average it exceeded my expectation. Scanning, copying and printing are quite fast (what usually needed for small office or home use). Of course it is not your crazy laser printer... But it is just fine. To my surprise, this printer still has the USB connection. It is kind of buried inside the printer for some reasons! Like Brother is ashamed to having it exposed! Honestly, they should have kept the Ethernet port instead... This is my personal opinion... Maybe some people are still using the USB for printing... Printer has nice features like automatic duplex, back feeder (very important for some organizations and been neglected by other brands), easy ink cartridge loading with transparent level check! Brother is also trying something good and mostly useful for a lot of companies out there: "Refresh by Brother". I like the idea and the concept as I am using it with different brand. Brother has to do better on the pricing though. It is still not very appealing. Over all, I really recommend this printer for what it is delivering and what it is capable of. New and improved MFC from Brother!

If you’re looking for a great inexpensive all-in-one printer, than this is a great machine. Setup was extremely fast and easy. First, you load in the paper and turn on the device. It’ll instruct you how to load in the ink and then there’s about a five-minute install phase. I used the disc to install software and was ready to print after about 20 minutes. I really enjoyed the fact that all you have to do is plug it in and it literally walks you through the setup process. Installing and replacing ink is very easy. One the front lower right side, you can pull out the component. Place the separate ink cartridges into their appropriate slots and then turn on the machine. The printer will then initiate a setup for about 5 minutes and then you’re ready to start printing. Something to note is that the ink cartridges will have to be purchased individually, which might add up. The printer claims it’s very efficient, but time will tell. The printer has a digital touch screen. I was impressed with its responsiveness and ease of use. In less than a minute I easily connected to the WIFI router. You’re able to print from your mobile device, which is very convenient. I found that printing a word document was excellent (just black text and some minor color highlights). When I printed an image it was crisp, but the colors weren’t too vibrant. This could be because I printed it on standard paper and not photo quality paper. Overall, this will work perfectly in my home office. If you’re not using it for professional documents or photo printing, this printer is a great option. It’s a great printer for the family.

I'm picky about my printing. I like crisp text, solid fills and vibrant colors - especially on business material and/or presentations. The Brother J690DW is a low end All In One device - best suited for the home office with small printing needs but requires the Scan and Fax features - with the occasional copy. I found my business template backgrounds to be a bit inconsistent with the color and an occasional line in them. It's WiFi or direct connect capabilities make in convenient for the small office and printing fro your mobile device. The scanning feature to Dropbox and other popular services make it easy to save and send images, etc. The flatbed scanner is nice for books, magazines, receipts, etc but I noticed the back hinges seem a little flimsy - not sure on their longevity. Printing costs are sure to be a factor though. Research shows using Brother's advertised prices and page yields for its highest-yield MFC-J690DW-compatible cartridges, the calculated running cost was at 5.5 cents per monochrome page. Color pages tally up at about 16.3 cents each. Many other printers are far cheaper and produce better graphics. Overall - if you don't have a large print/copy volume, and are looking for versatility in the scan/fax area - this is can be an inexpensive solution for you.

This is a fantastic printer. The set up instructions were very easy to follow. It practically sets itself up. After you take off all the protective tape you are ready to start. The ink is super easy to install. I am curious to see how much I am able to print with these cartridges. Once I connected to my hone WiFi I was in business. I mostly print from my iPhone and it immediately recognized the printer when I selected AirPrint. It holds a good amount of paper so I don’t have to change it out as frequently as my previous printer. We are so happy with this printer. It feels like a high end printer but at a very reasonable price. If you need a home printer or one for a small business this is great. It has a feeder on the top for copying or scanning.