Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer

Comments about Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer:

Truly the closest device that can actually be called an all-in-one. A lot of thought has gone into this printer. The color quality is wonderful. Black (mono) output is excellent with no banding.

I wish Brother had added the Message Center function to this model. MC is still found on several of their sheet-feed style MFC's, which acts as an answering machine. It was a nice feature to have your printer answer voice calls and distinguish voice/fax calls automatically. That feature will truly be missed.

The built-in 802.11b/g WiFi feature was what really had me spend a few dollars more for this model. It works as promised. I have the printer set up in a corner about 30 feet from the wireless router. Not to mention built in Duplexing and an extremely fast 21ppm color laser print speed.

Dislikes? Envelopes get wrinkled everytime. There's got to be a fix for that. Other than the envelope problem, the bulky size, and the lack of an answering machine, I'd say it's as close to perfection as any all-in-one printer can be.

Comments about Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer:

I bought this MFC primarily for home use, but also for part time use in my own startup business.

The setup was easy and the print quality is great. Being able to scan from the printer to straight to a PC that has the software on it is a huge plus. I can't stand having paper lying around my home office, so I scan everything to PDF.

The only "problem" I have had thus far is the PDF size. The file size seems to be extremely large compared to other MFC devices I have used in the past. Since I have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Standard, I can reprint the document to get a smaller PDF size, but I am hoping to adjust the device settings to avoid having to do the extra step.

Comments about Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer:

The Brother MFC-9840CDW is a fantastic machine for the price! I purchased this machine because Brother supports Mac and Windows users. Brother actually supplies ALL of the same features for a Mac as a Windows machine. This machine features both wired and wireless networking and it is great for a home network. You can scan to and from any machine on your network! This was one of my main reasons for purchasing this machine. It is a true network machine and ALL features can be used by any user/computer on the network. (Print, fax, and scan) I have heard this machine is not too friendly with envelopes, but I had no problem when the proper paper adjustments are made as stated in the manual. Also, the duplexing feature for scanning is fabulous! (Does not duplex scan for legal with auto feeder) However, you can scan right on the glass with the legal size without any problems! I am utilizing this machine in the following set-up:

I have 2 wired Mac Pro's running MAC OS X 10.5 and each machine also is running Windows Vista in Parallels. I basically have 4 machines running and all features work extremely well!

I also have 2 wireless MacBook Pro's running MAC OS X 10.5 and 1 machine running Windows Vista with Parallels and the other is running Windows XP with VM Fusion. All works extremely well.

The overall set-up was very easy by following the instructions. Everyone said the wireless was a bit difficult to get up and going. I had now problems at all! Very easy! The best part is the printing and scanning features. I can walk up to the machine and load a document to scan in the feeder... Hit the buttons in the menu and send that scan to any of the machines on my network. Windows or Mac! This works so well! I can also load a document on the glass and go to any machine and make any manual scan adjustments! The print quality is very good and so are the scans this machine produces.

As with any machine, there are some things you will not like. Mine are the following:

Machine is loud, a little slow (but not too bad), very heavy, very bulky, and uses a lot of power. This machine has so many options that the menu can be a little confusing, but the manual does assist you if you read it. Cost of toner is about in line with everyone else.

In closing, the cost of this machine is very good for the features and the quality. I give this machine a A+ rating because of the great things it does and the quality. While it does have a 1-year warranty, I would recommend the Staples 2-year service plan to be on the safe side. Anytime you have duplex scanning and duplex printing, the more protection you can have, the better. Lots of moving parts and you never know.... The plan was $54.99 for 2 years. Good price for a little extra protection.

Comments about Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer:

This unit is HEAVY. Also, make sure that you have a dedicated outlet, because it sucks up the juice. All of my lights dim whenever the unit turns on to make a copy.

Comments about Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer:

Scanning to files
Printing both remotely and through ethernet connection
Have not connected the fax yet!
Copying documents

Comments about Brother MFC-9840CDW Color Laser Multi-function Printer:

Better than my old stand-alone scanner.
Better than my old stand-alone fax.
Better than my old printer.
This all-in-one performs better and is more convenient than separate fax, printer, scanners I've owned. Can't think of a single bad thing to say about this machine. It's perfect, sturdy, easy to set up and easy to use.