BROTHER MFC-5440CN BLACK OEM INK CARTRIDGE

Brother MFC-5440CN Review

Overview:

For an all in one multifunctional unit that is supposedly all inclusive, the Brother MFC-5440CN somehow manages to be a fairly bare bones device. Though this discontinued model is fully capable of printing, faxing, copying, and scanning, none of its features are particularly impressive, save its exceptionally high photo print resolution.

Pros:

The most outstanding feature of the Brother MFC-5440CN is its photo print capability. With the incredibly high print resolution of 6000 x 1200 dots per inch, lab quality color photo printing is easily possible with this device. The unit, like most later model MFCs in the series, is also capable of borderless printing which eliminates the need for tedious trimming by hand.

Built in Ethernet capabilities allow the Brother MFC-5440CN to connect to any number of printers without relying on a single host PC. While the unit is not suited to serve an entire office’s printing needs, the addition of color fax hardware and PC faxing abilities to a business’ hardware lineup is usually a welcome one, even if usage is sparse.

Cons:

The Brother MFC-5440CN’s print speeds, while not entirely atrocious, do leave much to be desired. With a black and white print speed of 20 pages per minute and color print speed of only 15 pages per minute, plus a fairly lazy startup time, the unit shows its age when compared to the 30 page per minute and above MFCs available today for around one hundred dollars. Copy speeds operate even slower than print speeds with only 17 copies per minute in black and white and just 11 copies per minute in color. Though the 35 page built in automatic document feeder is a more than welcome inclusion, it cannot help with the unit’s speed problems.

The unit’s paper capacities are limited; another flaw seen in most of the MFCs in the Brother series. With only a 100 sheet paper input capacity and a 50 sheet output capacity, high volume printing will require frequent upkeep and paper refills. The device’s maximum monthly duty cycle of only 3,000 pages is also quite crippling to the high volume user, and the Brother MFC-5440CN should not be considered for anything but casual usage.