BROTHER MFC-1850MC RIBBON CARTRIDGE

Brother MFC-1850MC Review

Overview:

With functions such as remote fax, automatic speed dial, and PC hosting for printing, the Brother MFC-1850MC was at the top of its class during the unit’s time period. Today, this dated unit does not hold a candle to the affordable, multifunctional inkjets on the market, but the die hard users of this dinosaur will be pleased to find that thermal ribbon cartridges are still readily available to keep this device afloat.

Pros:

While the Brother MFC-1850MC is by no means up to the current print of fax standards, it is still perfectly capable of executing basic print, fax, and even copy projects. Basic fax features, such as speed dial, and menu options are accessible via a built in 16 character LCD display, which allows the unit to function as a stand alone fax machine when not connected to a host PC.

The unit is also fully capable of making a copy on its own thanks to a series of fairly comprehensive dedicated buttons. Text menus can be scrolled through line by line, or users can simply use the single button copy function for fast reproductions

The device’s paper tray with a 200 sheet capacity is sufficient enough, especially considering the extremely low volume the Brother MFC-1850MC was designed for. When paper outages do occur, the unit’s fax page memory plays a key role in keeping data from being lost in the shuffle, though onboard RAM is limited.

Cons:

Resolution for the Brother MFC-1850MC is locked at fax machine standards, which are much lower than current print and copy standards that hover around 600 x 600 dots per inch. The unit has a horizontal resolution that is set at 203 dots per inch, while vertical resolution can be switched between 98 line per inch standard quality, 196 line per inch fine / photo quality, and 392 line per inch superfine / copy quality. Copies automatically default to the highest quality setting, though even at this quality imagery will be duplicated at sup par resolution, and the term “photo” quality really no longer applies to 196 lpms.

The unit’s grey scale of only 64 levels further diminishes the Brother MFC-1850MC’s usefulness in reproducing imagery and photos, not to mention the fact that the device operates exclusively in monochrome. It also suffers from extremely slow print speeds and fairly slow fax speeds thanks to its built in 14.4 Kbps fax modem with automatic downclocking.