BROTHER MFC-8640 DRUM

Brother MFC-8640 Review

Overview:

The Brother MFC-8640D was a variation on the brand’s popular line of print, copy, scan, and fax ready all in one units. The device was also available in a base model and a network ready model, adding a level of versatility and selection unseen in other brands’ models. Unfortunately, the device’s dated hardware leaves it stranded firmly in the obsolete category.

Pros:

The most notable feature of the Brother MFC-8640 is its duplexing capabilities. With the addition of automatic two sided printing, copying, and fax receiving, the unit hangs on to relevance a little longer due to the uniqueness of this hardware feature. With duplex printing, paper usage can be cut down by as much as fifty percent, and two sided pamphlets and manuscripts will have an additional feel of professionalism.

The Brother MFC-8640 is also a fairly sturdy piece of hardware, boasting a strong 20,000 page per month maximum duty cycle, along with a one year factory warranty. It’s mushroom shaped flatbed design is made to fit a full legal sized document glass that can scan and copy three dimensional objects as well as individual sheets of paper. The unit’s built in automatic document feeder is another convenient way to scan input material when dealing with multiple sheets at once.

Interestingly enough, the Brother MFC-8640 excels as a fax machine. With a huge range of comprehensive fax functions and a collection of one touch dial buttons, the unit is absolutely top of the line in this category. A built in fax page memory of 400 sheets (expandable up to 480 sheets) is the perfect failsafe feature for protecting incoming fax data that cannot be printed immediately due to paper outages or an occupied printer.

The device comes equipped with room for up to 240 auto dial locations and a broadcasting function for up to 290 locations. Possibly the most outstanding fax specification that the Brother MFC-8640 boasts is its speed. With a built in Super G3 fax modem, the device is fully capable of transmitting faxes at 2 seconds per page.

Cons:

With a print speed topping out at just about 20 pages per minute in black and white, the Brother MFC-8640 falls noticeably behind its more current competitors in the area of raw speed. Its copy and scan speeds match the device’s 21 page per minute rate of print, while other notable areas, such as built in memory, also leave much to be desired.

The Brother MFC-8640’s 16 MBs of on board RAM is not enough to prevent significant slowdown when dealing with large, complex print projects. Like many Brother electronics, this unit’s memory is expandable, but with the high cost of additional RAM, buyers would be wiser to invest their money in a newer unit.