BROTHER MFC-9800 DRUM

Brother MFC-9800 Review

Overview:

Sporting Brother’s familiar mushroom cloud look, the Brother MFC-9800 multifunctional laser device is an excellent solution to those looking for a bargain printer that can also scan, copy, and send faxes. This black and white unit operates at a print speed that is roughly half of that seen in Brother’s current devices, which is all the more reason those looking for an affordable unit may be pleased with the prices available online for this aging unit.

Pros:

The primary outstanding factor of the Brother MFC-9800, along with that of any discontinued device, is its overall price. When dealing with retired models, price points drop drastically as most businesses and consumers will purchase their multifunctional unit in store. Older models are available online at discount rates.

Along with a low operating overhead, the Brother MFC-9800 is also a veritable machine when it comes to printing, as well as in other areas. With a convenient, user friendly flip top design, amateurs will have no problems making single button copies as well as scans thanks to the dedicated scan to buttons. A built in ADF is also included on top of the flatbed and allows for the automatic loading of a stack of up to 50 sheets of paper. This can be useful when dealing with large fax, copy, and scan projects.

The fax functions themselves are quite outstanding, as would be expected in any Brother MFC. With fax transmission speeds of as little as 2 seconds per page, the Brother MFC-9800 is as fast as they come thanks to the device’s built in Super G3 fax modem. It also allows for up to 100 speed dial locations to be programmed along with a variety of other functions.

Cons:

If speed is not a top priority, the Brother MFC-9800’s 15 page per minutes for letter sized paper may prove suitable, but this is not nearly enough horsepower for a fast paced modern business that requires heavy duty operation. The unit’s maximum print resolution is also very disappointing, and represents the lack of high res laser printers at the time. With only 600 x 600 dots per inch attainable, the unit is suited primarily for text document printing alone, as imagery will not look its best when produced by this device. Copy resolution is also limited to 600 dpi, though scans can be done at higher quality.

Built in memory for the Brother MFC-9800 is also very disappointing. With only 8 MBs of on board RAM, the unit will certainly suffer from slowdown when dealing with complex print projects such as combined text and imagery.