BROTHER MFC-8480DN TONER CARTRIDGE - HIGH YIELD

Brother MFC-8480DN Review

Overview:

Brother’s recognizable mushroom style design seen in many of their multifunctional units such as the Brother 8480DN allows a full legal sized scan glass to sit atop a device with a relatively small footprint. Along with many other creative uses of hardware, the 8480 squeezes a lot of functionality into a minimally sized device, resulting in a five in one unit that is arguably small enough for desktop use.

Pros:

When looking at the benefits of owning a Brother 8480DN, the first and possibly foremost specification that jumps out is its impressive 32 page per minute print speed. With print performance at this level, users will experience some of the fastest print times available in a small multifunctional device. The unit’s first page out time is also fairly speedy, reducing the overall print time of a project even further.

The Brother 8480DN is compatible with Brother’s new iPrint&Scan software. This free app can be loaded onto smart phones such as the iPhone, Android phone, or Window Phone. The phones can then be used to print web pages, JPEG images, and PDF files. When using a Windows phone, users will be limited to printing JPEG only and scanning cannot be done to the phone from the printer, whereas other phones can receive scan data by using the software.

Another non conventional way to use the Brother 8480DN’s print and scanning functions is via a front USB port that allows for walk up, stand alone printing. PDF and JPEG files can be printed from a plugged in USB storage device and the scanner can also save files in these formats to the device.

There are no surprises when it comes to the Brother 8480DN’s paper handing abilities, as its storage supply consists of a 250 sheet tray and a 50 sheet multipurpose tray; a setup common to Brother devices. One additional 250 sheet tray can be added as well to bring the device’s storage total up to 550 sheets. The unit’s automatic document feeder holds up to 50 sheets of 20lb paper at a time and thicker media can be scanned or copied by using the device’s flip top scan bed.

The printer is equipped with both a built in duplexor and an Ethernet card which fully round out this all in one work horse. Its print quality is also significant and is adjustable all the way up to 1200 x 1200 dots per inch which, while sub photo quality, is four times better than the 600 dpi standard seen in many document printers.

Cons:

Really the only drawback to the Brother 8480DN hardware is its costly price. With the unit currently listed for about four hundred dollars new, there are plenty of users who would benefit from purchasing a laser printer that costs half as much. When buying an extensive piece of hardware such as the 8480, it is important to consider if all the device’s features will be taken advantage of and, if not, there are simpler units out there that could be better suited for you. If it is more features you are looking for, check out the Brother 8890DW for wifi and duplex scanning capabilities.