- Print and copy up to 27ppm
- Built-in Ethernet network interface
- Automatic duplex for producing two-sided output
- Stand-alone copying - No PC required
- 35-page capacity auto document feeder,Scan To Feature: Email, Image, OCR, File
The Ups:
Fast printing -From deep sleep to wake up it takes about 20 seconds to get the first page out (pretty darn decent for a printer under 200 bucks)
Energy saving -in deep sleep it consumes less than a watt
Solid drivers/software that doesn''t get in the way.. for mac at least (not sure about windows)
Painless duplex printing
Copying without the need of a computer
Super light (25 lbs?) and small footprint
Toner cartridges that don''t cost an arm and a leg
A button on the printer that stops the current print job (AND actually works.. unlike some lexmark and hp printers I''ve encountered which cancel jobs that HAVEN''T been started yet.. ugh.)
The Downs:
Automatic document feeding can''t scan double sided... but kind of expected, although.. you can tell it to scan a stack of (one-sided) documents and print double-sided documents
The scanner lid seems to be spring-loaded, so be gentle when closing the flatbed scanner
The scanner lid only opens 45 degrees not 90 degrees... maybe this is normal.. but my xerox copier goes all the way up.. ohwell)
-Getting this printer to work in Linux (ubuntu 11.04) was a little painful-had to install the cups and lpr driver from the website.. but it''s decently document on Brother''s website, so check it out (hint: even though ubuntu "recommends" using the 7045 driver, dont.. use 7065dn.. using the 7045 will just send the printer data, and then the printer will just go back to sleep without printing anything).
So even with all the things that I don''t like about the printer, I still highly recommend the printer, given the price and how many features brother packed into this model. I would totally recommend this printer to anyone in the need of b/w network printer.
EDIT: 7/31/2011--
The printer doesn''t seem to have airprint support (yet), so those of you who want to print directly from you iphone/ipad/iwhatever.. sorry -it won''t work out of the box.. you''ll probably need to setup a print server. I''ll probably try doing this on a dd-wrt instance. Also, I tried using the Brother iPrint&Scan app on my iPhone, but it didn''t work with this printer.. ohwell.
EDIT: 9/30/2011 @ 5:05pm--
According to the handy-dandy printer statistics webpage built into the printer, I''ve printed 442 pages so far, and the printer is telling me that I''m running low on toner. I''m using the toner that came with the printer, (TN420) which is advertised to last about 1200 pages. I don''t believe that I''ve printed any images or anything that requires a ton of toner, so I''m a bit confused on why I''m low on toner. Still-Printer/scanner is great.. maybe just a defective toner unit that got shipped with the printer?
EDIT: 9/30/2011 @ 5:13pm --
I found this "toner save" option in the web interface, so I enabled it. (Oops-forgot about that. Printed out a page and in my opinion, it looks the same as when the "toner save" option was disabled. Hopefully I''ll get better performance out of toner cartridges now.
EDIT: 10/19/2012:
Yep, printer is still running strong.. by the way, numerous people have commented that the toner included with the printer is a ''starter toner''. So if you buy this printer, you''ll probably want to purchase a Brother TN420 along with this printer (or upgrade to the Brother TN450, if you''re looking for the high yield model).
Buy Brother Printer DCP7065DN Monochrome Laser Multi-Function Copier Now
As the title suggests, I cannot believe there aren''t more reviews for this printer, good or bad.I''ve been drinking the HP coolaid for many many years now. I don''t print much to be honest with you, but always thought that a color printer was something everybody should have in the home. I''ve owned about 4 HP multi-function printers over the years, and my last one was the worst in respect to ink. Not only were there 6 cartridges, but even printing in Black yielded a drop in the color inks! Due the infrequent usage of the printer, my inks would also "expire" so that I had to replace them. All this coupled with the fact that when I did buy new ink, most of the time the cartridges (which were small in the first place), only came half full!
OK, so you didn''t come here to read about my issues with HP, although I think most people can empathize!
So, in looking for another printer, I looked for the following:
Scanner
Printer (Laser)
Networked (Wireless or Hardwired)
Reasonable Price (under $300)
Not an HP!
What I got in the main, exceeded my expectations. Granted I only got this today, but from unpacking to printing the first page, was an absolute breeze. It''s a lot smaller and lighter than I was expecting but quite a bit taller than my HP all-in-one.
I have multiple Windows machines (no Mac or Linux to test with right now) on my network, and each one picked up the printer during driver install first time. I downloaded the drivers directly from Brother so I had the latest ones, and I also ensured that after everything was running, I updated the firmware of the printer too. All this was done with ease.
The print quality is as you would expect from a laser printer, very clean and sharp. I especially like the duplex feature which allows printing on both sides. I even tried the multiple pages on one (4 to 1 in this instance with duplex), and it downsized the PDF file whilst keeping it still pretty readable. The warm up from sleep to print was pretty quick. I would say less than 10 seconds.
The build quality is pretty good. It''s not as solid as an Enterprise type laser printer, but what do you expect for $179!? I was a little worried about the scan cover only lifting 45 degrees (as mentioned in the first review), but it lifts way more than that (probably about 65 degrees), plus it has a vertical lift on the hinges so you can scan thick books etc. which is nice. I do agree with the other review, the spring loaded lid is brutal, so you need to be careful when lifting the lid, otherwise you could damage the hinges.
However, with that said, the scanning feature is not quite as nice as the HP one. I need to play with it a bit more, but there doesn''t appear to be a preview feature, and if you scan multiple pictures it doesn''t allow you create multiple files (because there is no preview feature).
All-in-all though, with the fact that you get a starter cartridge that will last quite a while (with no expiry!), this printer is an absolute bargain for $170. Given I would have had to replace my HP cartridges anyway, which would have been $70, you can understand why this is, in the long run, a very cost effective printer. With high yield toner cartridges that print about 2500 pages for $50, I can''t see me ever going back to an Inkjet.
In conclusion, don''t be put off by the Brother brand and their relative obscurity compared to HP, they''ve been around for a long time.
I''m dinging the product 1 star because of the lack of preview and multi-image in the scanning software, and the spring loaded lid. I''m hoping there is an alternative/remedy to this. But for that, it would be five stars.
Pros
Great printer, especially with duplex, and n to 1 printing
Fast print speed and nice quality
Scan and copy multiple documents using the auto feeder
Long lasting, non expiring toner cartridge (700 pages from the free one!)
Enclosed paper tray with pretty good capacity (250 sheets)
No large output tray sitting on the side of printer, output is almost enclosed in the middle of the printer
Not an HP! :)
Cons
Scanner software doesn''t have preview or the ability produce multiple images at once (that I can tell)
Brutal spring loaded scan cover
Not color (but wasn''t a requirement for me anyway)
No wireless (again not a big deal, but might be for some)
UPDATE (08/07/2011): I''ve found the preview feature! As I''m a bit of a computer geek, I generally switch software to "Advanced Mode" to gain more control over it. It seems this mode doesn''t show you previews which is a bit odd. However, by selecting "Home Mode", the preview is there. Granted the multi-image scan is still not there, but it''s still an improvement. FYI, the mode can be found under Configuration > Mode Select.
UPDATE (04/04/2012): So, just to let people know that I''ve had the printer for about 7 months, and just today, after printing 311 pages with the STARTER toner cartridge (with Toner Save OFF) that ships free with the unit, I got my first warning that the toner was low. Almost certainly if I had still had my HP printer, I would have gone through at least 2 or 3 of the colors, and the other ones would have probably expired and needed replacing, costing me about $10+ per cartridge. I am still incredibly happy with the print quality and the print options. It''s still lacking the killer option of multiple separate photo scans in a single pass, but frankly I''ve not had a lot of photos to scan in recent months, so do not miss it currently! Lastly, with the price drop to $129 (which it had been down to recently), it''s even more of a bargain than it was when I bought it.
Read Best Reviews of Brother Printer DCP7065DN Monochrome Laser Multi-Function Copier Here
With great sadness, I retired my HP LaserJet 5p after 17 years of great service. It finally died. I had fun taking it apart, but that''s another story. I was always happy with that printer, and the service I got from HP when I bought it was terrific. So my first choice was another HP Laser. I had a terrible Brother Laser printer prior to the HP. Plus, the HP never needs a drum replacement (the Brother''s drum is slated to last only 12,000 pages.)However, I had heard recently from multiple sources that in recent years, HP had gone downhill in quality and service. And the reviews I read (and I read hundreds of them) overall gave better scores to Brother Lasers, which usually cost less than HP. So after weeks of research, I bought the DCP-7065 for only $179. The price dropped to $129 3 weeks later what a great deal! Now it is back to $156. Watch for sales!
Here is my review after owning this for almost a month.
Installation
It''s my first networked printer, and I was nervous. In about an hour, I unpacked it, set it up, followed the Quick Start instructions, and installed it on 1 desktop (vista) and 2 laptops (xp-pro). Success!
The only problems I encountered were needing to install the scanner software twice on the desktop, and the scanner software not installing on the laptops. I didn''t re-try when it failed on the laptops. Since I won''t scan from the laptops (only my desktop), it was a non issue to me. If I ever need to, I will try again to install it on the laptops. Since it installed on the second try after a re-boot on my desktop, I assume the same will be true for the laptops.
Now I can sit in bed on the first floor and print on the second floor. No more running out to the inkjet, connecting it to the laptop via USB, printing, disconnecting and returning to the living room or bedroom. Hooray.
Another note I have not downloaded the latest drivers and firmware yet (as other reviewers suggested), just used what was on the CD. I should, and will eventually, but so far it prints just fine.
Print Quality & Speed
It''s a Laser. Therefore, it has great print quality on the best setting. Eyeball test only I didn''t look with a magnifying glass or anything. With as cheap as toner is (even more so if you buy aftermarket toner cartridges), I am not going to use toner-save mode.
I printed a photograph, and it was OK, nothing special. I mean, this printer is not for photographs, but it will render graphics in black & white docs decently, not great. It is NOT a photo printer. Print your photos at Wal-Mart or some place like that. They will look great and be cheaper than printing at home, anyway.)
Speed? It is FAST! Love it!
Wireless connectivity
I had no problems connecting this through my router following the Quick Start Instructions, and all of our laptops can now print from anywhere in the house. This is my favorite thing about this printer.
I don''t know why anyone would need wi-fi instead of Ethernet, UNLESS you can''t physically place your printer near your router (it needs a CAT5 cable from the printer to the router). That is the only time that the Ethernet connection to a router would not suffice. Personally, I would not spend the extra money for 802.11 wi-fi (the MFC-7860 costs about $100 more than this printer ($180 vs. $280 at the time I purchased). Note the HL-5370DW ($180) is wireless, but does NOT have a copier/scanner, and also has lower ratings. For comparison purposes, HP has a wireless all-in-one laser printer with decent ratings, m1217nfw, for about $225.)
Duplexing
I don''t know how often I will use it, but it was easy to use and very fast. Very cool. I like it. I have not tried booklet printing yet.
Noise
Yes, it has a cooling fan that makes some noise. So what? All printers make noise. It didn''t seem any louder to me than any other printer. I didn''t even notice the fan was running until it cut off. It''s not a big deal to me, anyway, as it is in my office, not my bedroom. My HP DeskJet 6940 at work is much louder while printing (but since there is no cooling fan it makes zero noise after finishing.
Energy
Like some other reviewers said, it made my lights flicker when waking up from deep sleep mode. As long as it doesn''t blow a fuse, that is a minor annoyance that does not bother me much. Most of the time I am not in the same room as the printer anyway, since 90% of my printing is done from my laptop wirelessly. I chose to not hook it up via the same surge protector the computer was on. Straight to the wall instead. My house is only 20 years old, so I don''t have ancient wiring. This might be an issue for some people but not for me.
Some people like that the printer has an on/off switch. But since it goes into deep sleep mode when not in use, you will probably never turn the printer off (except for vacations). If you did turn it off, and you are printing wirelessly, you would need to go to the printer and turn it on before printing wirelessly defeating the purpose of a wireless printer!
Copying
I really like using the auto-feeder to make copies of multiple pages; what a time saver. Our all-in-one inkjet is just a flatbed, so you have to do one page at a time.
I wish there was a 1-button copy function. You have to hit a few buttons to get a photo-copy. It is a minor annoyance. Also, the settings are not easy to navigate, so you can end up wasting time and paper because a copy comes out too dark or too light. I''m not crazy about it as a copier, except for the ADF.
Is there a difference in copy quality between the flatbed and ADF? I can''t tell.
Scanning
As other Brother reviewers have mentioned, the scanner cover''s springs are tight, and if you are not careful, the cover will snap down hard, possibly breaking it sooner rather than later. I recommend using both hands to insure it closes gently.
Scanning photos I have not tried this yet (will update later)
OCR
This is a mixed bag. On the one hand, scanning in a 5 page document through the auto-feeder and having the OCR software scan it was fast and easy. A process that would have taken me more than 5 minutes on our Canon inkjet all-in-one took maybe 30 seconds on the Brother 7065.
Unfortunately, I HATE the included OCR software itself. It is really bad. It rendered almost every capital "I" as the number "1" and had many other errors as well. It does not give you the option to correct anything on the fly like OmniPage does. So the time saved on scanning was lost on manually finding and correcting errors. I will try installing OmniPage Pro 10, which I already own, and see if that works with this scanner. I do a lot of OCR scanning, so this is a real inconvenience for me. I am really hating this aspect so far.
Auto-document feeder.
Wonderful. Fast. So much better than a flatbed scanner. I like that the lid of the ADF can be closed when not in use, so it looks neater and doesn''t collect dust inside the feeder.
Toner & Drum Costs
I have not replaced the toner yet. I plan on buying compatible toner, which (almost always) worked fine with my HP. If I encounter any issues, I will come back and update this review. Even buying Brother brand toner, it will be cheaper than HP brand toner. But since there are plenty of generic toner sellers for both brands, I think this should be a wash. A genuine TN450 cartridge is about $42, and generic toner cartridges are between $15-20 on Amazon via many vendors.
If you plan on printing lots of pages (say, over 500 pages per month), consider buying an HP. The drum for the Brother needs to be replaced at 12,000 pages. The Brother brand drum is about $100, but the off-brand is about $30. I expect to go for several years before I need to replace the drum.
This printer comes with a TN420 cartridge (supposed to print 1200 pages). But alas, it is not filled all the way. It is a starter cartridge, and I got "toner low" messages after fewer than 500 pages.
It will give a "replace toner" message and stop printing, even though there is still toner in the cartridge. Apparently, all Brother Laser printers do this. See reviews of other printers they all have a convoluted work-around, but it is not easy to find it. See page 30 of the "Basic User''s Guide" to find out how to defeat the message and enable you to keep on printing until the toner is really gone. I could not find these instructions anywhere online at Brother''s web site, and since this is a newer printer, couldn''t find it via Google either. Brother''s web site simply says you should buy a new toner cartridge, and it has to be a genuine Brother cartridge.
UPDATE ON TONER (12/14/2011) I bought 2 generic replacement toner cartridges for about $13 each online via Amazon. The first leaked toner everywhere a complete mess. I got my money back from Amazon. The second one works fine. They are way cheaper than the Brother toner (which of course, is more reliable, if you want to spend the money.)
Update #2 on toner (8/6/2012)
I bought generic replacement toner from a different vendor, and this time it worked just fine. If you need to print something really nice, buy Brother toner. Otherwise, generic should be fine.
Build & other miscellaneous stuff
I like that the paper is enclosed in a drawer. I always hated the "paper stands up in the back of the printer" style that Canon and other companies use. Also, many HPs have the paper on the bottom in an open tray. I like the closed tray.
It comes with 32MB of RAM. That is great for a printer at this price point.
One annoyance you have to look at the LCD panel at just the right angle or you can''t read anything. Not a huge problem, but annoying.
Missing Cables True, it does not include a USB or Ethernet cable. But by 2011 everyone should have several of them somewhere in the house. If Brother included cables, the printer would cost more, and most of us don''t need them. This was not a negative for me. I would rather pay $5 less for the printer and use my own cable.
Documentation
The Quick Start guide was great. I like that it used real words. In proper English. Sometimes you get those assembly instructions with crudely drawn pictures and text that was written by some guy in China with a dictionary.
The printed "Basic User''s Guide" that comes with it does not include instructions about copy settings, duplex operation, scanning, and some other features. The same guide is used for the DCP-7060D, DCP-7065DN, and the HL2280DW). The full manual is on the disk that comes with the printer, and also online.
Tech Support
I have read good and bad comments about calling Tech Support. I have not had to call yet so I can''t comment. I did call to ask about the differences between the printer models, and after a brief hold period, was given accurate information by someone who spoke English.
Manual Paper Feed (Printing Envelopes, Labels, Card Stock and other stuff)
One thing I do NOT like is that you can only feed 1 piece of paper, envelope, etc. at a time in the manual feed slot. My 17-year-old HP LaserJet allowed you to stack a good amount of paper or envelopes in the manual feed slot.
Card Stock You can open the back door of the printer (called the rear output tray) so that it has a straight paper path. A working straight paper path is important for card stock and envelopes. If the back of your printer is not easily accessible, this will be a hassle. A few times it didn''t recognize that the card stock was in the manual feed slot just make sure you push it in straight and snug. It printed fine from the slot to the open back.
Update 9-19-12 After having printed more on card stock, I am not thrilled with the print quality on card stock. Not as clear as on thinner media. If that is a big deal for you, you might want to think about another printer.
Caution! don''t forget to close the back door when you are done with the straight paper path printing! I did and printed about 50 pages that fell all over the floor behind the printer! Not Brother''s fault definitely user error!
Envelopes UPDATE 12/14/11 Envelopes work just fine, although you can only feed one at a time. It did not make the adhesive stick, and it did not wrinkle the envelope like my HP did.
CD Labels UPDATE 12/14/11 Worked just fine. Again, you can only feed one at a time, but that is all I need to do.
Avery Labels UPDATE 12/14/11 Worked just fine. It didn''t peel them off, and it printed clearly. No problems at all. As with the other manual feeds, you can only feed one sheet at a time, but that is all I need to do.
Conclusion
This is the exact same machine as the MFC-7460DN except for the fax. I called Brother and they verified that is true. They had to put me on hold to find out, but they were friendly and helpful. If you don''t need a fax machine, this will save you about $70. $180 vs. $250. In the past, when I have needed to fax something, I have scanned the doc to a PDF and emailed it most of the time you can do that instead of a fax.
It''s hard to go wrong on a laser printer for $180 (currently $130 on sale at the time I am writing this) that prints and copies over 20 pages a minute, scans quickly, networks, duplexes, has an auto doc feeder, and has 32MB of RAM. Plus it has great reviews, just like the 7460DN.
If you need to print thousands of pages, get an HP, or one of the Brothers that has a 25K drum. If you absolutely must have a fax, this is not for you. If you need wi-fi instead of Ethernet wireless, move up to the 7860DW or check out the HP m1217nfw or M1536dnf which are both cheaper than the 7860. But for home or small office, this is a great buy (assuming that it lasts and doesn''t break down time will tell).
I love this printer, for the most part. I am only giving 4 stars instead of 5 because of the copying and scanning, and the hassle with the "low toner" messages. If Brother would fix those 2 things, I would give this 6 stars, if it were possible!
My only other concern is how long will this thing last? I don''t expect to get 17 years like my HP LaserJet 5P, but I want it to last a lot longer than the 1-2 years we''ve gotten out of every inkjet printer we''ve owned. Good luck!
Want Brother Printer DCP7065DN Monochrome Laser Multi-Function Copier Discount?
I was a long time HP printer advocate, but they''ve gone downhill -their software is truly horrible and the hardware remains expensive.I''ve now switched our family and business over to Brother printers and they''re fantastic (we own 4 different ones). The 7065 has excellent print quality, duplex printing (a must have feature for me) and very nice scanning (fast too). The only thing I would like to see them improve would be to add support for scanning 2-sided originals. I had to write my own script to combine 2 separate scans, reversing pages and interleaving them to get the sides in the correct order.
OEM toner cartridges are reasonably priced and you can get 3rd party clones very cheaply. Please note that this model does not include FAX capability, I didn''t need it, but many people assume it is included.
Updated -I forgot to mention that the printer has very good Mac support, including the latest release Lion and great network printing support.
Save 28% off
Ordered from Amazon at super-cheap price, including shipping. Easy to install, works perfectly. Love the duplex printing and scanning. Yeah, you have to flip your stack over to scan duplex who cares? I''m sure it makes the mechanism simpler and less likely to break, and it''s virtually no trouble to me. Comes with Paper Port, which I adore. OEM cartriges reasonably priced. Brother Black High Yield Toner Cartridge (TN450) I''m a happy camper!Edited to add a couple of caveats and a slightly lower rating.
Price shop! The Amazon price as I type this is significantly more than I paid, and I saw this printer recently in a brick-and-mortar store for significantly less than I paid.
I had a heck of a time when I replaced the cartridge with an OEM, I might add.
It didn''t want to reset the page counter, or toner sensor, or whatever tells it there''s a new cartridge, and I had to turn off cartridge sensing to get it to print. I saw no reason for this to happen with an OEM cartridge, so I spent a significant amount of time with customer service, repeatedly following the steps I had already followed (and I told them so), and being forced to provide my name, address, and phone number, only to be finally provided a 15-second fix consisting of a series of door openings and button pressings, information that they apparently guard like Fort Knox as they refused to give it to me via web chat I had to call on the phone and jump through their hoops all over again.
I don''t have the secret combination with me right now, but I do have it and I''m going to post it here. I''m also going to try to find out the meaning of the other codes (my code was #12) and disseminate them stuff like this annoys me.
The hoops I had to jump through with the OEM cartridge is the reason I lowered the rating to four stars those people took up many dollars worth of my time when they could have just ascertained I had an OEM cartridge (they asked me for the serial number at least three times) and given me the code. The printer has been functioning very nicely, but the experience I went through with customer service is downright unbelievable, especially considering it concerned an *OEM* cartridge that the printer refused to recognize.
Here''s what you have to do to reset the page counter, or the toner sensor, or whatever makes it detect the toner:
open cover
press clear
["replace drum?" is displayed]
press start
press up arrow to #12
press OK
["accepted" is displayed]
I''d love to know what #1 through #11 do.....!
Further disappointment the high-yield toner says it should be good for 2,600 copies. My page count shows 1,500 don''t know if that''s for just the new cartridge or includes the starter as well, but in either case it is not good that it''s already showing I should order another cartridge! The heck with it I''m getting a non-OEM this time. Compatible Brother TN450 Toner Cartridge for Brother MFC 7360N 7460DN 7860DW / HL 2220 2230 2240 2240D 2270DW 2280DW Printers Black This one has only one review, but it''s by a real-name, Amazon-verified purchaser with a lot of other reviews, so I thought it was the best choice of what was available. (Update: It has a lot more reviews now, including mine the reviews are mixed, but my experience has been great. I buy mine from Linkyo apparently it makes a difference.)
It''s too bad for Brother I probably would have stuck with the OEM cartridges for longer if I hadn''t had the annoyance and if the high-yield cartridge hadn''t said I had to order another less than two weeks after being installed.....
Adding a couple more caveats.
The OEM, supposedly high-yield cartridge is used up, much sooner than I had expected. I''m not sure it lasted even as long as the starter cartridge. The non-OEM I just put in, link above, seems to work just fine so far.
Try to think before you hit print, which I''m having trouble learning to do it remembers your last number of prints (haven''t found a way to stop it from doing that and reset to one), and I''ve lately spent a lot of time lunging for the "stop" button when I wanted one and it printed 14.
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