- Multifunction networked device prints, copies, scans, and faxes in one compact form factor
- Prints and copies at 23 pages per minutes
- Scanner features 19200 x 19200 dpi resolution (600 x 2400 dpi optical) at 48-bit color depth
- 35-page automatic document feeder makes copying, faxing and scanning multiple pages easy
- Measures 21.7 x 20.1 x 20.5 inches (WxDxH)
I''ve been using this for a couple of months now and it''s been performing very well. This replaced an old HP LaserJet 4050 with a network print server that finally died. This unit has not been setup or used for faxing, so that is not taken into account in this review.
Setup and installation was quick and easy, and the print quality is excellent. Crisp letters and text, as well as good b/w images.
The unit does take a little while to start printing a job maybe 15 or 20 seconds but when it does begin the speed is very good. This isn''t a problem for us and I really don''t see that it would cause anyone much of a problem at all. In most cases the job is done before you go to retrieve it. I just needed to mention it because I''m sure someone will give it a 1* rating just because of that... I guess if you need INSTANT prints, then don''t get this.
The software that comes with it is very good, especially in that it allows you to easily configure the functionality of both the software and hardware ''buttons''. I liked the fact that in addition to changing the standard ''buttons'', it also provides another 4 custom software buttons that you can use to setup specific scanning tasks without interfering with the normal buttons.
Scanning is a little slow, partly because the default resolution is quite high. Bringing this back down in line with other default scanner resolutions helps, but it is still slower than other AIOs I''ve used in the past. It won''t be a big deal if you only use it occasionally or can lower the resolution a long way for your needs, but if you need frequent high-res scans then this is probably not the machine to get.
Scanning is also a little louder than on some other AIOs, almost like the mechanism belt is hitting some kind of specific vibration frequency every now and then. Again, this isn''t really a big deal for me.
I did see another couple of reviewers that weren''t happy with the hinges on the scanner cover, but they seem perfectly fine to me. The hinges are supposed to be loose and moveable to allow you to scan large books etc, and I don''t see anything wrong with them apart from that.
I''m not really going to go into the Copy feature, since that is just a product of Scanning and Printing...
The paper feed tray seems pretty smooth and I get the feeling that it would be less likely to jam or pick up multiple pages than some other feed types, e.g. vertical feeds. Not very scientific I know, but just a hunch. Perhaps that''s an indication of the build quality?
The paper out tray area is small, but that seems to be a standard feature of Brother AIOs. I don''t know why they do it this way but it is certainly peculiar and it can make it tougher to get at your jobs than on other devices. This is more of an issue when the print job is quite large. I knew what I was getting having checked it out at the store first, so I''m not surprised, however its definitely an odd design "feature". It didn''t put me off getting it because of the other good points, but this is certainly a weakness.
All-in-all this is a good network AIO for scanning, copying and printing. IMO, for the price, it is clearly a better buy than other name brands and the quality of the machine seems to be very sound.
I haven''t yet used enough pages to verify the estimated number of pages per toner, but the high-volume toner I purchased at the same time was certainly cheaper than the HP equivalent (about half the price) so even if the count is off by some amount it probably won''t be any more expensive in the long term.
As I mentioned at the top of the review, I have not taken into account the Fax features as I do not use them. If I ever do, I will update this review accordingly.
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Update 12/22/09:
913 pages printed, mainly text, using the initial small "starter" toner that came with the unit before it needed replacing. In my experience that is pretty good for a starter toner. Print quality was good to the end, and it was only changed because it sensed it was empty and wouldn''t let us continue printing otherwise. I suspect there might be a workaround to trick the sensor and get more pages but I haven''t tried anything myself. Still recommend the product.
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Update 7/24/12:
3987 pages printed when the next toner died. Putting a sticker over the clean hole either side of the cartridge allowed it to start working again. I will update when we actually replace it to indicate how many more prints we get without much degradation in print quality.
Buy Brother MFC-7440N Laser Multifunction Center with Ethernet Network Interface Now
I needed a network printer so I purchased this to replace an old Brother HL-T440 (factory refurb bought for $150.00) that was non-networked (USB only). That printer still works great and I heartily recommend any Brother printer that uses TN-430 or TN-460 cartridges. Printers that accept that cartridge series have a very reliable print engine and huge toner capacity (4 years of SOHO use before replacing the first standard capacity cartridge).
Pros: option of either USB or network use, affordable price, ease of set up, small size, good print quality, 32 mb of printer memory (good for faxing or printing large jobs), affordable print cartridges, good scan quality, custom buttons for fax functions, extending hinges over scanner tray for large books/objects, comes with telephone cord, works way better than color inkjet printer fax/copier/printer combos. Buy this and a decent dedicated photo-printer from Epson or Canon if you are an avid photographer, accepts either legal (8x14 inch paper) in the paper tray. Affordable text recognition software but baffled by old inkjet invoices coverted to Word (to be honest, most scanning software doesn''t do well converting old inkjet prints to Word documents).
Cons: uses a smaller toner cartridge format than older Brother printers, small output tray (holds only 60-80 pages of output), loud automated fax/copier feeder, this is a slightly louder laser printer than HP, Canon or Xerox printers (it won''t wake a baby in the next room, but some people have auditory sensitivity so I must be exact), slightly slower USB printing than HP & Canon (half to one second), slightly longer printer spooling time than other laser printers on a network (but spools large print jobs faster than competitors in this price class), does not come with network cable or USB cord, more finicky (and slow) manual feed tray.
I read the reviews and it seems that these either work well out of the box or don''t. For those people who purchased one with paper feeding issues, return/exchange ASAP. In 20 years of employment I have observed that paper feeding machines (printer, fax, copiers, scanners) of all brands either feed well right of the box or they don''t. One should only buy office paper that is 20 lb (75 g/m2). If your machine can''t feed that, it''s a fraction of a millimeter or two off in spec and you will never be happy with it.
Slow but seamless loading of software on my old AMD Sempron based backup/thrasher computer with XP over 30 minutes (2002 cheapo home built computer). Be patient. No huge conflicts with antivirus software (I loaded the drivers on each computer with firewall/antivirus on instead of box instructions to turn that software off). Much faster loading times on my newer computers with various flavors of Windows XP).
Remember with any laser printer that it is important to shake the toner cartridge gently from side to side (not up/down/upside-down) before loading and whenever it shows low toner alert.
Read Best Reviews of Brother MFC-7440N Laser Multifunction Center with Ethernet Network Interface Here
I bought this machine under 2 weeks ago, and sadly I am going to need to return it, because I can''t get it to not jam on paper. The only way I can print is to manually feed each piece of paper one by one. Otherwise, it grabs several papers at the same time, printing part of a sheet on one and part on others, and often jamming up. I have tried different types of papers, different weights, the different feeders, read the manuals and the troubleshooting, and it hasn''t made a difference.
Otherwise, the machine seems great. I had trouble-free installation on 2 XP computers, the scan quality is great, the print quality is very good when you put it at the higher level, crisp blacks. I would like to be able to keep it, but I can''t be expected to be my printer''s page-feeder for every document.
Want Brother MFC-7440N Laser Multifunction Center with Ethernet Network Interface Discount?
I have owned this printer for a few months and have been very happy with it. It works very well with a mac, it''s very easy to use and the printing quality is great. The scanner works well too and its really easy to scan or make photocopies. It''s very compact and takes as little desk space as an all-in-one can take.
Especially for mac users, I think brother all-in-one''s are the best ones.
I bought the unit from Office Max on 1/22/09 and I''m returning it today 1/27/09.
I was pleased with the unit except that it fails to consistently load paper. It will print anywhere from 1 to 20 pages before it stops and says "out-of-paper". It was also wrinkling the paper right where the mechanism grabs a sheet out of the tray. I read all the manuals and tried 3 diff. brands of paper including their recommended brand.
John
