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Brother MFC 8840D

The Brother MFC-8840D is the duplex variant of the MFC-8840. It has all the same features like the 20 page per minute monochrome printing, copying, scanning and fax, with the added bonus of automatic duplexing.

The MFC-8840D is a fully featured multifunction device that offers nothing new to the genre, but is a good enough performer to warrant a review. It provides printing, scanning, copying and faxing as per all the other true multifunction devices out there, but it does something that most of its competitors don’t. It performs all functions well.

Often when purchasing a multifunction there is an inherent knowledge that there is a compromise somewhere. To get the benefits of four functions in one chassis, something has to give. An average scanner, basic functions or resolutions of high toner use are typical symptoms of this. But, with the MFC-8840D there are no compromises, the device does exactly what it promises.

The laser printer outputs mono at 21 pages per minute at a maximum resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi. It is fed by a 250 paper tray, which can be expanded to 500. There is also a single sheet multipurpose tray and an automatic document feeder on top. The MFC-8840D supports the usual printer languages, PCL 6 and BR-Script which is Brothers version of PostScript. This enables the device to work with any operating system with the correct drivers.

The fax can function as a standalone fax machine, or as a PC operated one. There is enough memory to record up to 600 faxes, which is also expandable for heavy users. The standard is 32Mb, but this can be stretched to 160Mb by purchasing a larger DIMM.

The scanner can use either the automatic document feeder, or the single sheet glass. It works on resolutions up to 600 x 2400 dpi and produced credible scans. Not many of us use them anymore, but having a decent scanner on hand can be a good thing sometimes.

Running costs are modest, the MFC-8840D has a power saving mode, toner saving mode and seems pretty efficient. Toner itself is reasonably priced, with a high yield cartridge having a 6500 age capacity and costing a little under $30. Replacement drums are just as cost effective at $65, and will last for 20000 pages.

For a small workgroup that has medium to low printing demands this is an ideal device. It’s cheap to buy, cheap to run and produces documents of a quality much higher than the cost.
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