Brother’s MFC-7840W is a multifunction device with a monochrome laser printer, copier, scanner, fax machine, and wired and wireless networking. Budget-conscious users will especially appreciate the MFC-7840W’s inexpensive cost per print (approximately $0.03 per page). Capable of printing very good quality text and business graphics at reasonably fast rates, the MFC-7840W is a fine choice for offices that work in a black-and-white world.

Setup is a snap. After powering up the machine and installing the toner cartridge, you have three connection options: Ethernet, USB 2.0, or 802.11b/g wireless. The USB connection is plug and play, and when we connected the printer via Ethernet, the MFC-7840W automatically appeared on our Mac as a Bonjour printer. The trickiest connection was the wireless, which required setting up IP printing. After some time flipping through the user manual, we figured it out and wireless printing worked smoothly.

The device’s control panel is well designed and clearly labeled. Three large buttons allow you to choose between the fax, scan, and copy functions. The control panel consists of rubber buttons, and a bright, backlit LCD clearly displays the settings you can choose from.

Disappointingly, the included scanner software doesn’t offer flexible scanning options. Though straightforward to use, the software doesn’t allow you to perform a full preview scan. The scanner performs a preview scan on specific parts of the glass based on the document size you select, requiring you to be very precise about where you place your documents on the glass.

The Brother Printer MFC-7840W output had very good results overall, impressing our panel of experts. Text quality in a Word document looked clean and professional, earning a Very Good rating. We also printed a document containing mixed elements, including fine, curved lines and graphics, which earned another Very Good rating. The scanner’s output was too heavy on the blues compared to our control image, earning a Good rating. The MFC-9840CDW’s copier received a Good rating: in a test copy of a Macworld magazine cover, some details was lost, and shadows lacked detail.

Print speeds were reasonably fast. It took just under 38 seconds to print a ten-page Word document, and 17 seconds to print a one-page Word document. Color scanning was a bit on the slower side: it took 1 minute and 57 seconds to scan an 8-by-10-inch photo at 600 dpi.

Since the MFC-7840W is a monochrome multifunction printer, you only have to worry about replacing one toner cartridge. For $45, you can purchase the standard toner cartridge, which Brother estimates will yield 1,500 pages-that’s about $0.03 per print. Keep in mind that eventually you have to replace the drum unit, which costs $100 and has an estimated yield of 12,000 pages. As always, these page rating are estimates; just how much you’ll get out of each toner cartridge and drum unit depends on the types of documents you’re printing.

Source:macworld.com/article/134466/2008/07/brothermfc7840w.html

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Lightning quick, top-quality prints and the running costs are as low as the price tag
This is the cheapest printer we’ve tested in this group test, costing only $211. Despite this, it provides excellent print quality and is one of the fastest mono machines on test – as well as being laden with a decent feature set that puts the more expensive models to shame.

The sheer quality the HL-5240 consistently churns out is impressive, too, especially given the money you’ll save compared to pricier printers. Scores from our judges averaged above 7/10 in all areas, giving it the highest overall quality rating by some distance.

This superior standard of printing is matched by a slick and speedy output only beaten – and it’s debatable – by the HP P2014. It was fastest in our DTP test, and right among the leaders with plain text and Excel documents. It slipped up slightly only with its warm-up time: 16 seconds to first page from sleep mode is pretty good in this group test, but the HP took just half that. How important you deem this will decide the speed winner, but they’re both extremely quick.

This stunning overall performance is backed up with a competent, if not mind-blowing, set of features. You won’t get ethernet unless you upgrade, which could prove problematic in an office, but everything else is present and correct. It will print a generous 7,000 pages per toner cartridge, which are well priced at $91 for extremely cheap running costs across the board, regardless of your monthly usage.

This performance does come at a price, though; the HL-5240 consumes more power than any other printer on test, especially when running at full blast. It won’t win any green competitions, which did make us consider whether it should be victorious in this group test.

But there’s simply little else not to like about the Brother HL-5240. It’s quick and, importantly, possesses unbeatable quality to match the scorching pace. The upgrade potential and rock-bottom cost – both at purchase and during use –contribute to a score that’s unbeatable in this group test. It was A-Listed before this test and retains that honour.

Source:pcauthority.com.au/Review/117732,brother-hl5240.aspx

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