Brother MFC-7840W Laser Multifunction Printer Review

The Brother MFC-7840W Laser Multifunction Printer is proof that inexpensive monochrome all-in-one printers for a small office work network do not have to be expensive. Designed for your Wireless and Ethernet Network, the MFC-7840W is a full-featured monochrome laser printer, scanner, copier and fax. And it’s the best monochrome all in one printer at its price range. Click here for pricing and details

In general, inexpensive monochrome all-in-one laser printers tend to be designed for personal use. Not so the Brother MFC-7840W. In addition to a USB connection, this versatile printer offers full networking features via wireless or Ethernet network, making it the ideal choice for home, home office, or small office use.

Overview of The Brother MFC-7840W Laser Multifunction Printer

Most inexpensive all-in-one laser printers allow only printing over a network. The MFC-7840W printer
, on the other hand, allows printing, scanning and faxing over your home or office network. It can also attach a scanned document to your email and send email via a PC. The printer can be used as a standalone copier and fax machine.

Multiple page documents are easy and convenient to scan, fax or copy, thanks to the Brother MFC-7840W’s 35-page automatic document feeder (ADF). ADF’s are becoming standard features in multifunction printers and the MFC-7840W does not miss out on this.

A built-in 802.11b/g wireless network interface enhances the printer’s network connectivity and it now comes with a fast fax modem. An LCD backlit display allows easy viewing.

Product Highlights

• Fast printing and copying speed. The MFC-7840W laser multifunction printer can print and copy up to 23 pages per minute.
• Versatile connectivity. The printer is equipped with wireless, Ethernet, and USB interfaces. You can print, fax or scan over a wireless or wired network. The MFC-7840W can also be connected locally to a computer via a USB interface.
• High quality prints. Print resolution is 2400 x 600 dpi, producing crisp black output at a low cost per page.
• Flexible paper handling. A 250-sheet capacity paper tray can be adjusted to hold letter- or legal-size paper. The laser printer also has a single-sheet manual bypass for envelopes, labels and other printing media.
• 35-page automatic document feeder. Multi-page documents can be easily copied, faxed or scanned.
• Flatbed color scanning. The automatic document feeder can be used to scan pages directly to your email application, or saved as a PDF file.
• Fold-out rear output tray. When printing on envelopes, labels or thicker media, the rear exit door provides a straight path for the paper.

Setting Up

Setting up the printer is simply a matter of loading the toner cartridge and paper and plugging in the power and phone line. You can also connect a network cable and run the automated installation program from the disc.

Speed and Output Quality of The Brother MFC-7840W Laser Multifunction Printer

Printing speed is basically at par with other laser printer brands. The text output quality is better than for most monochrome laser printers, with fonts being readable at 6 points and even at 4 points for certain fonts. Thus, the MFC-7840W laser multifunction printer is excellent for text printing as long as you have no need for unusually small fonts or top-quality desktop publishing output.

Graphics quality is more than adequate for internal business use but you may want something better for professional purposes. Photo quality is good enough for printing Web pages or for client newsletter with photos.

Paper Handling

For most small offices, the 250-sheet paper tray is sufficient. In addition, the MFC-7840W laser printer has a single-sheet manual feed slot where you can feed an envelope or a special type of paper.

The straight-through path with rear exit tray is a useful feature, allowing you to print on thicker paper (up to 43 pounds in weight), as opposed to 28-pound paper for the paper tray. The straight-through path prevents wrinkling and curling in envelopes and heavyweight paper.

One thing missing in the MFC-7840W is a duplexer for printing on both sides of the paper.

Pros
• Excellent print and scan quality
• Fast printing speed
• Supports wired and wireless networking
• Includes scanner, copier and fax
• Can be used as standalone fax and copier
• Equipped with automatic document feeder

Cons
• No duplexer
• Slow scanning speed

What Customers Say

The gets a lot of positive reviews from customers. They like the laser printer’s high quality output and multiple functions. The buttons for scan, fax and copy are clearly labeled, making it easy to use these functions.

Although it is an all in one printer, it is not quite as large as other multifunction printers and can fit on top of a small file cabinet.

One of the best features of the MFC-7840W is its wireless function, allowing other computers to connect to it wirelessly.

The biggest disappointment with this laser printer is the lack of a duplexer that would allow printing on both sides of the paper. A number of customers also noted that scanning is quite slow. A few reviewers found the toner cartridge quite expensive.

Despite its minor shortcomings many customers are very happy with the overall performance of the Brother MFC-7840W. Its wired and wireless network capability and multiple functions make it one of the best monochrome all-in-one laser printers. Retailing at about $270, the Brother MFC-7840W Laser Multifunction Printer is the ideal choice for an all-in-one monochrome laser printer. Click here for more details, pricing and user reviews