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Brother MFC-J5910DW review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £104
inc VAT

This fast, generally competent MFP is good value. Be aware, however, that while it can print to A3, it can only scan, fax or copy up to A4

This hulking inkjet multifunction peripheral (MFP) from Brother is big for a reason: it’s able to print on paper sizes up to A3. This flexibility makes it suitable for small businesses or home users who may appreciate the extra size for complex worksheets or graphics. It can also scan, and copy or send multi-page faxes using its 35-sheet ADF but, unlike some other models in Brother’s line-up, these functions only work with paper up to A4 or Legal size.

Brother MFC-J5910DW

It seems odd to pair a large printer with a smaller scanner, but the MFC-J5910DW is the cheapest of Brother’s A3-capable inkjet MFPs, and it’s still loaded with features. Users can connect via USB, wired or wireless networking, or print directly from a memory card using the colour touchscreen controls on the front panel. Considered alongside its fax capability, ADF and duplex (double-sided) A3 printing, that’s a lot for the money.

Brother MFC-J5910DW

Unfortunately, the MFC-J5910DW isn’t the prettiest device, and it feels almost as cheap as it is. It’s made from hard plastics that don’t feel as pleasantly tactile as those found in typical home MFPs, while its large paper tray isn’t especially easy to load and it slots in and out of the printer with a clatter. The colour screen is rather small, and although it’s possible to angle it up for easier visibility, it’s easy to push it back down again by mistake when tapping its controls. Like several other Brother inkjet MFPs, the USB and Ethernet ports are hidden away under the scanner bed, requiring a foot or so of extra cable just to reach them.

If it doesn’t make the best first impression, the MFC-J5910DW makes a better case for itself in use. With the exception of slow photo printing it’s a quick all-round device, printing more than 12 pages of text or more than four pages of colour graphics each minute. It’s also comparatively quick when duplex printing on both sides of A4 paper, printing 10 colour sides onto five sheets of paper in less than four and a half minutes.

Print driver

Brother’s print interface is clearly laid out and simple to use

Photocopies were similarly fast, with single-page copies from the scanner glass taking less than 20 seconds each, and a 10-page colour ADF copy completing in just two minutes and 24 seconds. High-resolution scans in particular were unusually fast for a network-attached device, with our 1,200dpi test completing in just 40 seconds – one of the quickest results we’ve seen.

Scan interface

It’s not the most sophisticated scan interface, but Brother’s TWAIN panel is easy to understand

Quality-wise, while universally competent, the MFC-J5910DW didn’t excel in any area. Scans exhibited sharp focus, but suffered from a slightly cool colour bias and some noise suggestive of compression, most visible in areas of solid colours. Plain paper text and graphical prints were reasonable, although areas of saturated colour lacked vibrancy, while photocopies were good, particularly in mono.

It’s common to find that the cheapest printers have the highest running costs, but Brother has created a notable exception. At 3.5p per page, colour prints from the MFC-J5910DW are inexpensive, while mono prints cost less than a penny per page. It may not feel special or perform with distinction, but this competent MFP is very good value to buy and run.

Basic Specifications

Rating***
Maximum native print resolution1,200×6,000dpi
Max optical resolution1,200×2,400dpi
Output bit depth24-bit

Tested Print Speeds

Time for two 10x8in photos 1.09m 18s
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.014m 44s

Physical and Environmental

Standard printer interfacesUSB, 10/100 Ethernet
Optional printer interfacesnone
Size260x514x461mm
Weight13.6kg
Noise (in normal use)50dB(A)
Duty cycle2,500 pages

Paper Handling

Maximum paper sizeA3
Maximum paper weight220gsm
Standard paper inputs1
Standard paper input capacity250
Maximum paper inputs1
Maximum paper input capacity250
Duplex (code, cost if option)Yes

General

Printer technologypiezo inkjet
Supported operating systemsWindows 2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.2.4 or later, Linux
Other inkjet features4.9cm colour touchscreen
Other inkjet optionsnone

Buying Information

Price£104
Consumable parts and prices£14 each
Price per colour A4 page3.5p
Quoted life of supplied black cartridge390 pages (ISO/IEC 24712)
Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s)390 pages each (ISO/IEC 24712)
Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s)N/A
Warrantyone year
Supplierhttp://www.amazon.co.uk
Detailswww.brother.co.uk

Print Quality

Number of ink colours4
Number of ink cartridges4
Maximum number of ink colours4
Maximum number of cartridges4
Quoted photo durability100 years
Quoted photo durability sourceBrother

Tested Scan Speeds

Full scan area preview11s
A4 document at 150dpi11s
A4 document at 300dpi14s
6x4in photo at 600dpi18s
6x4in photo at 1200dpi40s

Tested Copy Speeds

Time for single A4 mono copy 1.018s
Time for single A4 colour copy 1.019s
Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.02m 24s

Photo Features

PictBridge supportYes
Borderless printingA4
Direct (PC-less) printingYes
Supported memory cardsMemory Stick Pro, SD, MMC
CD printingNo

Copy Features

Maximum number of copies99
Max mono copy resolution1,200dpi
Max colour copy resolution1,200dpi

Fax Features

Max mono fax resolution400x400dpi
Fax memory (maximum mono pages)400