Brother MFC-J6520DW review
Dowdy, with unremarkable results. This A3 MFP's strongest feature is low costs
Specifications
print speed, USB, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, 247x553x433
Brother’s MFC-J6520DW is an office inkjet multifunction peripheral (MFP), capable of printing, scanning, copying and faxing A3 documents, and it’s priced well. It even has support for wired and wireless networks, direct wireless printing, duplex (double-sided) printing and a colour touchscreen.
The MFC-J6520DW’s glossy white plastic looks good in Brother’s photos, but in the real-life it’s a disappointingly dowdy device. There are some nice design touches, though, such as the strong, telescoping hinges for the scanner lid and the way that the 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) folds shut when not in use. Others are less successful. We’re not sure why Brother still hides its USB, network and phone ports under the scanner bed.
The paper input tray, which feels and sounds incredibly cheap, is simply unpleasant to use. It rattles and crashes as you extend or collapse it to cope with different paper sizes. There are some oddities to learn, too. Paper sizes, including A4, must be loaded in landscape orientation, while others such as A3, are portrait. More annoyingly, you must set the loaded paper size via the printer’s control panel.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| Maximum native print resolution | 6,000×1,200dpi |
| Max optical resolution | 2,400×2,400dpi |
| Output bit depth | 24-bit |
Tested Print Speeds | |
| Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 15m 55s |
| Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 37m 6s |
Physical and Environmental | |
| Standard printer interfaces | USB, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless |
| Optional printer interfaces | none |
| Size | 247x553x433 |
| Weight | 14.5kg |
| Noise (in normal use) | 50dB(A) |
| Duty cycle | 26,000 pages (maximum), 1,500 pages (recommended) |
Paper Handling | |
| Maximum paper size | A3 |
| Maximum paper weight | 220gsm |
| Standard paper inputs | 1 |
| Standard paper input capacity | 250 |
| Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
| Maximum paper input capacity | 250 |
| Duplex (code, cost if option) | Yes |
General | |
| Printer technology | piezo inkjet |
| Supported operating systems | Windows XP or later, Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later |
| Other inkjet features | 6.8cm colour touchscreen |
| Other inkjet options | none |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £143 |
| Consumable parts and prices | £13 each |
| Price per colour A4 page | 3.2p |
| Quoted life of supplied black cartridge | 600 pages (ISO/IEC 24712) |
| Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s) | 600 pages (ISO/IEC 24712) |
| Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) | N/A |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.printerland.co.uk |
| Details | www.brother.co.uk |
Print Quality | |
| Number of ink colours | 4 |
| Number of ink cartridges | 4 |
| Maximum number of ink colours | 4 |
| Maximum number of cartridges | 4 |
| Quoted photo durability | 100 years |
| Quoted photo durability source | Brother |
Tested Scan Speeds | |
| Full scan area preview | 9s |
| A4 document at 150dpi | 10s |
| A4 document at 300dpi | 10s |
| 6x4in photo at 600dpi | 15s |
| 6x4in photo at 1200dpi | 38s |
Tested Copy Speeds | |
| Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 | 18s |
| Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 | 20s |
| Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 | 1m 27s |
Photo Features | |
| PictBridge support | Yes |
| Borderless printing | A3 |
| Direct (PC-less) printing | Yes |
| Supported memory cards | SD, Memory Stick (Duo, Pro Duo), MMC |
| CD printing | No |
Copy Features | |
| Maximum number of copies | 99 |
| Max mono copy resolution | 1,200×1,200dpi |
| Max colour copy resolution | 1,200×1,200dpi |
Fax Features | |
| Max mono fax resolution | 203x392dpi |
| Fax memory (maximum mono pages) | 200 |