Brother MFC-J870DW review
We love this MFP's interface and comprehensive features, but both print and scan quality are disappointing
Specifications
33ppm print speed, USB, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11n wireless, 180x410x374mm
The MFP is surprisingly capable even if you never connect it to a PC. We’d have liked to be able to print documents from our USB disk or memory card, rather than just photos, but the ability to scan to USB is very handy, as is the MFP’s support for web services including Google Drive, SkyDrive and Facebook. You’ll have to generate a unique registration number on Brother’s website for each service you want to use. Tap the code into your printer and give it a display name, and you’ll be able to upload scanned documents and photos as well as browse and print images and documents from your online account.
The MFP’s NFC receiver allows it to communicate with a compatible smartphone using the Brother iPrint&Scan app. Unfortunately, the receiver is inexplicably positioned on the front of the MFP, so you have to hold your phone or tablet in place with one hand to maintain the connection, while tapping its screen with the other to send your chosen picture to the printer. Fortunately, this doesn’t take long for most images and documents.
Scan quality from the 2,400×1,200dpi CIS scanner isn’t fantastic, unfortunately. Scans suffered from poor contrast in dark areas, where dark greys all become black, as well as fuzzy edges in high contrast areas, such as a pale subject against a black background. Fine detail wasn’t very sharp and scan quality in general was somewhat grainy. The MFP is oriented towards home office users, so all we really want from it is decent quality document scanning, but at low resolutions we noticed a slight halo around scanned text. At least our documents scanned fairly quickly, with a 300dpi A4 scan taking 23s.
We really liked the MFC-J870DW’s interface and PC-less printing features. It’s the first MFP we’ve reviewed to have a built-in NFC receiver and, despite complaints about its positioning, it’s still a genuinely convenient feature. Unfortunately, the MFP is let down by mediocre print and scan quality. If you’re after a sub-£150 MFP, you’re better off with a Canon Pixma MX925.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| Maximum native print resolution | 6,000×1,200dpi |
| Max optical resolution | 2,400×1,200dpi |
| Output bit depth | 24-bit |
Quoted Speeds | |
| Quoted speed, mono A4 | 33ppm |
| Quoted speed, colour A4 | 27ppm |
Tested Print Speeds | |
| Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 8m 42s |
| Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 14m 15s |
Physical and Environmental | |
| Standard printer interfaces | USB, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11n wireless |
| Optional printer interfaces | none |
| Size | 180x410x374mm |
| Weight | 9.3kg |
| Noise (in normal use) | 50dB(A) |
Paper Handling | |
| Maximum paper size | A4 |
| Maximum paper weight | 260gsm |
| Standard paper inputs | 1 |
| Standard paper input capacity | 100 |
| Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
| Maximum paper input capacity | 100 |
| Duplex (code, cost if option) | Yes |
General | |
| Printer technology | thermal inkjet |
| Supported operating systems | Windows XP/Vista/7/8, Mac OS X |
| Other inkjet features | 6.8cm touchscreen, NFC printing and scanning |
| Other inkjet options | none |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £137 |
| Consumable parts and prices | £12 each |
| Price per colour A4 page | 6.0p |
| Quoted life of supplied black cartridge | 300 |
| Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s) | 300 |
| Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) | N/A |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.printerbase.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 |
Tested Scan Speeds | |
| Full scan area preview | 13s |
| A4 document at 150dpi | 15s |
| A4 document at 300dpi | 23s |
| 6x4in photo at 600dpi | 30s |
| 6x4in photo at 1200dpi | 1m 24s |
Tested Copy Speeds | |
| Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 | 22s |
| Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 | 24s |
| Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 | 2m 24s |
Photo Features | |
| PictBridge support | Yes |
| Borderless printing | up to A4 |
| Direct (PC-less) printing | Yes |
| Supported memory cards | SDXC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro |
| CD printing | Yes |
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 |