The Brother MFC 640cw is an all-in-one printer that has wireless and wired networking. It can print, copy, fax, scan, and has Wi-Fi and Ethernet capabilities. Its list price is $200, but it can be found on Amazon for as low as $118. If you want to buy used, you can save another $25 to $50. That said, it’s often better to pay a little extra and know you’re going to get a unit you can count on.
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What makes the 640cw so interesting is that it’s one of those rare models that customers have a love/hate relationship with. While the customer satisfaction rating is high at 73%, those who don’t like it aren’t very happy at all. This usually has a lot to do with features. Those who love it researched several models and chose the one that had the features they were looking for. Those who hate it decided to buy an all-in-one printer because of price or looks.
What we don’t know about the 640cw are a lot of speed stats. For some reason, they’re not listed on the product description. While speed isn’t a common complaint for this model, it certainly doesn’t help to withhold information. Let’s go over what we do know. We do know that the 640cw is compact and saves space. It’s PictBridge compatible, meaning you can print photos directly from many digital cameras. There’s a speakerphone, which is a rare and neat feature. You can send and receive color faxes – a luxury. There is also a digital answering machine that can save up to 29 minutes – a feature that can be found on several Brother MFC models. One thing about the MFC series is that they really went overboard for quality with the fax function, which is a good thing. Another good feature is the 10-page automatic document feeder. Notice I used the word ‘good,’ not ‘great.’ Considering the average is 35 pages, it’s nothing to brag about. The best part about the Brother MFC 640cw is that most functions don’t require the use of a PC.
Okay, so now let’s get to the negatives. The first negative is that the 640cw doesn’t have a duplexing feature. The second negative is that all four ink cartridges need to be at least half-full in order for the 640cw to operate. Obviously, this can lead to some very unexpected and stressful situations; I’m going to guess that this negative has a lot to do with where most of the anger stems from. The third negative is that the 640cw is more difficult to set-up than most models. Once again, this can lead to an angry customer. However, this is something you only need to deal with once. The fourth negative is that the software for the 640cw isn’t compatible with Vista. Not an issue if you don’t use Vista. And the final negative is that wireless printing is slow, which is the case with all wireless printing.
User Review #1: Great fax and networking features. If that’s all you need, go for it. If you’re looking for high quality photo prints or high volume printing, look elsewhere. I bought a refurbished model a few months ago and I have been very happy with it.
User Review #2: I knew about the mixed feelings for the 640cw prior to purchasing, and that helped a lot. I read all the reviews and saw what the issues were. Once I saw that none of the issues pertained to me – other than ink consumption – I decided to give it a go. It has turned out to be a very reliable and durable machine. So far.
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The Brother MFC 640cw is best suited for a small office environment. It doesn’t offer a lot of features, but it is reliable. If you’re looking for a similar model that offers more features, check out the Brother MFC 6490cw.
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