Brother has evolved into a leader in the field of multi function printers and at affordable prices. The Brother MFC-6490CW is an all-in-one printer with an amazing amount of features. It can print, scan, copy and fax, but since all Brother MFC printers can do that, the question becomes, do the features deliver?
We will get into that below. In the meantime, let’s go over the price. The Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Color Inkjet Wireless All-in-One Printer list price is $319. However, it’s possible to find one on Amazon at around $260.
Professional Choice
It’s a great choice for a small business, with all round function of printing, scanning, copying as well as fax. It can handle documents up to ledger size (A3/11’’ x 17’’) which is ideal for spreadsheets, signs and presentations.
For those where speed is a vital aspect of a printer then at 35ppm black and 28ppm color, it’s certainly no slouch. It has built in wireless and wired interfaces. It has impressive paper handling ability using dual trays with a total capacity of 400 sheets.
One tray that can handle 150 pages and another that can handle 250 pages is a big asset for those that don’t have time to be constantly feeding more paper in as with a smaller paper tray facility. It leaves you free to get on with other things.
Another big advantage is having the 3.3-inch LCD display and control panel at your disposal. This will allow for easy use, as well as the ability to preview and enhance documents without having to use a computer.
Resolution on prints can reach 6000 x 1200 dots per inch, which is average. The copier can produce up to 23 copies per minute, which is fast. The copier also allows you to enlarge and reduce documents from 25% to 400%; this is a standard feature.
Scans can reach optical resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi and 48-bit color depth, which is on the high end. The fax works on Super 3G speed, which is the fastest possible. The fax has many features, including caller ID and fax forwarding.
You can print photos from a digital camera’s media cards. It’s compatible with PictBridge-enabled camera, or USB Flash Memory.
The recommended monthly volume for the 6490CW is 2,000 pages. This suggests it’s not exactly industrial standard but for a fairly busy small business, it’s ideal when you consider all the function it provides.
The maximum monthly volume is 5,000 pages. These numbers are well below high volume printers yet well above printers built strictly for the home. This is more for the office than the photographer.
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Pros and Cons
It is an economical printer and few complain about the print quality. Brother has found their niche, and they specialize a lot in multi function printers. Compared to other brands within this field they can’t be beaten when it comes to quality at an affordable price.
The negatives for the Brother MFC-6490CW are minor. The first negative is that this model is slow to install. While true, it’s a problem you will only have to deal with once. Another negative is that it’s big and bulky. Not a big deal. If you’re looking for high quality photo prints, this might not be the right model for you.
It cannot give you duplex printing which is unfortunate but duplex printing often means an even larger machine than this. However, this is an aspect that keeps the price low.
Brother offer a 2-year guarantee which is more generous than HP or Canon. You can enhance images with easy to understand menus its simple enough to use. It’s not the quietest of printers but again Brother has an agenda to keep a model in this range affordable. Making it quieter increases the price.
A plus is the ability to use high yield as well as standard cartridges as nobody wants to waste too much time constantly renewing cartridges. It has separate ink cartridges for each color which is beneficial and means you only need to change that color.
A final negative is that when you print via Wi-Fi, you will notice it’s a little slower. Based on all the positives this model offers, you’re getting an excellent trade-off.
Generally, it is well received in reviews. Quality of print is good for a printer in this price range. On price brother are unbeatable with multi function printers.
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The lack of duplex printing being one of few negatives but some people expect too much for their money. A simple comparison with other brands with similar resolution and function tells its own story as to what an excellent buy this model is.
The pros far outweigh the few negatives. The Brother MFC-6490CW is a top model. It’s a great option for any small business environment and a superb option for any home office.
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