Buyers Guide > MFC (R) > What to look for

Multi-Function Centre® Buying Guide

What is a Multi-Function Centre®?
Multi-Function Centres are peripherals that combine printing, scanning, copying, and faxing into the one unit. Separate devices to perform these common tasks take up more room and cost a whole lot more than a single unit with integrated features. Brother has a range of 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 MFC®, which combine any combination of features including fax, printer, copier, scanner, PC fax and telephone. Multi-function devices come with either laser or ink-jet printer technology.

Why an MFC®?
Depending upon the model, Multi-Function Centres contain a printer, scanner, fax and copier, and a telephone. Buying an MFC® will certainly save you money over purchasing three or four separate machines. In addition to conserving desktop space, you only need a single power cable and a single connection to your computer. Choosing a Multi-Function CentreÒ used to mean settling for mediocre technology - but not any more. Brother's multi-function models offer a nice blend of the latest technology at affordable prices. Multi-Function Centres are designed for users who need to do a little bit of everything. Depending on the model, Multi-Function Centres can perform some or all of their functions without turning on your computer. In this scenario, this will help your business by not having to turn on a computer every time you need to copy, fax or make phone calls.

Why a Brother MFC®?
Brother is a leading manufacturer of printers and faxes, with a long-term history in printing, faxing and copying technology. Brother pioneered this field and was the first company to make this concept truly accessible to the Australian market.Brother has a wide comprehensive range of Multi-Function Centres and is a leading brand name backed up with total reliability.

How to choose an MFC®?
Your choice of MFC® depends on the kind of work you expect to do, what you plan to print/fax/copy/scan, how many users your MFC® will need to accommodate, the volume of your printing and faxing, how fast you need your MFC® to be, how much it will cost to keep your MFC® equipped with toner or ink, the range and cost of MFC® accessories and how much you're intending to invest.

1.Printing Technology
a) When is Laser recommended?
b) When is Colour Inkjet recommended?
2. Faxing Capabilities
a) Fax modem speed
b) Capacity of the automatic document feeder
c) Memory presets (one touch/ speed dials)
d) Broadcasting
e) Distinctive ringing
3.Scanning and Copying Capabilities
a) Flatbed vs Sheet-fed models
b) Copying capabilities
4.General Considerations
a) Print resolution
b) Scan resolution
c) Ink/Toner configuration
d) Speed
e) Expandability
f) Cost per page
g) Paper handling
h) Memory
i) Ease of use and maintenance
j) Processor speed
k) Printer driver's compatibility
l) Networkability
m) Additional things to look for in a network MFC®

1. Print Technology - Choice between Laser or Inkjet MFC®
a) A Laser MFC® is recommended:
If you have a high-volume printing requirement (100 or more pages per week) or frequently produce multiple copies of the same document. Laser printers are still much faster than other printing technologies. The cost per page will also be less for laser toner than for other conventional printing methods. For true business applications and documents where presentation and accuracy are paramount. Laser printers still produce sharper images, and they're less prone to banding and smearing. The Brother Laser MFC® models are: MFC-4800, MFC-9160, MFC-9180, MFC-9660, MFC-9880, MFC-8820D
How a laser works:
As document data is received, lasers use a series of mirrors and lenses to "apply" the text or image onto an internal revolving drum. This application is accomplished by changing the electrical polarity of the drum's surface in the appropriate places. Toner, which is electrically charged with the opposite polarity of the image on the drum, is then applied to the drum and adheres in the designated pattern. Paper is heated to a precise temperature and then sent past the drum, which applies the toner to the page.

b) An Inkjet MFC® is recommended:
If you have a small initial budget· If you have a low-volume printing requirement or rarely produce multiple copies of the same document. Inkjet printers are much slower than other printing technologies. The cost per page will also be higher for ink and cartridges than for other conventional printing methods.For SOHO applications and documents where presentation and colour is paramount. Inkjet printers still produce photo quality images, but they're prone to banding and smearing.The Brother Inkjet MFC® models are: MFC-3100C, MFC-5100C, MFC-5200C
How an inkjet works:
An inkjet printer places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create an image. A crystal is located at the back of the ink reservoir of each nozzle. The crystal receives a tiny electric charge that causes it to vibrate. When the crystal vibrates inward, it forces a tiny amount of ink out of the nozzle. When it vibrates out, it pulls some more ink into the reservoir to replace the ink sprayed out. The dots are extremely small (usually between 50 and 60 microns in diameter), so small that they are tinier than the diameter of a human hair (70 microns). The dots are positioned very precisely, with resolutions of up to 1440 x 720 (2400 X 1200) dots per inch (dpi). The dots can have different colours combined together to create photo-quality images.

2. Faxing capabilities

a) Fax modem speed
Not all faxes have high receiving speed. This means that when you send a fax at high speed it will only go as fast as what the other end will receive.
The benefits of higher fax modem speed are that it will reduce the time of a call cost when sending Interstate or overseas.Brother offers fax speed from 14.4Kbps to Super G3* 33.6Kbps.

Super G3- is a widely used advanced image data compression and transmission protocol for fax machines organised by CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telephony and Telegraphy). Super G3 uses an analogue to digital process: hardcopy is scanned and sent over analogue lines to reconstructed on the receiving end. Digital encoding using Modified Huffman compression algorithm or other advanced compression algorithms allows fast transmission of 33.6K bps. An A4 paper of 5% coverage can be sent in approximately 2 seconds.
** Based on Brother chart no.1, JBIG, standard resolution

b) Capacity of the automatic document feeder
A higher capacity Automatic Document Feeder will give you more unattended copying/faxing of documents.Brother offers ADF's capacity up to 50 Sheets depending on paper specification.
c) Memory presets (one touch/ speed dials)
With memory presets on the fax you save time, as you don't have to continuously type in frequently used numbers.Brother offer presets of 40 to 100.A)
d) Broadcasting
Broadcasting allows for numbers to be pre-programmed into groups before being used.The benefits of broadcasting are that the one document can be sent to multiple locations in one phone call.All Brother MFC's (except MFC -9160) offer manual and group broadcasting.
e) Distinctive ringing
Distinctive ringing allows users to identify by the tone of the ringing whether the incoming call is a fax or phone call.Benefits of distinctive ringing are that the user can use the same one phone line for fax, telephone and 1800 numbers.All current Brother MFC's (except MFC-9160) offer Distinctive-ringing (Telstra Duet)

3. Scanning and Copying Capabilities

a) Flatbed vs. Sheet-fed models
Flatbed scanning is more versatile and allows you to scan or copy books, thick documents, unusually shaped items or rigid material.
The Brother Flatbed MFC® models are: MFC-5100C, MFC-5200C, MFC-9160, MFC-9180, MFC-8820D
Sheet-fed scanners are most suitable if you only have to scan standard business documents on no thicker than 190gsm and have a limited budget.
The Brother Sheet fed MFC® models are: MFC-3100C, MFC-4800, MFC-9660
b) Copying capabilities
Standalone copying capabilities - Standalone copying equates to convenience, as users do not need to turn on a computer to make a copy. All Brother models have standalone copying capabilities.
Reduction and enlargement capabilities - Documents can be reduced to fix one A4 or enlarged to 400%.The Brother MFC® models that have 25%-400% copying capabilities are: MFC-3100C, MFC-5100C, MFC-5200C, MFC-9160, MFC-9180, MFC-8820D
The Brother MFC® models that have 50%-200% copying capabilities are: MFC-4800, MFC-9660.
Multi-copying and sorting - The MFC® can be used as a copier with up to 99 copies and it can sort and stackAll Brother models have multi-copying and sorting capabilities.

4. General Considerations

a) Print resolution
This is the quality of the output of the page. Generally 600 dpi is recommendable for everyday business applications. The higher the dpi the better text and graphics quality.
All Brother Laser MFC's offer up to 600 dpi class printing resolution. MFC-8820D offers up to 2400.All Brother Inkjet MFC's offer up to 2400 dpi class printing resolution.
b) Scan resolution
This is the quality of scan of the original page. Generally 300x600 dpi is recommendable for everyday business applications.
Brother MFC's offering up to 9600 dpi Interpolated scanning are: MFC-5100C, MFC-5200C, MFC-9160, MFC-9180, MFC-9660, MFC-8820DBrother MFC-3100C offers up to 2400 dpi Interpolated scanning and Brother MFC-4800 offers up to 1200 dpi Interpolated scanning.
c) Ink/Toner configuration
MFC's offer low running costs. There are many factors to consider in working out your running costs. Several advantages that the Brother MFC's maintain over other products include:
The MFC® print drum is separate from the toner cartridge. This prevents the problem of throwing away a still usable drum when the toner is exhausted.MFC's have separate colour ink cartridges. This prevents the problem of throwing away a good cartridge if one colour runs out.
MFC® ink cartridges have a good yield. The cost and life of cartridges is an important consideration. A higher price doesn't always mean higher capacity. It is important when reading manufacturers' estimates for cartridge life that you check the percentage coverage of the page that's quoted. Also, check if there is any toner-saving function - this can save money if you're only printing draft copies.
Toner age yields @ 5% coverage for A4 on Brother toners varies by model from up to 2200 pages to 6500 pages.Ink yields @ 5% coverage for A4 on Brother ink vary by model from up to 950 pages for black and 450 pages for colour. This ensures the frequency of ink cartridge replacement is greatly reduced. Also all MFC's can print in draft model.
d) Speed
Print speed
This is often measured in "Pages Per Minute" (PPM). If you're using an MFC® in an office environment with multiple users or have a heavy printing requirement, a faster print speed is required. Please note that printing graphics depends more on the time it takes to produce the first page than how long it takes to provide additional copies of the same page.
Brother offers a range of MFC's to suit any user's need, ranging from 8ppm to 14ppm.
Copying and scanning speeds
Rated scan speeds are sometimes not easily available, but the units with the faster print engines are more likely to support quicker scanning as well. Copy speed should be close to the rated printing speed if not exactly the same.
The Brother MFC (R) models are (up to 7cpm; MFC-3100C, MFC-5100C) (up to 10cpm; MFC-4800, MFC-9160, MFC-9180) (up to 14cpm; MFC-9660) (up to 15cpm; MFC-5200C) (up to 16cpm; MFC-8820D)
e) Expandability
Network ready. Does the MFC® have an option to be networked, so that you can send/receive faxes from your computer and have scan-to-email?
Expandable memory. Can the RAM of the MFC® be upgraded? This will enable the machine to store more pages in memory for sending and receiving faxes.
f) Cost per page
Cost per page is the overall operating cost to produce that one page including machine purchase price, toner/ink and paper.
g) Paper handling
Paper handling is how many pages the MFC® can hold in its paper tray. If you print or receive large-sized or many documents at the one time, look for an MFC® that can hold many sheets of paper. This reduces the time spent refilling paper. Also, ensure that the machine can handle a range of paper sizes and media.Brother's MFC® paper capacity using conventional 80gsm office paper is between 200 and 500 pages.
h) Memory
Because an MFC® stores an entire page before printing/faxing, it needs a considerable amount of internal memory. The more memory your MFC® has, the faster your computer will be freed to process other tasks. At the very least, make sure your MFC (R) comes with enough memory to produce an entire page of graphics at its optimal resolution.Out of paper reception - Out of paper reception is how many pages the MFC® can store in memory before it runs out of paper.
i) Ease of use and maintenance
For small companies that do not employ system administrators or IT support personnel, the ease of use and maintenance is vital. The main issue here will be how easy it is to change the toner/ink and other consumables.NB: There is a dedicated 24 hours, 7 day per week support service available through Brother solutions. The Brother.com website offers online technical guidance on printer maintenance and troubleshooting.
j) Processor Speed
A slow processor can cause a backup at the printer and decrease productivity.
k) MFC (R) printer driver's compatibility
The MFC® driver can contain features that add significantly to the ease of use and flexibility of the MFC® and compatibility to existing or latest software and hardware.All Brother models are compatible with both Windows®95/98/Me/NT/4.0ws/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.51-9.1.MFC-9660 includes a utility program called Remote Printer Console, which can run in the DOS environment to change various printer settings.
l) Networkability
If you have more than five people in your company, it is advisable that you do not network an MFC® by attaching it using a parallel cable to one of the networked computers, simply because a printing bottleneck is caused by the low data transfer rate between the PC and MFC® over a parallel cable. We advise buying an MFC® that can attach directly to the network using a network interface card or an external print server. This makes printing, and faxing faster, but the added advantage is that these MFC's usually have additional network utilities supplied that make them easier to manage.
Brother offers Networking on the MFC-9660, MFC-8820D
m) Additional things to look for in a network
MFC®:User-friendly bundled software
Brother offers the BRAdmin Professional or Web Based Management for MFC-9660, MFC-8820D is user-friendly and allows printing tasks to be easily managed in remote areas via the web.
Brother models that have PC/Mac FAX Send are: MFC-3100C, MFC-5100C, MFC-4800, MFC-9180, MFC-9660,
Brother models that have PC FAX Send and Receive / Mac Send are: MFC-5200C, MFC-8820D, MFC-9660,