Brother MFC-7820N 5-in-1 Network Monochrome Laser Multifunction Center
by Brother Printer
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List Price: Our Price: $199.00 You Save: $50.99 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Brother MFC-7820N 5-in-1 Network Monochrome Laser Multifunction Center
Customer Review: Impressive multi-function laser printer!
Summary: 5 Stars
I want to share my experiences using a new printer today.
I know, I know. it sounds dull. But I was so impressed with this unit that I thought you all would like to know about it.
The unit is a Brother MFC-7820N B&W multi-function laser printer/copier/fax/scanner and is $[...] at Staples & Office Depot, with a $[...] rebate until Saturday.
I picked up the unit for the following reasons:
* I needed a new printer and a new fax machine and have been in need of a copier for the studio.
* I hate inkjets and will only purchase a laser printer for B&W usage.
* I should not have to replace ink/toner for less than 1000 pages.
* It reportedly has decent Mac support (10.2.4 and up through Tiger).
* It has built-in network support.
* It's inexpensive.
I brought the printer back to my studio and set it up. It's all one piece, so physical setup is easy. Pull it from the box, put it on a table, remove the clear tape, plastic coverings, and paper spacers, install the toner cartridge, plug it in & blow it up!
Configuration on the Mac was a little less easy. I rarely use CDs that come with peripherals, since they tend to be 1.0 versions that have likely been updated since. I went to the Brother website and looked for the drivers. After about 10 minutes of searching and not understanding what I was missing, I realized that Safari wasn't displaying the "Download" button, but switching over to Firefox solved that issue. I D/Led the four DMGs from the support site and installed them on my laptop (under 10.3.9).
Once I rebooted, I wasted about 30 sheets trying to get the printer to print out my taxes. It kept having problems which looked like driver issues. It turns out that I had selected the BRScript driver, but the CUPS driver was better and more reliable.
Here's how I config'd the printer:
* I first went through the menus on the unit's front panel and set it up for DHCP on the network. I also named it and set a few other minor settings.
* I went to Print Center and added a new printer. I used the Internet Printing Protocol and chose the printer via Rendezvous (Bonjour)! It came up with some bizarrely-named print queue, but it has printed flawlessly from then on.
So, the printer prints. That's cool. And I tried the copier function and that works, too.
One of today's tasks was to print contracts and W-9s that had been sent to me by clients and fax them back. Now that I have a printer, I can do that! But I started playing a bit with the ControlCenter software that Brother provides and discovered that I could setup my machine to be named as a recipient for scanning! (Scanning over the network!? Who would have guessed?)
Unfortunately, I did run into a snag using the network scanning from my laptop. I have two other TWAIN drivers installed on the laptop (Epson & Canon) and the ControlCenter software kept trying to use the Epson TWAIN driver instead of its own. Instead, I installed the Brother software on an iMac G4 that resides in the studio, which is available for client use and configured the ControlCenter. When I went back to the MFC and selected Scan-to-file, the iMac came right up in the list and I successfully scanned the document (to a PDF, as I configured it)!
To make this even cooler, the MFC's scanner can make use of the 35-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) that is present for the fax machine and will auto-scan all those documents into a single PDF for you. Can this get _any_ cooler!?
Actually, it can. The fax machine can also collect faxes to memory rather than to paper and send them to your computer! I haven't tried this functionality, as I didn't use the fax at all, nor do I need that feature (since I have an eFax).
One more killer thing: the unit supports Rendezvous (Bonjour) and can even be addressed directly from a web browser. Nearly all the configuration can be done in that window, although I found that setting the time & date from the browser still didn't set the front panel's time & date (which defaulted to the year 2084!). The web browser config center _does_ show exactly what the front panel's display is showing, though, which is way cool for me, since the unit lives in my machine room, with 3 doors between the unit and any computers.
Overall, I'm extremely impressed with this unit. Years ago I probably wouldn't have considered a Brother printer, as they didn't support the Mac and were making pretty cheap crap. But my dad got a similar MFC from Brother and has loved it.
I figured it was worthwhile to pass along just how killer this unit is.
Customer Review: With Price Increase-No Longer A Good Value for a Compact Multifunction Machine
Summary: 5 Stars
When my old, expensive FAX machine failed in 2005 I was forced to look for a replacement. The many choices were mind-boggling, but the Brother MFC-7820N caught my eye for several reasons. It was selling then for less than $[...] after rebate, the 2,500 page replacement toner cartridges sell at retail for less than $[...] (less than 2½ ¢ per page) and this machine has additional features that I could not have imagined when I bought my previous FAX machine more than ten years prior.
Now after nearly three years, this machine has proven its reliability, is selling for nearly $[...] less and there are third-party sources for toner cartridges that charge less than $[...] for them further lowering the cost per printed sheet. Based upon my positive experience with this machine I recommended it to a friend who ordered it from Amazon. I installed it for him in May of 2008 and noted that the software has been upgraded and the network installation is now much easier than it was in 2005.
Aside from being able to scan a 20 page FAX in about a minute and then transmit the pages automatically from its memory, the Brother MFC-7820N has a built-in CAT-5 network interface enabling it to serve as a network laser printer. Any user on the network can send a FAX directly through this machine without printing it first. This machine also performs well as a digital 20 ppm auto-feed photocopy machine. The machine's automatic document feeder, which holds about 35 pages, also works with its scanner, enabling anyone on the network to scan multiple page documents into any application that supports scanning. I use it to automatically scan pages into Adobe Acrobat which is much more convenient than hand-feeding the pages into my flat-bed scanner. The included software package will also perform OCR (optical character recognition) and translate printed documents into text that can be edited.
In addition to its automatic document feeder, this machine also has a flat platen to scan, copy or FAX bound or bulky documents. This multi-function machine's built-in Website enables the network administrator to set up speed-dial and one-touch dialing from a computer, monitor the status of the machine's consumables and obtain other statistics.
After using this machine since 2005, here are the things that I like about it:
1. This machine has the lowest price that I've found for a machine with so many features, is simple to set up, is reliable and has never needed any repairs.
2. Scanning a multi-page FAX is fast and dependable and it automatically sends documents at the fastest speed possible to other FAX machines from memory; trying again if the receiving machine's line is busy or doesn't answer.
3. From a cold start this machine can print or copy faster than other machines and its FAX, print and copy image quality is excellent.
4. The cost of consumables is reasonable, dramatically less than ink-jet and lower now than they were in 2005.
5. This multi-function machine is surprisingly compact, lightweight and takes up much less space than a separate scanner, copier, network printer and FAX machine would require. FAX pages come out face down in the same order as they were received, so you don't need to reshuffle the pages into the right order.
6. Using the cheapest standard 20 lb photocopy paper available, I've rarely had paper jams or problems with the automatic document feeder.
7. The machine can be programmed to automatically reset its internal clock in the Spring and Fall for daylight savings time. (A free firmware upgrade is now available for download that installs the new changeover dates.)
8. Built-in memory can store hundreds of FAX pages.
Things not to like:
1. The paper tray holds only a half-ream of paper.
2. Scan quality is adequate but not good enough for critical work. For serious graphics work you would need to use a dedicated scanner.
3. If you depend upon this machine, or any other multi-function machine, for all of its capabilities you'll lose them all when it needs repair or replacement.
In summary, the Brother MFC-7820N takes up less space and costs less than buying a separate printer, scanner, FAX machine and copier. It also costs less than other laser multi-function machines. Yet it does all of those jobs capably and quickly. This makes the Brother MFC-7820N ideal for someone with a tight budget and a small office or home application where all of those features would be useful.
When I bought this machine, it was selling for less than half the current posted price. At the current price shown; more than $500, it doesn't represent the very good value that it did a year ago.
Customer Review: Some disappointing issues
Summary: 3 Stars
I was very excited to purchase this product to replace my 6-year-old Brother MFC-8300. I wanted networking capabilities that the other one did not offer, but since I was otherwise pleased with how the 8300 performed, I didn't hesitate to look at another Brother. I found I had used the single-slot manual feed on the front of the machine extensively before (especially for envelopes but also for half-sheet printouts) and didn't have much luck finding a good, reasonably-priced printer with this capability in a different brand.
The 7820 was easy to set up and quite customizable. It has a pretty small footprint considering all it can do, and I like that the front areas are black. It's a bit louder than the MFC-8300 was when it's working, but it prints sooo much quicker, quiets down promptly, and finally goes into a sleep mode (silent) soon thereafter.
All that said, there are a few disappointments. The main problem is the paper curling. It seems hit or miss from the reviews I've read, and I seem to be one of the unlucky ones for once. All paper was getting curled: half sheets, full sheets, 20#, 24#, plain, premium.
After a 75-minute call (on hold and back-and-forth customer service and software support transfers), they opted to replace my machine. I thought, great, despite all this work, that's what should be done and they're doing it. However, they waited until the end of the call to tell me they'd be sending a remanufactured unit. Now, I purchased a brand new unit. I opted to spend about $50 more to specifically avoid a remanufactured unit. So, why am I being penalized with a potentially used product? (They could offer no answer but assured me that "not ALL of their remanufactured units are used...some are, but some aren't.")
I received it within about 3 days and just spent over an hour replacing my old unit. End result: MOST of the paper curling is gone. Definitely not all. And half-sheets still curl like crazy. I never had a problem with the MFC-8300. In fact, I've never even heard of this type of problem in other brands that use many roller mechanisms like this does.
(By the way, this remanufactured replacement unit has a much looser auto-document feeder top than my original new one did, and the lower single-slot manual feeder is ridiculously loose--to where any paper inserted into it now prints very crooked. I'm not happy with either of these NEW issues. My original unit was from January 2007, and this replacement is from June 2006. You'd think they'd have figured out the paper curling problem within a 6-month period to update their new machines in time.)
Another issue I don't care for in the 7820N is how the paper is read. Perhaps I'm missing a setting, but single-sheet insertions are read from the right side to the left, rather than typical left to right. Since I print Classic planner pages and I have a print utility that formats a letter-size printout into a half-page printout, I need to be able to insert a half-page into the printer so I don't waste a full letter-size page. I was told by tech support after a lengthy discussion that this printer doesn't support that feature, and I couldn't get him to understand that a software enhancement (to Brother's included software CD) could fix this issue. Instead, he kept referring me to my third-party software company (which incidentally has nothing to do with the problem, as the print utility is specifically made to format "typical" printer capabilities).
These are major issues for me, but if you're in need of an affordable all-in-one for personal use, it's a great little unit. The text is clear for both printouts and copies, and the fax is easy to both send and receive. I haven't tried copying photos or scanning yet. The software interface could be more comprehensive and clearer to use. The quick setup manual is helpful (the layout could be much clearer though than it is), but the main manual is disappointing, as it continually refers to the software manual from the CD for the answers. Tech support left a lot to be desired. Even the exchange instructions are vague and can be easily misinterpreted. Hopefully the pickup and processing of the return will be smoother than support conversations have been so far.
In the end, I have a remanufactured unit that I paid full price for one month earlier:
+ a unit that prints and copies text well
+ faxes flawlessly
+ network-connects flawlessly
- won't easily print onto half sheets of paper without manual configuration before every single printout
- prints crooked from the single-sheet feeder without two ultra-steady hands
- curls paper more than other units
Customer Review: Practically perfect match for Mac OSX Leopard!
Summary: 5 Stars
(The following is a review I've posted for the Brother MFC-7420, this unit's 'little brother', which is basically the same unit but without networking capability...it costs about $40 less.)
Finding multi-function units that are compatible with Apple is not easy. I first bought a Canon MF-4150 (about $250). Gorgeous unit, everything worked great until I tried to scan...no luck, no matter what I tried. Finally contacted Canon customer service, and they responded that Canon machines don't support scanning on Mac. I took it back (thank goodness for Staples' return policy...no questions asked, they just exchanged it for my next choice, a Samsung SCX-4725FN). Again, all the right features, but again, no luck getting it to scan. So last week, I exchanged the Samsung for a Brother MFC-7420. Seems Brother takes great pride in their support of Apple, according to another reviewer. (Again, awesome customer service from Staples on the return.) Got it home and spent 2 hours trying to get everything hooked up but NO SCANNER. After 40 minutes on the phone with Brother tech support, I learned that it does indeed support Leopard 10.5, but needs a bit of tweaking, accessed by the tiny little icon that loads at the very top of the monitor to the left of the clock. Once I clicked on that, a whole new world of scanning opened up. Very sad that this bit of information isn't anywhere in the manual, setup brochure, or disk. But once tech support told us what to do, the machine runs like a champ. Admittedly, I haven't used it much yet, but I am absolutely thrilled with this unit. You can scan directly into an e-mail, or into a folder, or onto your desktop. Scan is very flexible. Great Automatic Document Feeder, and flatbed scanner (ANY printer you buy must have a flatbed scanner if you plan to scan books, checks, photos, receipts or anything else, other than standard-sized paper, because without a flatbed scanner your original must be fed through the document feeder.)
Anyway, the Brother manual is written extremely clearly, with great diagrams and flow charts, and not full of typos like the Samsung manual was. There are higher levels of instruction that you must access from the CD-ROM, but you can get all the basics just by reading the manual, and lots of what you'll be doing is intuitive. Features, quality, dimensions and footprint are great. Brother has been making faxes for seems like centuries, and they're wonderful units. I'm only sorry that I didn't just go with this unit originally. A note on fax machines in this category: it seems (to me anyway) hard to find a multi-purpose unit with fax that will co-exist with an external answering machine. With most of these units, you have to plug the answering machine directly into the unit, or they 'fight' over which one answers the phone. I found an almost perfect solution with this one: you set its fax machine to 'manual' (it won't answer when the phone rings) and then if you answer your phone and hear it's a fax, you just type *51 on your phone's keypad and it activates the fax machine. It works like a charm...only down side is that you can't get a fax if you're not home to manually answer the phone first, so this option isn't for those who get many faxes. This machine has a 'brother' unit which I think is identical other than it is dark gray in color and that it can be networked; It's about $40 more.
If I have any problems down the road with this one, I'll update this review, but I have a feeling I'm going to be thrilled with it. If you've tried to find a Mac-compatible printer (laser or inkjet) you know what I've gone through...but for me, at least, it appears my search is over. Thank you Brother, and thank you Staples! (no offense to Amazon, but I spend enough money there already to not feel guilty).
Customer Review: Worked great for 8 months!
Summary: 1 Stars
We bought the Brother 7820N MFC in late, 2006. It was an excellently priced MFC (laser) for what you get. It worked wonderfully for about 8 months. We didn't print super heavy on it (I would guess 50 pages per month or so) Then, it stopped working altogether. It just would not print. Luckily, we had purchased the 3 year warranty from Staples for $75.00 or $99.00 (can't remember). I called Staples and they told me that since I was within the first 12 months, I needed to call Brother for the warranty. I called brother, which was very hard to do, to actually get through and talk to a person. The tech rep seemed like he was having a terrible day because he seemed like my call of just wanting to know how to maybe try and fix or troubleshoot the printer set him off. It is hard to troubleshoot on the phone with someone who acts as if the last thing they feel like doing is helping you. None of the troubleshooting worked. It took them several months to actually ship us a new machine. When we got the new machine it didn't even power up. My wife and I were laughing at the absurdity of it, even though it was agrevating, as we had spent $400 on this machine (after adding in the extended warranty). By the time we had gotten the second machine that didn't work, it was past the 12 month period. So now we called staples and they apologized. They sent us a new machine which we received about a month ago. It does work, but every time it prints, it makes grinding noises on the left side toward the back. It will only print if we hold in or bang on the side of the machine and then the grind stops and it prints. Again, we are laughing at the seemingly cheap construction.
Now, since this is our third machine, Brother won't do anything and staples will not replace the machine either. Staples will give us a credit toward another printer for $170.00. At least they are doing SOMETHING, however, we paid $400.00 for a printer for 8 months of use. It could be worse, but we will definately NOT be buying another BROTHER. At least we get the 170.00 from staples. We are going to try an HP.
The reason we bought this printer was due to the excellent reviews. I have become more suspicious of the online reviews of products. I think it is fishy that there are so many excellent reviews of this product and yet 3 of our models ended up not working (granted, the first one DID last for 8 months and worked great). I think that a lot of the reviews come from the company themselves, and I would be willing to bet that many employees are encouraged to get on the site and build the reviews up. I only say that because this is the first time I have ever given a reciew of a product. People are busy and I find it a little hard to believe that so many people get online and post how wonderful their brother printer is. I can understand when people have bad experiences (like me) that they might get on to post a review.
I think it probably boils down to (to a great extent) that you get what you pay for. Brother appeals to low initial cost consumers, without much regard for long term quality, reliability, durability, customer service. I once heard someone say that when trying to decide on which product/ service to purchase, they never go with the lowest bid because they can't afford to. That seems the case here too.