Brother DCP-8020 Toner Cartridges

Brother DCP-8020 Printer Review

The Brother DCP-8020 laser copier is designed for the home or small office user. Along with being an excellent copy machine, it is also a very good laser printer and color scanner. Fast speeds and high-quality output make it an excellent value.

While the Brother DCP-8020 is mostly marketed as a copier, it has the ability to print and scan as well. In fact, despite its monochrome-only printing engine, it can scan at up to 9600 dpi interpolated resolution and in full color. The one major feature lacking is faxing capability, so users expecting a true all-in-one machine may need to look elsewhere. For most small offices, which either already have a fax machine or don't need one, it should be a great fit.

The unit connects via USB or parallel port. It does not include built-in networking support, though there are optional upgrades available for adding either wired or wireless networking. Considering that similar models by Brother and other manufacturers already include networking for the same price, users should consider another model if networking is important.

Laser toner cartridges for the unit are very affordable, making it a very economical unit. Standard Brother DCP-8020 toner cartridges have a capacity of 3,300 pages. High-yield copier toner cartridges are also available, with a capacity of 6,500 pages. Using third-party compatible cartridges will drop the cost per page even lower, and make it one of the least expensive solutions on the market.

Copy and print speed is up to 17 pages per minute, minus scanning time. Copy and print quality are both excellent. Text is especially sharp, and even graphics and photos are surprisingly clean.

Overall, the Brother DCP-8020 laser copier is an excellent choice for a small office that needs a standalone copier, printer, and scanner, but doesn't mind the lack of faxing or networking capabilities.