Brother MFC-290C Ink Cartridges

Brother MFC-290C Printer Review

The Brother MFC-290C multifunction printer walks the line between a photo-friendly consumer printer and a serious business machine by offering a little bit of both. Its compact size makes it a great fit for a small office, and its low price won't break the bank. Rated print speed is up to 30 pages per minute for black and 25 pages per minute for color. Brother MFC-290C ink costs are also low.

One slight disappointment is that Brother MFC-290C inkjet cartridges have a slightly smaller capacity than similar models in Brother's lineup, which means a little higher cost per page. Still, the Brother MFC-290C ink cartridges have a reasonable cost per page compared to its competition, and the lower upfront price helps negate some of the extra ink cost. The unit supports paper weights from 17 to 58 lbs. and sizes up to legal.

The Brother MFC-290C can print, scan, copy, and fax. The weakest of these features is probably faxing, as it supports only 14.4 kbps faxing speeds. For photo users, it includes media card slots for printing directly from a digital camera's memory card. It also has a front-mounted USB port which allows users to print from a thumb drive, or connect a PictBridge-enabled camera. For business users, it has a 15-page automatic document feeder, making it easier to scan, copy, or fax multiple pages at once, without having to load each page into a small flatbed scanner one at a time.

User reviews of the Brother MFC-290C inkjet printer are mostly positive. Users liked its affordable price, the separate ink cartridges which reduce waste, and its fast scanning speeds. Some users also praised its solid build quality. Users criticized it noisy operation, lack of a USB cable in the box, and some problems with paper jams. One user mentioned that colors can be a bit dull when printing on regular paper.

Overall, home or small office users who want some photo printing options combined with business options will probably find the Brother MFC-290C to be a good fit for their needs.