Brother MFC-8640D Toner Cartridges

Brother MFC-8640D Printer Review

The Brother MFC-8640D is a multifunction monochrome laser printer designed for the home or small office user. It features a full array of office features and built-in duplexing, but it may be a little large for tight office spaces, and scan quality is lackluster.

The MFC-8640D is not what you would call bulky, but some multifunction printers are a little more compact. The unit measures 18.5 inches by 20.7 inches by 17.3 inches, and weighs around 40 pounds. Consequently, it may be a little too large for some users who are tight on space.

The Brother MFC-8640D has multiple connection options. It has USB and parallel ports, as well as a built-in ethernet port for connecting to a network. The MFC-8640D works very well as a network printer, with an integrated web server that allows it to be accessed remotely. The web interface allows users to change settings, manage print jobs, and view the machine's status from any networked computer.

Paper capacity is 250 sheets, which should be enough for most of the printer's intended users, but the paper capacity can be expanded to a maximum of 500 pages by adding an optional 250-sheet drawer. The machine also has a built-in automatic duplexer which allows for two-sided printing without having to feed pages back into the printer manually. Duplexing can also be enabled as the default printing method, which can save a lot of paper, and therefore money, over the lifetime of the printer. Print quality is excellent due to the printer's 1200 dpi printing engine. Text is sharp and detailed, and graphics prints are about average for a laser printer, with only a few minor problems showing up in some prints. Print speed is quite fast, at around 21 pages per minute.

The Brother MFC-8640D toner cartridges have a standard capacity of 3,300 pages. The high-yield Brother MFC-8640D toner cartridge is the more economical of the two, containing twice as much toner as the standard at 6,700 pages.

Overall, the Brother MFC-8640D has all the functions an office will need in a fairly compact and very affordable package. Expandability options even allow some room to grow in the future.