Brother MFC-990CW Ink Cartridges

Brother MFC-990CW Printer Review

The Brother MFC-990CW manages to squeeze in virtually every feature possible while still maintaining a compact size and an affordable price. Its rated print speeds are 33 pages per minute for monochrome and 27 pages per minute for color, but expect slower speeds when printing at high resolutions. Brother MFC-990CW ink costs are on the high side for its class.

While an affordable upfront price for a printer is appealing, many users fail to calculate the ongoing costs of a printer, most importantly, printer ink costs. The Brother MFC-990CW ink cartridges have a small capacity than many competing models, resulting in a higher cost per page. What is worse, the Brother MFC-990CW inkjet cartridges included in the box are only "starter" tanks, with less than the standard capacity. Using third-party compatible tanks will reduce the cost significantly, but some competing models have compatible tanks available for less as well.

The Brother MFC-990CW adds a few very handy features. It has a cordless phone handset and a built-in answering machine, which allows it to operate as the phone system for a small office. Users can also add additional handsets to expand the system. It offers seamless detection and switching between faxes and phone calls, as the entire system is contained in one machine. Both wired and wireless networking are supported, and the printer can even act as a wireless hub for offices that don't have a wireless router, allowing devices to connect directly to the printer.

CNET rated the Brother MFC-990CW inkjet printer 2.5 stars out of 5. They praised its full-color touch screen and its cordless phone and answering machine. They also like its many connectivity options. They disliked its slow printing speeds, lack of a USB cord in the box and the inclusion of starter tanks.

Overall, the Brother MFC-990CW offers a lot of neat features, but many users may find some of the features unnecessary for their needs. Slow printing speeds and higher printer ink costs could be an issue for many users.