Brother IntelliFAX 2820 Plain Paper Laser Fax

brother FAX-2820 - Still Hanging In There.
--- Also known as "IntelliFax" but not on the carton.
-- We found several of these for sale, refurbished, $50 at Fry's

THE PROBLEM
Our old FAX Machine, a pre Y2K brother FAX 560, has been retired; with its pension, after many years of service. It was a death-struggle to find and install the thermal transfer paper tape when a roll ran out. It was also gulping too much plain paper, creating interesting but confusing messages for our victims to decipher. Turning it on and using it required an hour of meditation, convincing kneeling and fervent prayer. With my thumblitis,I could not do any of those tasks. So, I had hired my lovely partner, at $75/hr to do those things for me.

THE SOLUTION?
There are numerous choices, ranging from $30 for a simple home model to a $700 heavy duty office monster. The BEST Criterion is the cost of the replacement Toner Pack. Those vary from low to scary.
Some manufacturers have stuck a full-blown glass plate scanner on top of everything else; touting the BuzzWord Multi-Function (MF) design and charging a higher price for that fixed and inseparable combination of features hardly anyone needs. Or does one? It depends upon the set of Functions one can actually USE. Conventional Wisdom holds that one function failure takes the whole mess down with it. So, one should buy separate components.
A newer brother Industries, Ltd model, the FAX-2820 emerged as the replacement of choice but only after winnowing the selection down by indulging our preferences, our experiences, a $200 budget, exclusion of Color, anything that used Ink, and user acceptance. Although I was discouraged by the Epinions reviews, I went against that outdated tide and purchased one. A free-standing FAX Machine really exists only in the imagination; the instant a document is fed into the machine, one has used the SCAN & STORE capability. If one can SCAN, one could PRINT that image. If one can Scan and Print, then it follows that one could also COPY. If a user calls ahead to advise the recipient of a pending FAX, one is using the built-in TELEPHONE function. Since brother seemed to be dominant** in this hardware niche; I went ahead with a $320.00 Multi-Function Model but returned it a day later. You see, we already owned TWO Scanners. And THREE Printers. And a Xerox Copier. And we did not need a “Network Ready” model. (No LAN here.)
 
We started over, beginning with the exiled and hard to find display of affordable stand-alone models. We settled on a brother FAX-2820 that we regarded as a 'stand-alone' model until I discovered the USB Port. That feature saved us a lot of money because we did not need to buy expensive third party FAX Software to enable “Print to FAX” (Remember WINFAX?). That brother software came with a free download when I registered the machine on-line.
http://solutions.brother.com/ or www.brother.com
(Provide your own USB 2.0 Cable)

SPECIFICATIONS:
Laser Type Printer (B&W) only
--- Starter Toner Pack ~~ 1,500 copies, Replacement ~~ 2,500
Power Consumption: Copying 475 W, Sleep 10W, Standby 80W
14.7” Wide x 10.3” High x 14.7” Deep
Weight: 16.2 Pounds without Drum/Toner Unit.
--- Awkward to carry, no 'handles'. Must be set on a stout firm surface.
Noise: 30 – 50 db A --- keep it away from your work space.

USER INTERFACE
(Power switch is on lower rear, right hand side)
Control Panel (visible and legible on the Carton artwork)
Buttons (L to R)
a. 20 One Touch Keys
b. Shift Key, to access Keys 11 – 20 (requires two fingers)
c. Copy Options
d. Fax (redial/hold, hook/hold, resolution)
e. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display (2” x 3/8”)
f. Mode Keys (Fax or Copy)
g. Navigation Keys and Menu Access cluster
h. Telephone number dialing pad (12)
i. Reports (Did it go out?)
j. Stop/Exit
k. Start

A handy Quick Reference Guide is on USER Manual page ix – x.
Commands are grouped together, spelled out in sequences:
Examples:
Sending a FAX:
Press FAX Mode (f. above) to light it green , load into the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF),
enter recipient Fax number, Start

Saving a One-Touch Dial Number:
Menu/Set, 2, 3, 1
Press One-Touch Key of your choice, using “Shift” for 11-20
Enter number, up to 20 digits
Menu/Set
Enter the Name, up to 15 letters
Menu/Set
Stop/Exit
Etcetera. These procedures should be intuitive but I don't think they are.

Operations and Observations
The ADF pulls every page loaded into it; while scanning it into memory. Images are held until sent.
FAX calls may be long distance, so moderation may be wise. A letter may suffice.
If your installation includes a shared telephone line, Contention becomes a problem. A friend from long ago used a switch to clear the line for a FAX. We have a second line; originally for FAX but the PC can be online all day. Internet or Voice will block such a line to FAX messages. So, I am looking for a switch.
Although FAX addresses can be stored and called up when needed, I have no problem dialing manually.
That 80Watt standby rating suggests shutting off the FAX when not in use. (Which I just did.)

FEATURES (or, whaddaya get for $193.94?)
LASER Plain Paper FAX Machine:
14.4Kbps Fax Modem
8MB Memory, Stores 500 Pages for Out-of-Paper receptions and memory transmission
Up to 20 pages Automatic Document Feeder
Front Loading 250 sheet paper tray Capacity
Single sheet feed slot for copies

220 Station Auto Dialing
Broadcasting to up to 270 Stations
Dual Access for Scanning a FAX into memory while another is being sent or received
FAX Forwarding, Paging and Remote Retrieval
Laser Technology providing low cost per page
Full Speed USB 2.0 Interface for future printing
up to 15 ppm print speed @ 1200 x 600 dpi Resolution
---(using a Company Test Sheet)
Free Printer Driver for Download at brother Web Site http://www.brother.com/
Sales Tax

In the Carton:
12 page Quick Setup Guide
Toner Cartridge/Drum Assembly
157 page (7 x 10”) User Manual with TOC and Index!
Telephone Handset and coiled cord with 6' line cord
Power Cord (Captive, 3 Prong NEMA) 120 VAC
===
PRELUDE:
--- When I left High School, I could drill a hole in metal, cook oatmeal, lift a 100# bag of concrete, type a letter by touch, mow a lawn, prepare good engineering drawings of nails, fall off a bicycle, and skate. When I left the U.S. Navy, I could Fix a Navigation Radar, Bypass stair treads by falling down a Hatch, Repair a Radio, Fire an M-1 Rifle, Carry supplies, Salute, Fly a T-34B, Play Hearts, March somewhere, and Knew the difference between an Order and a Command.
I did not know how to drive a car, how to dance, nor did I know anything about Teletype Machines. That latter was evidence of a Genetic Flaw I inherited; it applied equally to several handicaps with certain skills with such as Morse Code, and FAX Machines. Science knows that there are Skills, I know that there are Unskills; I have a few of both*. (Not many know that Unskills can be taught.) Naturally, where I asked for my first job in 1958, the company had a Teletype Machine in the reception office and a truly horrible ThermoFAX machine in the Mail Room. I did have a pulse, so they hired me anyway; they thought I could handle a self-licking brown Tape Dispenser and a new thing called a Box Stapler, 6 feet tall. And I did.
---

NOTES:
* Some say that Personal Computers can sense my disability and can frustrate me if I touch them. One sordid secret I know is that the factory sometimes fails to load the correct number of the letters “e” and when those are used up, the keyboard fails to work. If I am anxious about a Download or a task I have started, I dare not touch the “a” (for anxiety) key. Things stop when I walk into the room. I knew how to change a 'straight six' engine block and learned that I could drive a hundred miles without putting water in the radiator.
** Judged from the number of customers I saw racing into the Office Depot Store, heading right for the Toner Cartridge display and grabbing one or more distinctive brother replacements. This was serious business and an indicator of how wide-spread FAX Machines really are. Even my dentist has one!

© Maurice McDonell 2009