A DEPENDABLE MACHINE BUT LACKS PRINTING QUALITY!

I bought my Brother Multi-Function Center 440CN a couple of years ago.  It is the only piece of computer equipment I have that survived the moisture of Hurricane Ike which hit us hard with an 18’ surge four months ago.  That said, I must point out that it didn’t get wet but was in a flooded, hot, steamy house for about three days before I could retrieve it.

I bought this center because it combined printer, copier, scanner and fax, wasn’t too large, and wasn’t too expensive at around $150.  I had also used other Brother products in the past and was impressed with them.

This center can be used with the following operating systems:

Apple MacOS X,  Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows 98,  Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Home, Microsoft Windows 2000 Pro, Microsoft Windows XP Pro x64.

Specs:

Dimensions: 
 
Depth:  14.6 in.
Height:  7.1 in.
Width: 15.7 in.
Weight:  18.1 lb.

Memory:

Installed memory: 32MB
Max Memory: 32 MB

Multifunction Features:
 
Copying Speed: (Black)18 ppm
Zoom Range, Enlargement 400 %
Zoom Range, Reduction25 %
Copy Speed: (Color)16 ppm 
 
Scanning Features: 
 
Scanner Type: Flatbed Scanner · Sheetfed Scanner
Scanner Resolution: 600 x 2400 dpi 
 
Faxing Features: 
 
Modem Type: Fax / Modem
Fax Speed: 14.4 Bps
Fax Features: Supported PC Fax · Automatic redial 
 
Print Speed: 
 
Max Resolution (Color): 6000 x 1200 dpi
Black Print Speed: 25 ppm
Max Resolution (BW): 6000 x 1200 dpi
Color Print Speed: 20 ppm
 
Color LCD

1 year warranty


My Experience:

When I brought this printer home, I hooked it up okay but had problems installing the software.  I had to call technical support to get that up and running by downloading a driver on-line to accommodate Windows Vista.  That was the only problem I had there.    

The tiny LCD screen is so small (about 2” by 1 ½”), I barely ever even notice or use it unless I want to know the time.  Pretty useless actually.

The printing quality itself lacks some definition, even at a high resolution, and if you are needing sure clarity, especially for small type, this is not the machine for you.  Although the paper-feeder doesn’t hold but 100 sheets which makes a common task of loading, it clicks in the front of the center easily and I rarely get paper jams.  However, when I do, I have to remove the paper feeder, remove the back panel and ease the jam out.  It’s a pain but as I said, it rarely happens so I can’t say that that is a major problem.  On timing, I get about 12 pages per minute which is a far cry from the 20 this center claims to put out.  I was a little peeved about that but luckily, I rarely do mass printing.  For those who do, keep this in mind.

The fax is the best feature for me which I use often.  The fact that the faxed documents are stored in the memory and the center has automatic redial makes faxing a charm.  I don’t have to wait around to make sure the fax goes through.  I get a printed fax confirmation sheet if it was successfully transmitted and that’s the end of that.  Super easy to use. 

The copier is also handy.  You can load up to 10 pages in the top feeder and copying is quick but still lacks the clarity I talked about earlier.  I had to make a copy of my driver’s license once which came out too blurred to even use so keep in mind that quality is also lacking in this feature.

I have not used the scanner and although this machine is network capable, I haven’t done that either so I cannot comment on performance in these two areas.

Now, we come to the ink.  Although the ink tanks are easy to get to, just click in and out easily, ink is a little expensive.  I use this machine a lot and I buy ink a lot also (about once every two months).  About $60 for black and color cartridges if you buy from
Office Depot or OfficeMax.

Conclusion:

I am satisfied with the performance of my Brother Multi-Function Center 440CN.  I have not had any problems with its mechanics.  It is simple to set up and has easy-to-use features.  However, you get what you pay for and with its low price comes poorer quality printing and high-priced ink.   

If you are looking for a great fax machine that has printing features that need not be the clearest, then you should be satisfied with this Brother product.  Otherwise, I recommend you shop further.  

http://www.brother-usa.com/