Does it all well
Pros:
Great small office machine
Space saving profile
Cons:
Set-up can be tricky
The Bottom Line:
This machine is a good fit for a small home office that needs a decent printer/scanner/fax, an answering machine and wireless communication all in one attractive package.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I've been looking for months for a multi-function machine for a small office that could replace both my fax and printer. My old fax also served as an answering machine, so I needed that function as well. And because I use both a desktop and laptop, I wanted a machine I could print to wirelessly. I figured a scanning function would be nice to have, as well, but I wanted the best quality scanner I could get in a multi-function machine. After a long, fruitless search, I came across the Brother MFC665CW. It's been in operation a week and has performed admirably so far. Print quality is fine for my needs, and I like the super fast mode for printing drafts (and saving ink). Scans are slow, but the quality is decent.
The biggest problem I encountered was in setting up. My Windows XP machine worked smoothly with the printer, but my Windows 2000 Professional one had a problem. I could print or scan only two items before I'd lose the connection to the machine. Brother tech support isn't great--only available during business hours Monday through Friday--but when I reached them they helped me troubleshoot the problem, which had to do with my firewall. I still can't use the buttons on the machine to communicate to the computer, which I should be able to, but that's not Brother's problem. (For what it's worth, I use ZoneAlarm and you can't modify the free version to allow a specific port, which is what the Brother needs.)
Beyond that, some of the default settings are annoying. The answering machine is set to record for just 30 seconds. It will go only as high as 3 minutes, which still seems stingy. And you have to enter FAX mode to set up the message center, which makes no sense. All in all, though, I'm happy with my purchase and would recommend it. Just be prepared for at least half an hour worth of set-up time, and don't try it over a weekend (as I did) when you can't reach tech support!