A Good All-Around Multi-Function Laser Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax For The Home Office
Pros:
Good Home Office Multi-Function Machine That Prints Great Copies and Doesn't Use Much Toner
Cons:
A Bit Noisy When Printing, Not a Heavy-Duty Multiple Office Network Printer.
The Bottom Line:
Good printer for professionals who sometimes work at home and for students. Produces high-quality black and white prints, copies and faxes. It scans in color. Very convenient machine to own.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought the MFC-8460N at Costco about 6 months ago for $370. Previously, we had a HP multi-function inkjet. The main problem with that machine was the price of replacing the ink. Six months later after purchasing this machine, I have not had to replace the toner. The replacement toner costs around $80, which is more than most inkjet cartridges, but it is much more economical than inkjet cartridges, due to longevity. This machine is heavily used by a college student and by a working professional.
The MFC-8460N produces excellent quality prints from our computers with no problems. The main computer is linked to the printer via USB cable. The second computer uses a wireless network to print from the main computer to the printer. We can print voluminous web documents very quickly.
The printer can hold letter or legal size paper. There is an extra printer tray that can be used for different sized paper or individual sheets of higher-quality paper. The tray could also be used to store multiple envelopes, or you can use the separate individual envelope feeder that is built into the machine. The printer is a bit noisy for a laserjet, but it is not nearly as loud as an inkjet.
Ever since I was in college, I always thought it would be cool to own a copy machine at home. This machine makes professional looking copies and also has an automatic document feeder, for printing multiple pages. Admittedly, it is not anywhere near as fast as the large professional copiers at work. I use the machine in my home office, however, where time is a bit relaxed. I can copy between 25 to 30 pages per minute with this machine. It sure beats a trip to Kinkos and it is very convenient. The machine cannot automatically duplex print on both sides of the paper. It can, however, collate the pages when producing multiple, multi-page documents. The printer is "standalone" and works independently of your computer.
The fax machine also makes use of the automatic document feeder, so faxing multiple pages is a quick process. The machine has a built-in modem, so it works independently of your computer. The computer does not need to be on in order to send or receive a fax. Also, the machine can "listen" for a fax tone, so an answering machine won't throw it off.
The scanner is legal sized and scans in color. Pictures scanned with this machine look almost as good as pictures straight from the digital camera. Because this machine scans in color, there is no need to have a multi-function color laserJet. We ended up buying a plain color laserJet, and we can scan color documents with our MFC-8460N and print in color with laserJet.
This printer could work in a small, multi-user office environment but I think it is best used for a home office environment or as a single office printer. I'd love to have one of these sitting on my credenza at work, instead of having to walk over to the larger network printer to retrieve my documents. It is a pleasure to have it at home, and it more than meets my home office needs.
