Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center
Written: Jun 10 '02 (Updated Nov 08 '03)
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Pros: easy to operate, printout is high-quality, average priced toner cartridges
Cons: scanner is feed-through
The Bottom Line: A good multifunction laser machine for a low-volume home user. It is easy to operate and has given me very few problems.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Brother MFC-4800 All-In-One Laser Printer |
There I was, about to quit my job and start consulting from home. My dear old Epson Action Laser 1500 was on its last legs. It had served me well for ten years! They don't make ‘em like they used to....
But I digress, as I needed a new laser printer. I also wanted to be able to use it as a fax machine and copier. I already had a scanner, but could give that to my daughter to use with her computer, so throw that in there as well.
Cost was the big factor for me. In my years of working in the non-profit industry (non-profit = no money) I had learned what to look for when purchasing equipment. When dealing with laser printers, one of the most important factors is what new toner and/or drum cartridges will cost you and how long they will last.
I began breezing through catalogs and around websites. Unfortunately, most of the models I had come across had no reviews on Epinions. I was going to have to research the situation and go with my gut.
The Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center began to shine through as a good choice. It works with Windows, IMac/G3 or IBook/G4 software. It connects via the USB port or the parallel port and prints up to 10 pages per minute. The paper tray holds up to an impressive 200 sheets. Setting it up was easy. I simply connected the USB cable (included) to my PC and to the back of the printer. I assembled the telephone handset and connected the telephone line. The software is all on an included CD and it installed easily onto my Windows XP computer.
As a laser printer, I can tell you the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center has worked very well. I am pleased with the resolution and crispness of the printout. One thing I use this for is printing various pages from websites. The graphics print up nicely and don't appear to be blurred. The various fonts also print out with sharp detail. Recently I used it to print up invitations to the 6th Grade Graduation Dance at my daughter's school. The other parents were so impressed by the quality of the script-like font, they thought we had it printed somewhere.
I have also used this recently to print out about 500 envelopes for a business-related mailing. Envelopes I have found are one of the hardest items to run through a printer. I would say this machine jammed about 5 times during that run - not bad at all. It handled about 20-25 of them at a time in the paper feed tray.
As a fax machine, I am also pleased with the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center. It features PC Fax capabilities with 2 mb of memory which means it can hold about 90 pages in memory to fax. It transmits about one page per 6 seconds through its 14.4k bps modem. Up to 20 pages at a time can be loaded into the sheet feeder for faxing. There is memory for 100 different numbers to be auto-dialed, and you can fax directly from your PC. I have used this repeatedly both sending and receiving and have had only great results with it. Whenever I have gotten a fax which appears muddied, it has always turned out to be the other person's machine! I have faxed order forms, proposals, and invoices and never had a problem.
Since there is a handset on the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center, it saves me from having to have another telephone attached. The machine will answer and will let me know on the screen if I should pick it up - if it's a voice call. Since it is hooked up to a number that I primarily use only for the fax and for my own dialing out, those times are rare. However, using the handset as a telephone, I have found it to be clear and have had no problems hearing the other party.
As a scanner, I am somewhat pleased with the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center. It features up to 1200x1200 dpi resolution (Interpolated) and 200x400 dpi resolution (optical). The software which comes with it is Scansoft PaperPort and Textbridge OCR. Since I rarely use OCR software (I have always found that by the time I scan it, then proof it for errors and correct it, I could have typed it in myself) my only concern is the scanning software. It is easy to use and works great on full-sized documents.
The Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center feeds the sheets through. I have a love/hate relationship with that. I find it is easier to handle multi-page faxes and copies, but with smaller or odd-sized documents, I have a problem scanning them. If I want to scan in a photograph, it will feed it through. However, I don't like the fact that the roller bars have to grab the photo to scan it. With this machine it hasn't happened yet, but I had an old scanner which worked this way and damaged photographs feeding them through.
This same issue comes into play when using the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center as a copier. Recently, I needed a copy of my health insurance card. Could I possibly feed it through the feeder? No way! I had to use my old scanner hooked up to my daughter's computer for that. However, I am quite happy with using it as a copy machine for letter & legal-sized documents, as well as smaller pages which can be fed through the sheet-feeder.
All of the functions operate easily through a selection of buttons on the top of the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center. For me to be able to tell my 75 year old father how to send a fax and have him do it, shows how easy the machine is to operate - pages top feeder face down, press phone number, press FAX START. The scanning function works easily with a SCAN TO button. This allows you to have the document scanned right to e-mail, as an image, or into the OCR software. The Copy buttons allow you to enlarge or reduce your copies.
Now, you're thinking, What about the cost? I paid $299.99 for the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center, which I am happy about. I paid twice that for my old laser printer - but it lasted 10 years! I hope I get that out of this machine! The TN-250 toner cartridge yields about 2200 pages at 5% coverage at a replacement cost of $32.99. I have found that the first cartridge which came with it emptied faster than the replacement ones - my numbers have been a bit better here than what Brother advertizes. The #DR250 drum unit yields about 12,000 pages at a replacement cost of $169.99. I haven't had to replace it yet, so I don't know if the page count numbers are true for that.
The Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty.
I am very pleased with the Brother MFC-4800 5-in-1 Laser Multifunction Center and would recommend it to anyone who needs a multifunction laser machine at home. The only drawback being the lack of a flatbed scanner, but the trade off is having the sheet-feeder to fax with ease.
© 2002 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299.99
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2079
Trusted by: 687 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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