Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

WHY I BOUGHT IT: I've had this printer for only two days but here are my initial reactions: I can't compare this machine with other 3-in-1's. I come from having three separate units to handle print, fax, and scan, so the 3-in-1 (four with copy) is a pleasure both for functionality and space saving. I've been a pretty loyal HP user, but I switched to this Brother this time because of the comparatively high reader scores on Amazon, because Consumer Reports gave it good grades, because ink costs are relatively low compared to many others especially inkjets, because I don't expect to give it heavy use and the laser toner will not dry up over time. For color and photos I still retain my old excellent HP photo printer, or I can head to the Copymat store, so I didn't see the need for color on this one. SETUP: Setup on the home network was fairly easy. Wired hookup to the main computer was basically plug and play, but getting the networked computer to recognize the new printer took some detective work. Ultimately I had to search through the on-disk documentation (as opposed to the printed User's Guide) to figure it out. I knew I had to set the printer driver on the "share" position in Windows, but I learned that I also had to change the network setting on the printer itself, via the printer's menu. Had this been explicit in either the Start Here or User's Guide (maybe it's there, but I didn't see it), I would have been saved some frustration. USING IT: The fax worked right away even though I do not have a dedicated fax line and my only line is hooked to an answering machine - a common situation I imagine. The explicit directions on how to deal with the answering machine question made it a no-brainer. The fax machine now recognizes a fax tone coming in, but otherwise lets the answering machine take the call. Use is intuitive and straightforward in all functions. The Control Center is basic enough to dig right in for quick use without having to slog through the User's Guide for most operations. The smart scanning software has basic use at the front but has advanced controls should you need them. The Control Center software is much more user-friendly than the scanning software I was using for my Epson scanner. As indicated in other reviews, the LCD screen is absurdly small and not nearly bright enough to see easily, even at the highest contrast setting, but once setup is completed, I suspect there is infrequent need to refer to it. I wouldn't recommend the machine if you need batch printing of envelopes. The manual paper feeder accepts only one envelope or sheet of labels at a time, and to avoid crinkled copies one must open up the back - an inconvenient step depending on the position of the printer. Feeding one envelope without opening up the back sends the envelope through the main print loop and produces an envelope with some creases but suitable for casual, not business, use. For this reason alone, I gave the rating 4 stars as opposed to 5, since occasionally it would be convenient to print more than one envelope or label page at a time. The fan noise others have complained about does not bother me. I hear it, but it is not loud or annoying to me, and only lasts for several minutes before it goes into a "deep sleep" (no snoring observed yet). SUMMARY: Overall, this is a very nice machine. It does what it says, quickly, quietly, efficiently. It prints crisp, clean text as one expects of laser printers, and cranks out about 20 ppm. Scanning docs including color photos are amazingly clear and true. I recommend this unit. If I have further comments after I give it more use, I'll update. UPDATE (12/19/11): Now that I've used the machine for a little over a month, I can say I find it a pleasure to use for all functions. While I can't figure out a way to print more than one envelope or label sheet at a time and they must be fed manually, the trick to printing wrinkle-free is to read the manual (duh), which instructs you not only to open the back but to adjust two green levers down. Once that adjustment is made, envelopes slide through with nary a wrinkle. I know, reading the manual isn't much fun, but once in awhile you learn something. With that caveat, I'm bumping my review to a full five star. update: 12/18/18 -- I have been using this printer for 7 years. I have never had a paper jam, Ihave averaged 2,000 - 2,500 pages per Brother cartridge (the big one) and have printer nearly 20,000 pages. Good, reliable, long lasting machine -- I would buy again. I see there is an update model with wireless.