9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
A Very Capable Small Office Multifunction
Date of Review: Dec 21, 2007
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for print copy, fax and scan capabilities that large offices have, but for home office/small business use, then the MFC 7820 should be seriously considered.
I was shopping for the non-network version, but ended up getting this one for the same price on special at Staples.
The multifunction offers printer, fax, copier and scanner with a sheet feeder, network and USB capabilities. It does not have a headset with the fax, but has a jack for the user to supply one. 32 MB ram is provided. A printed users manual is also supplied. The spec sheet summary is at http://www.brother-usa.com/mfc/modeldetail.aspx?PRODUCTID=MFC7820N&tab=spec
Supplied software is an all in one command center type system that also has the necessary drivers to command the printer. Network configuration software is provided too. Note: Windows XP software is provided and it will not install on Windows Vista. The user must download the Vista software from Brother. Apple software is also provided.
Unpacking. The unpacking instructions require careful review. There are plastic shipping parts that must be removed from the MFC before the toner drum is installed.
Impressions:
Printing. This is the heart of the machine. When in sleep mode, it takes about 30 seconds for the first page to print. Successive pages print about three seconds apart. The print quality is crixp and the paper handling is flawless. A number of different paper weights (art cardboard not tied) have been used without incident. Upwards to 500 pages have been printed in a session without overheating or other issues.
Copying. The sheet feeder will accept up about 30 pages. Single, double sided or multiple pages to a side copying is available. User scaling follows a number of presets or user defined - up to 400% enlargement. Copying can be set to text, photos or auto. The auto selection intelligence has worked without flaw.
Multiple page multiple copies are not collated. The user must collate the copies by hand.
Fax. The sheet feeder will scan and hold in memory multiple page faxes. The users manual says up to 600 pages can be faxed, but the sheet feeder will handled about 40 pages. That is the practical limit for faxing paper. Fax settings include super fine, fine, standard or photo settings.
The fax can be initiated from the pc or the machine. From the machine, the user can manually dial the number. Four dial presets are available for frequently faxed numbers.
A potential incoming fax issue lay with voice mail or answering machines. Voice mail may intercept a fax before the fax auto answers. Alternatively, if the fax auto answers and determines it not an incoming fax there is now way for the MFC to hand the phone call back to voice mail. The manual has instructions for coordinating the rings for fax or answering machine pick up sequences. This section must be carefully read to achieve satisfactory results if using a single phone line for both.
Scanner. The MFC has a 2400 X 600 color flat bed scanner. When attached to a PC via the USB cable, scans can be initiated from either the scanner or the PC. The PC software has various customization settings. While no photos have been scanned, the artwork and colored drawings in documents scan with excellent resolution and the color fidelity is very consistent with the original.
The OCR software works fairly well. Some errors occur. Misinterpretation have not been noticed, but unreadable text sometimes found. A major factor lay with the print quality of the material that was scanned. Poor originals can be troublesome.
The Unit:
The unit has a front menu/settings area with fax speed dial buttons, print/copy/fax settings, a LCD menu, toggle area (up/down/option selections), numeric key pad and stop/cancel controls. The MFC must be set in the print or scan or fax mode for the settings area to work.
This area is exceptionally well thought out and the settings are extremely intuitive. You set the mode, make any desired setting changes and press the start button. The options shown in the LCD screen is very intuitive. If the user is comfortable with using a TV remote to control a television's settings or familar with an office copier/fax machine, then he/she should have no difficulty with becoming familar with the MFC's controls.
For those more challenged, the interactive use can be set to 2 steps: Select the mode and hit the start button. OK, select number of copies too when in the copy mode.
When using the USB cable, the MFC is immediately recognized by the PC and the MFC immediately recognizes that it is connected to a pc. When not connected, the MFC immediately goes into sleep mode. The networking feature has not been used.
Summary: The Brother MFC 7820N successfully packages large office print/copy/scan/fax functionality into a home office/small business multifunction printer. Office workers who are also comfortable with interactive large office machines (such a stand alone copiers) will appreciate the interactive friendly use of the MFC 7820.
