HP OfficeJet 5510 All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner, Copier Review

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(More customer reviews)All things being equal, I would have to call the HP OfficeJet 5510 one of the best all-around printers / copiers / scanners around. I have reviewed enough all-in-one units now to appreciate a great model when I get to play with one, and after a month of testing, I can honestly say that the OfficeJet 5510 has really impressed me.
Printing is probably the main reason anyone would purchase this unit. The print quality is simply fantastic. Printing text-only pages is very, very fast, much quicker than I was expecting from an ink-jet printer. So quick, in fact, that my nine-year old daughter even commented on it just this morning. I used the OfficeJet 5510 to print out a letter to her school. She asked which printer it would come out, and I pointed to the HP. It was done printing just a few seconds later. Her reaction? "Wow, that was a lot faster than the silver and black printer." The silver and black printer being the Lexmark 5150 I reviewed back in June 2003.
Fast is not always good if the print quality is not up to par. The OfficeJet 5510 has nothing to fear. Using standard high-gloss photo paper and printing a photo from iPhoto, I was simply amazed at the print quality. I have printed many full-page color photos over the last few years, and I can honestly say that the OfficeJet 5510's print quality is one of the best for an ink-jet printer. While no speed demon printing a full-page color print, the print time was respectable.
Paper is loaded from the bottom front of the unit, so it is much easier to see how much paper you have left at a quick glance. Not so with a rear, upwards facing paper tray such as those found on most Lexmark, Epson, and other printers. I much prefer a lower-front loading tray to the other types. My only grip here is that there is no protective cover for the paper tray, meaning that if you don't print something every few days, dust will accumulate, and be run through your printer when you do.
Be aware that the OfficeJet 5510 is not a post-script printer; so graphic professionals will want to look elsewhere. There is also no built-in print sharing with the OfficeJet 5510, nor is it compatible with Rendezvous, but you can share it via USB Print Sharing built-in to OS X.
Speaking of OS X, if you are not using Mac OS X or Mac OS 9.1, and are still a happy OS 9.0 or earlier user, you are out of luck. Like many programs and hardware coming out as of late, the OfficeJet 5510 is not compatible with pre-OS X operating systems. Nor is it compatible with Windows 95, NT, 3.1, or DOS, either.)
Scanning is done via the HP Director software, which you can only get from the included CD-ROM. To deviate from the standard review process for a moment, I would like to point out that HP, while having great products for the most part, has a woefully inadequate support website. The above mentioned HP Director software cannot be downloaded via their website. When Mac OS X 10.3 was released, I had some initial problems printing to the OfficeJet 5510. The problem was unrelated to the HP software, but in my search for a cure I did learn of the poor quality of HP's support pages. What happens if I loose or scratch my HP CD-ROM? I have to order another one. And as of today's date, there is still no software update for the software on HP's website. The same software, HP Director, also controls their digital cameras with their HP Director (Camera). There is also no update for that program online, even though I cannot get it to work under 10.3 correctly. For a company the size and with the reputation they have, I expect better from HP.
Getting back to the OfficeJet 5510 and scanning, I have found that the scanning works great. While I don't especially like the scanning software the OfficeJet 5510 ships with, it does work well. You can access the software directly through Adobe Photoshop as well, via the Import-HP All-in-one Scan in the File menu. You can scan photos or documents from 150x150 DPI up to 19200x19200 DPI. The flatbed scanner performs about the same as most other scanners (and copiers) in this price-range, and there is nothing here. It work fine, has an auto-crop feature, etc...
The true strength of scanning, however, if the 20-page top-load automatic document feeder on top of the OfficeJet 5510. You can set the printer to scan multiple documents (not pictures) up to 20 pages, which is a great feature, one many small or home business users will appreciate.
Usually, when reviewing a multi-function printer / scanner / fax machine, the fax aspect is the least impressive. Using built-in fax software, you have to have your computer turned on to control, send, or receive a fax. Not so with the OfficeJet 5510! HP, realizing how nice it would be to be able to send and receive faxes, has taken the need to have a computer out of the equation. Simply plug the OfficeJet 5510 into your phone jack, and you can control all the fax features from the built-in LCD display. This is a great feature, one I overlooked when my testing first started. I now feel that this is one of the best selling points to the unit, and one I did not realized I missed so much from other units.
Specification:
Print quality 1200 x 1200 dpi
Connectivity: USB
Print speed, black: Up to 17 ppm
Print speed, color: Up to 12 ppm
Compatible operating systems: Microsoft Windows 98, 98 SE, 2000, Me, XP; Macintosh OS 9.1, OS X
Scanner type: Flatbed
Automatic document feeder 20 sheets
Media sizes: Letter, legal, executive, cards, 3 x 5 to 8.5 x 14 in (using ADF)
Color fax: yes
Fax transmission speed: 3 sec per page
Fax memory: 90 pages
Fax autoredial: Yes
Fax PC interface: Yes (sending only
Fax auto-reduction: Yes
Fax delayed sending: Yes
Copy speed, black: Up to 17 cpm
Copy speed, color: Up to 12 cpm
Copy settings: Stand-alone copying: fit-to page (from glass only), 100%, reduce/enlarge
Maximum number of copies: Up to 99 copies
Bit depth: 36 bit
Levels of grayscale: 256
Software included: HP Photo and Imaging Gallery: HP Director, HP Photo Gallery, HP Image Editor, HP Instant Share, HP Photo Prints, HP Creative Projects, HP Quick 4 x 6 prints, HP Memories Disc DVD Creator, ReadIris OCR, HP Send to Programs
Dimensions (w x d x h) 18 x 11.3 x 9.25 in (18 x 17.8 x 9.25 with tray fully extended)
Weight: 11.8 lb
Warranty: One-year limited hardware warranty backed by HP Customer Care, service and support; one-year technical phone support, plus a toll-free number in North America only
This is a great printer for both the new and veteran computer user wanting an all-in-one printing solution. Fantastic execution in functionality and usability. Small, compact design in an attractive package.
Well worth the money and investment.
MyMac Rating: 5 out of 5

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP OfficeJet 5510 All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner, Copier

HP's OfficeJet 5510 is an all-in-one color printer, color copier, color scanner, and color fax machine. This versatile unit is perfect for the home office or small business where space is at a premium. With HP's thermal inkjet print technology, resolutions for both black and color prints are as high as 1,200 x 1,200, with 4,800 x 1,200 optimized dpi color printing. Print speeds clock in at 17 ppm for black and 12 ppm for color (maximum, draft mode; actual speeds will vary).
The 5510 has a standard input capacity of 100 sheets and up to 10 envelopes, with an output capacity of 25 sheets. It accepts a wide variety of originals, including paper (plain, inkjet, photo), envelopes, transparencies, labels, cards, HP premium media, and iron-on transfers. Supported sizes range from 3 by 5 to 8.5 by 14 inches (using the 20 sheet automatic document feeder).
HP Director Access features and common tasks through the easy-to-navigate HP Director software. Depending on the capabilities of your HP all-in-one, the HP Director lets you initiate device functions such as scanning, copying, faxing, or unloading images from a digital camera or memory card. You can also use the HP Director to open the HP Gallery to view, modify, and manage the images on your computer.


Status: use this feature to display the current status of your HP OfficeJet.
Settings: use this feature to view or change various settings for your HP OfficeJet, such as print, scan, copy, or fax.
Select Device: use this feature to select the device you want to use from the list of installed HP devices.
Help: use this feature to access the HP Photo & Imaging Help, which provides software help, a product tour, troubleshooting information for your HP OfficeJet, and HP OfficeJet product-specific help.
Scan Picture: use this feature to scan an image and display it in the HP Photo & Imaging Gallery.
Scan Document: use this feature to scan text and display it in the selected text editing software program.
Send a Fax: use this feature to open the fax dialog box so you can enter the appropriate information and then send your fax.
Make Copies: use this feature to display the Copy dialog box where you can select the copy quality, number of copies, color, size, and then start a copy.
HP Gallery: use this feature to display the HP Photo & Imaging Gallery, where you can view and edit images, print photos in multiple sizes, make and print a photo album, share images through e-mail or a web site, or make a multimedia CD.
Creative Ideas: use this feature to learn about creative ways to use your HP OfficeJet.
HP Shopping: use this feature to shop for HP products.
Software Update: use this feature to check for software updates for your HP OfficeJet.
Click this arrow to display tool tips that explain each of the HP Director options. Your features may vary. The HP Director is customized based upon the HP device that is selected. If your device is not equipped with a particular feature, then the icon for that feature will not display in the HP Director on your computer.
The flatbed scanner provides up to 600 x 2,400 dpi optical resolution and 36-bit color, with software-enhanced resolution up to 19,200 dpi. The 33.6 Kbps modem fax machine has a 3-second per page transmission speed and is capable of color faxing. A 90-page fax memory ensures that your don't miss important faxes when you run out of paper, while fax auto-redial, delayed sending, and auto-reduction provide added convenience. Copy speeds are as fast as 17 cpm for black and 12 cpm for color, while up to 99 copies can be made at once, freeing up your time for other tasks.
The 5510 connects via a USB port. Compatible with both Mac and PC, it also comes backed by a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the BoxHP OfficeJet 5510, HP 56 black inkjet print cartridge, HP 57 tri-color inkjet print cartridge, photo and imaging software, HP memories disc creator on CD-ROM, setup poster, reference guide, power supply and power cord, phone cord, HP photo paper sampler, HP photo paper storage bag

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HP LaserJet 3015 All-in-One Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this because I already have an HP laser printer which is far and away the best printer I have ever owned. I am sure this all-in-one is a solid HP product. But I am writing this review to alert buyers that this is an "all-in-one-minus-one. I hope to prevent a mistake similar to mine.
The "no flatbed scanner" in a couple of reviews did not sink in as I was shopping late at night, so I ordered the machine.
When the machine arrived, the light dawned: YOU CAN ONLY COPY USING THE AUTOMATIC SHEET FEEDER. There is NO WAY to copy a page from a book or any non-normal paper source. Thanks to Amazon for their reasonable return policy, but I'm out the cost of 2-way shipping for my dumb mistake. Hopefully this will alert those looking for a more versatile copier of this regrettable limitation.

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Equally at home in Windows and Mac operating environments, the HP LaserJet 3015 All-in-One printer provides fast printing, copying, faxing, and color scanning. Plus, it offers a compact design that boasts versatile media handling, a simple and intuitive user interface, easy configuration and monitoring, and a generous 7,000-page monthly duty rating for busy offices.
Printing features include first page out in just 15 seconds, and up to 15 ppm printing at 1,200 dpi effective resolution from a 600 dpi engine. Copying is achieved at the same speed and resolution as printing, producing up to 99 copies at one time, with options for reduction and enlargement from 25 to 400%.
A built-in V.34 fax modem provides easy workgroup faxing, with 120 programmable speed dial locations, up to 110 pages of memory (2 MB), and a whole host of advanced controls. The 3015 also functions as a sheet-fed color scanner, achieving up to 9,600 dpi enhanced resolution (600 dpi optical) in full 24-bit color, drawing originals ranging from index card to legal size paper from the 3015's auto-document feeder.
This model offers both USB 2.0 and parallel connectivity, features a powerful 240 MHz processor, and has 32 MB RAM. It's Energy Star certified and requires only a single, easy-to-replace print cartridge that yields an estimated 2,000 pages. The unit is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box HP LaserJet 3015 All-in-One, print/toner cartridge, power cord, Getting Started Guide, support flyer, device software and electronic User's Guide on CD-ROM, media input tray, automatic document feeder (ADF), fax guide, phone cord, ADF output support, output bin support, control panel cover; printer cable not included

30-sheet automatic document feeder
7 one-touch keys for easy and convenient faxing
Control panel features: fax controls, alphanumeric buttons, menu and cancel controls, copy controls, scan controls
150-sheet media input tray
Small footprint handles four functions and easily fits where you want it
Parallel IEEE 1284-B level 2 device with an IEEE 1284-B receptacle with the host computer set to ECP; USB: compatible with 2.0 specifications
Fast V.34 fax modem (up to 33.6 Kbps) + 2 RJ-11 ports

32 MB RAM handles complex jobs
2 MB fax memory for storing your important fax documents
Black and white printing, black and white copying, black and white faxing, black and white and color scanning
Faxing from ADF, auto redial, billing codes, fax forwarding, fax auto-reduction, block fax barrier, fax delayed sending, pollingreceive, distinctive ring detection
120-speed dials and 110 group dials for handy faxing

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Brother MFC-5460cn Color Photo Inkjet All-in-One Flatbed with Networking Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking to buy a printer and fax machine for some time. Our old fax m/c and the printer had reached the end of their lives. Recently Brother is having some great promotions with 2 year extended warranties. With the advertised low prices for these machines, I couldn't resist. After some research I decided to order the 5460 multi function all in one. Boy, am I delighted!
What I like:
============
- Setup was very easy. Hooking up the machine took me about 10 minutes. Installing the software, another 8-10.
- The print quality was great.
- The printer is network ready. It works with both wired and wireless networks. This feature alone is worth the price. No need for any wires from your computer or any computer on the network to the printer. If you don't have a network at home, don't worry. You can hook using a USB cable. The manufacturers don't include a USB printer cable usually as with this product. So don't discard the cable if you are throwing away your old printer - they cost around 35 bucks.
- You can receive the faxes onto your computer. You need to change the mode on the machine panel. The setup software opened up all the ports necessary. Now all the junk faxes goes to your PC and you don't have to waste paper! Even if your PC is off, the faxes are stored in the machine's memory so that you can later 'download' to your PC.
- You can send faxes right out of your PC using the provided software. Another cool thing. As I work from home remotely, this helps me a lot. Otherwise, I would have had to print out the documents before faxing. The software comes with an address book which can sync with your Outlook address book.
- The setup also enables your PC for internet faxing. i.e., even if you don't have your Brother fax machine connected, as long as you have an internet connection, you can fax documents using the internet. This is pretty cool though not a new feature. While I am at the airport, I can fax those last minute expense reports right from my laptop.
- I haven't tried the scan feature yet, that will be the least used feature for me.
- Given the print quality is good, I would believe the copier would be just great as well.
- The paper feeder sits within the footprint of the machine. This is another neat and space saving feature - no awkward paper supports hanging out.
- You also have digital media reader right in the front so that you can print directly from your media.
- The all-in-one is a space saver. It cleared much space off my work table. With all-in-ones, say, if the cartridge goes bust, all parts are affected though.
What could be better?
=====================
- The USB cable and the network cable slots are not on the outside of the machine. You have to lift up the top bed and wire these inside. This takes up about 10-20% of the cable length depending on where you position your PC/laptop relative to the machine.
- The Brother cartridges are always relatively expensive compared to, say, Canon. I have found that Brother's tend to be more durable than Canon. But for the higher end Canon's you do pay more. So it is a trade-off between up-front price/running cost (ink refills,cartridge) and reliability.
At this point I love the machine. For $99 after MIR and extended 2 yr warranty, it is a great holiday deal!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Brother MFC-5460cn Color Photo Inkjet All-in-One Flatbed with Networking

The Brother MFC-5460cn is a powerful color multi-function center with networking capabilities, making it a great addition to your home or small business office.
Color Printer With the MFC-5460cn you'll enjoy up to 30 ppm black and 25 ppm color print speed, as well as photo quality printing up to 6000 x 1200 dpi. With a droplet size as small as 1.5 picoliters you can be assured of fine details and color accuracy. The unit's front loading paper tray holds up to 100 sheets. Borderless photo printing is possible, and USB and ethernet interfaces are included. The printer works with Windows and Mac operating systems.
Color Fax When it comes time to send a fax, you can choose black and white or color faxing using the ITU-T30E standard. A 35-page auto document feeder makes big faxing jobs a snap, while the 33.6 Kbps Super G3 high-speed fax modem delivers your documents quickly. No PC is required for faxing, and you can take advantage of 100-station auto dialing, and 32 MB of total memory means you can store up to 480 pages.
Color Copier The MFC-5460cn offers easy copying in color or black and white. No PC is required for copying, and you'll enjoy up to 22 cpm black and 20 cpm color copy speeds. The copier also offers up to 1200 x 600 dpi resolution, as well as multi-copying for up to 99 copies. Reduce or enlarge your copies from 25 percent to 400 percent, in 1 percent increments.
Color Scanner Use the MFC-5460cn for 48-bit flatbed color scanning at up to 19,200 dpi (interpolated) resolution, and up to 600 x 2400 dpi (optical) resolution. The flatbed design also enables scanning from bound documents. The unit includes award-winning ScanSoft PaperPort SE with OCR Software for Windows and Presto! PageManager for Mac.
Photo Capture Center Use the MFC-5460cn to print images or even an index--all without a computer. The MFC-5460cn features convenient digital camera media card slots for high quality photo printing (Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, xD-Picture Card Type M/Type H, CompactFlash, Secure Digital, and MultiMediaCard). The memory card system also works as a removable disk drive, and there's also a PictBridge interface to print photos directly from your PictBridge-enabled camera.
PC Fax The MFC-5460cn comes with the Brother PC Fax Driver for sending and receiving faxes from your computer. The software supports fax broadcasting from your PC, as well as network PC fax send and receive. PC fax functionality works with Windows and Mac operating systems.

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Kodak Wireless Office All-in-One Printer - Black (2150) Review

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(More customer reviews)The 2150 is shown without the rear paper tray guide up, therefore it appears to be a front loader (like kodak 6150 and many other All-in-One printers). It is a rear vertical tray loader, like a cheap Kodak c310. This is intentionally deceptive I think, and unacceptable in my office environment especially since the printer will sit on a shelf above my head (and a rear tray loader means I have to get on a chair to replace the paper...).


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HP Officejet J5780 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (Q8232A#ABA) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had the HP OfficeJet J5780 for a few days, and here are my initial impressions:
--Reasonable setup procedure, just a couple of awkward moments. Manual on CD, so it won't get used as much as it should, although the manual for the fax portion is included in print. Unfortunately, the included CD manual has only the most basic of info; additional info needs to be acessed at the HP website.
--Front control panel is very nice (see customer images). Lots of buttons, but well-organized and intuitive to use, especially with the LCD screen. Nice having an on-off button right there in plain view.
--Print quality seems good, but I've only done a couple of pages
--Scanning is excellent. I bought this all-in-one mainly for its' scanning abilities, and it is quite able. Can be used with HP software; I'm using it with PaperPort 9. Some learning curve for accessing all of the settings, but worthwhile.
--Fax features look nice, but not yet used. I'll update after I've used it.
--Auto document feeder (ADF) so far has been smooth and quiet. It extracts one page at a time, just as it is supposed to!
--NOISY! Definitely loses a star for the loud grinding noises that it occasionally makes (which I am sure my neighbors can even hear; I still jump when they start!), as well as other occasional various less startling noises.
--Ink: too early to evaluate... HP states that this new printers and others like it make more efficient use of ink. The printer "knows" that you are using HP branded products, so I'm not sure refilling or generics will be possible. Seem to be reasonably priced for an inkjet, but not widely available, not even Amazon sells it yet. The HP website sells the regular and "XL" high capacity cartridges with free shipping.
--Compact, fairly attractive, and does not feel too junky in its' construction, despite being all plastic.
Update: One week later, I still like this machine, despite finding some little quirks. I have not (yet) been able to get the HP software to retain my scanning preferences. The Vivera ink smears when I use a highlighter on a page that was printed on standard paper; I don't know how the inks would hold up on photo paper. Sometimes the power button doesn't turn off my printer; I will need to find out if my unit is just a little defective.
Hope this review helps!

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP Officejet J5780 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (Q8232A#ABA)

Ideal for the home and small offices, the HP Officejet J5780 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier allows you to print, fax, copy, and scan from one versatile machine. Get brilliant, true-to-life photos using optional 6-ink color. Fax quickly in black and color and easily block junk fax numbers. Get high-quality scans with 2,400 x 4,800 dpi resolution and 48-bit color. Make copies when you need them, using a convenient, one-touch button. Small enough to fit on your desk, this multifunction printer easily manages large documents and features a 35-sheet automatic document feeder. Save time capturing text from hard copy documents with included HP software. The all-in-one device is compatible with the following media sizes: letter, legal, executive, Mutsugiri, 3 x 5-, 4 x 6-, 5 x 8-, and 8 x 10-inch envelopes, and photos up to 5 x 7 inches. Compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems, the unit measures 18 x 15.2 x 9.3 inches and weighs only 14.8 pounds. This all-in-one device is backed by a 1-year limited manufacturer's warranty.
What's in the Box HP Officejet J5780, paper trays, black ink cartridge, tri-color ink cartridge, power supply, power cord, phone cord, control panel, faceplate, software CD, setup poster, and fax getting started guide.

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Belkin 7-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with 12' Cord Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased two surge protectors and so far we love them. My primary purpose for writing this review is to warn others to register their product for full protection.
After spending two days at the Belkin site, trying to register online I gave up and called the 800 number for U.S. customers (800-223-5546). While explaining the problem to the first customer service rep -- outsourced -- and mentioned solely because I don't think he understood why I needed to register my surge protectors. He stated my products were "already registered" prior to shipping. Huh?I asked how that is possible and he explained, Belkin has the serial number of each product and that's how registration occurs. I told him the enclosed product paperwork states, "please register your Belkin Surge Protector online on our website belkin.com" and politely asked to speak to another rep.
While on hold, my husband told me of a friend of his that recently lost a bunch of expensive equipment when he too had trouble registering online. (I don't know if it was a Belkin product). I do know his friend's claim was denied because there was no product registration on file. Once transferred back to the U.S. for a second tier level rep, my information for both surge protectors was easily registered and I was able to verify online at the Belkin site.
I rely a lot on Amazon reviews to help me choose which products to buy and thought this important enough to share and try to give back to the community, hope this helps someone else.

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You've got a lot of money invested in your home computer and peripherals, so you need to protect them. The Belkin BE107200-12 7-Outlet Home Surge Protector with 12-foot Cord is designed to give you the peace of mind you need in case a power disturbance hits your home.
Keeping the Computers Running As the demand for electricity to feed our hi-tech appetite increases, the likelihood of power interruptions and problems are also increasing. In addition to problems caused by the increasing severity of storms across the country, power experts are predicting that increasing power demand will soon put most major population centers at risk for severe power problems. As you know, power lulls and surges can severely damage your electronic equipment and even destroy your invaluable data. This Belkin Home Series Surge Protector provides premium power protection for small home appliances, general household electronics, entry-level computers, printers, and ADSL modems. Belkin has used advanced design elements, top-quality construction, and superior circuitry and components to provide the most complete protection from power surges, spikes, and AC contamination available. Belkin backs this model with a lifetime product warranty and a $100,000 Connected Equipment Warranty.
This surge protector is also stylishly designed; its slim, sleek case blends seamlessly with today's modern electronics and appliances, while saving valuable space. An included cord management clip helps you keep your cables under control, while sliding safety covers protect your children and pets from each unused outlet.

Get 44% OFF

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Brother MFC-495CW Inkjet Color Multifunction Center with Wireless Networking for the Small Office/Home Office Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this for two months (now several months, see note at bottom), the first part being additional thoughts, with newer at the bottom. If you're considering this printer there are things that I think you might want to know. Note: All of my comments are based on both setting up and using this on a wired ethernet connection.
(Update: This review was written based on installation on an XP system, but I downloaded the Windows 7 64-bit software and it installed fine. I haven't yet seen any issues with it on Win 7. Two weeks into this, it's working fine on Win 7 and XP.)
Pros:
1) Physical impressions: This is an attractive unit, mostly shiny black and matte charcoal. The color LCD screen is pleasant, and the buttons (for general use, more on setup later) are straightforward.
2) Interface: Pretty, and fairly easy to follow. There are some needlessly obtuse icons which, given the space available, don't need to be that way, but all in all it's not hard to use. Fun thing: My unit wanted a firmware update, and while doing the update you get a bit of an audio and visual extravaganza, for what reason I don't know.
3) Print Quality: The printing is good quality. Text is very good for an ink-jet, even to Courier at 8 pts, which is small as the driver lets you go. Photos are about par for the course on regular ink-jet paper. Also, if allowed to dry completely, it was more resistant to smearing (with a wet finger) than most ink-jet inks.
4) Setup (Wired Ethernet): I found this very quick to do, but then I'm used to setting up network printers so knew exactly what I wanted to do. Suggestion: If you want to assign a static IP address to the printer, use the network menu on the printer itself to assign the numbers before starting the installation and to tell it that you want it to use a static IP address, as the install is a bit more straightforward.
5) Faxing: works fine (haven't tried color faxing, don't have a unit that will handle that on the other end) from both PC and printer itself and is pretty quick. (Important as the 'little brother' to this machine has a much slower fax modem.)
Cons:
1) Physical Impressions: This unit feels a bit delicate to me. When removing all of the green tabs and such I felt as though I could very easily break things, and I've never felt that before. When using it I continued to feel as though I could break things, for instance: When opening the lid to place something on the platen, the right hinge seems to want to come off; the paper tray is a bit 'complex' as it has to handle different types/sizes of paper, and it is very flimsy. (Note that I have owned 3 other Brother printers and have never felt this way.)
2) Interface: The menus to setup things are about the same level of complexity as most of these units or as a digital camera. That's fine except that sometimes going back a level just can't be done and you have to exit the menu system and come back in. Annoying, but once you've got things set up who really cares. Another amusing thing: You can select between about 4 'wallpapers' for the LCD, and while they are pleasant enough, they are very multi-colored and make it harder to actually see the information. Oh, and there are a couple of things that just don't work: For instance, the option for how many seconds the backlight should stay on has 4 options: 10, 20, 30 seconds and 'off'. One expects that the 'off' setting would mean just to leave the backlight on, but that doesn't seem to work.
3) Scanning: While easy enough to do from the PC (even over the network, which is sometimes difficult with products in this class) the scanning software is pretty basic, and lacks things I always had on even inexpensive dedicated scanners like de-screening mode. Not a big deal, but you'll need to do more of the work in a graphics program than you would otherwise.
4) Setup (Wired Network): At first, though all seemed fine, the software on the PC kept thinking that the printer was off-line, though the printer didn't think so. Eventually just cycling through the printer booting a couple of times fixed things.
5) Copier: (NOTE CHANGE OF FEELING ABOU THIS AT END OF PARAGRAPH) WARNING: I would never buy this if you intend to use it as a stand-alone copier, even if only lightly. Why? I put a page of B&W double-spaced text and it took it between 1.5 and 2 minutes to copy. I honestly thought that that device had gotten 'stuck' and was going to power it off. But eventually the copy came out. What's strange is that if you do the copy from the PC it works much better. In that case, it seems clear that the Brother software is scanning the image to the PC, then sending it out as a print, and it happens in about half the time. And this is with the copy set to Normal and B&W. (UPDATE: I'm leaving this here in case it happens to someone else, but I need to say that after the first couple of copies, things changed and this problem disappeared. It's still not a really fast copier, but 30 seconds for a typical B&W page is workable.)
6)Flash drive support: This printer supports capture of photos from flash cards such as CF, SD, etc. This works, but in a very cumbersome manner: Other printers I've had that allowed one to read from flash cards (CF, SD, etc) mounted the card with a drive letter, so that one could access it using a standard Windows Explorer interface. Instead, you must start the Brother Control Center, which treats is in an 'ftp-like' manner. Does it work? Yes it does, but it feels a little crude and awkward compared to the competition.WOULD I BUY THIS? Depends on the price: The price on amazon typically varies between $99 and $129. At $99 it's very competitive, but at $129 I'm not sure. The longer I have it the more I like it, with the caveat that one has to be very careful with the paper tray.
TWO MONTHS: My plan was to use my little B&W Brother laser for all B&W printing (or when I didn't care about the color) and use this for photos, faxing, etc. However, while the warm-up time on the laser isn't bad, I find myself using this when I don't feel like waiting for that, and it's OK.
UPDATE ABOUT CLEANING. First, I've had this thing a couple of months and have printed about 24 pages. At various times (I leave it on all of the time, but it's on a network and so isn't affected by turning a computer on and off) it has done what I think is a quick clean. Maybe it was, maybe not - the event only took about 5 seconds.) So today, out of the clear blue sky, it started a real cleaning: It was incredibly loud, and took (I swear) at least a minute to complete. I have had ink jet printers off and on since the late 80's, and I've never seen such an involved process.
Please note that I wasn't starting a print job or doing anything else. I assume that it has some sort of scheduling algorithm that does a cleaning at certain intervals if it's turned on. This seems to me a waste (as cleaning uses ink, and I could probably cause this not to happen by leaving the unit off, but that kinds of defeats the purpose of the fax machine capability.SCANNER NOTE: The light for the scanner is very bright: If there is an image on the other side of what you're scanning, it will 'bleed through' to the scan. I've had two other dedicated scanners and this doesn't happen. This won't be an issue for very thick paper or paper with nothing on the other side of it, but it blew my hopes of dumping my stand-alone scanner.
LATEST NOTE: I recently had to do a lot of faxing out for tax stuff, and I have to say that I'm impressed with how well it handled the faxing. There were two things I specifically noticed: 1) The document feeder works well *BUT* you have to make sure you push the paper firmly in or the document feeder doesn't work. The trick is to first push the papers against it until "ADF" appears on the LCD, and then start the faxing. It reads all of the pages into memory and faxes them. 2) The speed is fine, esp given that I was using the "fine" setting. This is one advantage over the 'smaller brother' of the 495 which has a modem that is half as fast as this. My point to this note is that I was impressed that this thing worked just as well as our much more expensive dedicated business fax machine does for sending.
I've upgraded this from 3 stars to 4 as it's rather grown on me.

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USB to RS232 DB9 Serial Cable + DB25 Pin Adapter / Port Adapter Converter for GPS, PDA, PC, Modem Review

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(More customer reviews)HDE has been swift and courteous when has come to replacing this item. Initially I found that the driver didn't work.

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for HP PSC All-in-One Printer USB Cord 2.0 A-B Cable Review

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(More customer reviews)The cord is great: I just bought it for my printer because I lost the old cord in a move. To think I almost paid 10 times as much in person at an electronics store! It is a simple job and this cord does the trick!

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6-Foot USB Cable for Brother MFC-7840W MFC 7420 MFC 490CW MFC 8860DN Printers Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this item because I sometimes have problems with my internet service.
My printer is a MFC490CW, so it's wifi.
With this wire I don't have to worry about not being able to print things for college because my internet isn't working.
This cable was incredibly inexpensive and works like a charm!
Hopefully, I will switch ISP soon and will not have the problem anymore!

Click Here to see more reviews about: 6-Foot USB Cable for Brother MFC-7840W MFC 7420 MFC 490CW MFC 8860DN Printers

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6-Foot USB Cable for Canon Pixma MX850 MP480 MX310 MX330 iP2600 iP4600.iP100 MP530 MF3240 Printers Review

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(More customer reviews)The cable was not as advertised. It was the wrong cable. I returned it, after contacting DNS; to DNS for refund of purchase price at my own expense. Later they called me to give them a better review of them but still would not give me even $1 for shipping it back. Horrible customer service, on verge of harassment.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 6-Foot USB Cable for Canon Pixma MX850 MP480 MX310 MX330 iP2600 iP4600.iP100 MP530 MF3240 Printers

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Cables Unlimited USB-5010-05M 15-Foot USB 2.0 Clear A to B Cable Review

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(More customer reviews)Despite a product description that reads "5-Meter", this cable is only 15 feet long. I returned it and purchased a true 5 Meter cable from another vendor.

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