Brother MFC-8870DW Wireless Flatbed Laser Multi-Function Center

Review: No warnings on the box - but good enough!
by: Mark Shapiro on date: July 8, 2006

Oh how I wanted this, I like brother printers - and a wireless one that supports OS9 OSX, and Windows too, USB, wireless, or ethernet - wowee! Then I opened the box, does not do wireless with OS9. Oh well, then I plugged it in and every UPS in my office chimed and the lights flickered when I turn it on. Yep, even plugged straight into the wall, this room heater uses 9.1 Amps, and I bet 11 when it first powers up. So, this just won't work in an average home office - we have 15 amp lines - a few computers, a TV, a radio, a light, and that can add up to 7 amps - add this fax machine and pop a breaker. I never got a chance to test it, but it sure sounds good. If you have a 20-amp circuit, or can dedicate a 15-amp circuit to it, I'm sure it's a great machine.

Well, I tried it again, put it downstairs in a room with no other computers and
tried the wireless option. Ok, I'm keeping it! On my main wireless laptop, it
works great, my other wireless laptop - in the same room as the monster
Brother MFC - it works for one time, then stopped working. So I used a
USB cable on that one. My 3 other OSX machines in other rooms work great
printing to it wirelessly, so, most of my computers can print, scan, and fax,
wirelessly to this beast. So, I'm going to keep it, as it sucks less than an
amp when it sleeps, and it copies and faxes and scans - wireless access,
really well. I think it was the hassle of returning it that made me try again.
And the laptop that won't print wirelessly to it, well, PCs are PCs, some
don't work for some reason, it's an older laptop, my workhorse one works
fine.

Review: Excellent Laser Printer Combo
by: Jeffrey D. Jerkins on date: February 6, 2007

Solid performance long term with the Brother MFC line as we have used one for years. This one offers wireless printing as well as wired network printing. Easy setup for either networking. Multitasking is a strong point with this product as you can scan while it is printing set a fax to go while receiving another. As with all Laser printers warming up is a little slow but very quick when it gets going.

Review: Great multi-function machine
by: Franklin A. Edwards on date: January 9, 2007

This Brother MFC-8870dw 30ppm Wireless Network Multifunction Laser Printer with Duplex Printing, Copying, Scanning and Faxing,is a veritable workhorse. My staff like the speed of the quick scan and memory features. This is the 3rd Brother unit that we have purchased this year as we have expanded.

Review: The (almost) perfect Multi-function printer!
by: Adam Dicoby on date: July 26, 2006

This was my third Brother MFC printer. I was trying to replace my current MFC9600 that has been been excellent for more than 5 years. I wanted the duplex functionality, the better print quality, as well as the some of the additional features.

And you better believe it, this machine is IT! Faster faxing, faster and better quality scanning, faster copying and printing, better quality prints and copies, and many more very beneficial features that I really liked. being technically savvy, it was a breeze setting it up as a wireless printer without using the Brother wizard in the CD. So, after a quick setup, I was able to complete all my tasks wirelessly...

I was very pleased with my purchase. Everything was actually perfect until I tried printing on an envelope. The first time I printed on an envelope, the result was a completely wrinkled envelope. Then I tried again, and same result. I thought that I could survive with a wrinkled envelope anyway. So, a week later, I tried again. This time, I kept getting the message "Check Paper Size". After a few calls to customer service, the problem was still not resolved. So, I decided to return it to the store.

Printing on an envelope is a show stopper for me! However, I will check back again after a few months. Hopefully Brother will fix this issue so I can buy this printer again.

Yes! I have to admit it! Except for the envelope issue, this is the best printer on the market.

Review: A Better Alternative to the HP 7410 All-in-One
by: Timothy Schipke on date: February 19, 2007

I bought an HP-7410 all-in-one color jet printer with wireless capability about 13 months ago, and had to replace it because the scanner feeder is totally gone. I swore I would bever buy another HP product, as I felt for what I paid the printer was constructed rather cheaply.

The Brother MFC-8870 laser printer has been a pleasant surprise. I never had really considered Brother before, but because of the features, and given it was in the same price range as the HP-7410, I went ahead and got it. It has performed above expectations. It is very well constructed and functions as promised. The setup and menu are much better than the HP, and the quality is the equivalent of a made for commercial unit.

I would have liked another color printer, but have decided to stick with a laser printer for home office use, given the frequency pf cartridge changes and the ridiculous price of HP colorjet cartridge replacements.

If you're looking for a multi-function laserjet printer that is well contructed and performs as advertised, you can't go wrong with the Brother MFC-8870dw.

Review: It does everything I need
by: Noe on date: March 3, 2007

This 8870DW does everything I need. It scans/prints and copies. I seldom use the Fax option but it's nice to have if I need it. The send to email is a nice feature but I primarily use it for send to file and printing.

It's definately a great addition to my small office. There are a couple of things I'd like to see like 300x300 scanning to FTP instead of 200x200 being the max. Also the color scanning is not the greatest but it is OK for alot of application. Nice job Brother on a nice machine that is wireless and can be placed anywhere in the office with full functionality.

Review: Solid multi purpose printer - Fax won't work with Vonage
by: K. Pratt on date: March 10, 2007

This machine does pretty much everything you could need in a wireless machine. Main downside to machine is that it won't support faxing using vonage and Brother customer service refused to give me any advice as to how to get the fax to function because vonage was my service provider and they won't support if you use vonage. I called back three times and three different customer service reps told me this, and vonage's customer service center in India does not seem to have a canned speech to address this so it was useless.
But, I like the machine so much for its speed, relative lack of jams and the amount paper it saves on the duplexing function, that I got an online fax provider and kept the machine despite the problems. I had no trouble getting the wireless to work with my toshiba laptop. If you don't need to fax or don't use a service like vonage, this is a great machine for heavy home office use.

Review: Warning
by: Unknown on date: March 10, 2007

I have 8860dn - it based on the same engine as this one, the only difference - wireless. So here is my experience - hope it will be helpfull.

I was with HP for 15-20 years, needed MFP, read all reviews here and decided that MFC-8860DN will be a good choice (other option was HP 3055). It has everything I need - copier, network print, scan, fax. Easy setup (I am in IT for 25+ years). Everything was almost perfect. The only complaint you need to keep in mind - IT EATS 1100 WATTS when starts printing - light could flash.
It was OK, until I reached 1500 pages mark - it start printing small dots every ~3". No problem - need to clean everything (per my experience and confirmed on Brother's web site). Cleaned - it was the biggest mistake - all outputs were with tons of small dots all around the page.
Called Support 2 times. After few hours of troubleshooting - they advised me to replace DRUM. Hey - its only 1500 pages, nowhere close to promised 25000! After I mentioned it, they offered me 75% discount on it. What's about warranty? Sorry. I spoke to supervisor, he explained that Support in Philippines can't do it, the only option - to call USA office.
I replaced DRUM. Now counter shows around 2000 pages and I have same problem again.
Hey, I heard this before - never say never. Still as of today:
I would NEVER, NEVER buy Brother printer/MFC again!!!

Review: Almost perfect but for consumable costs
by: Atlas Bugged on date: March 13, 2007

I'm a fanatic for duplexing since I move a LOT of paper around, sometimes amounts which I have to carry to court or mail and which weigh several pounds. The Brother is one of the better machines for the price that handles duplexing well, maybe even the best.

This particular machine has wireless G built-in, but it costs over $100 more than the same machine without wireless, and for well over $100, you can probably manage to do the same thing cheaper, maybe even better, and for my office, wireless is inappropriate. (It also should be stated that if you go outside Briother itself, then the wireless combo IS cost-effective. Brother essentially competes here only with itself.)

That said, it makes for an elegant solution in the home if you have any sort of barrier to wiring and would like a single piece of equipment to handle everyone's printing if several of you are running off of a wireless router. There are a bevy of bonuses if this machine is otherwise appropriate for you. It's a complete standalone fax/copier if someone in the house doesn't even have any computer at all. I'm a long-time Brother customer, and they've made operation more intuitive for both computer users and standalone. There were a few bugs in earlier machines by Brother (comparable but older machines I've owned, like the 8500 and the 9700) such as faulty out-of-toner warnings, and all of these seem to have been worked out. This machine is clearly out of beta.

Earlier machines were difficult (though not impossible) to set up and use advanced functions without using your manual, and this machine is far better on that aspect as well. You can have faxes arrive two-sided, which doubles your paper tray effectively, and you can scan or fax a two-sided document just by feeding it in and possibly altering a setting. This last is made possible by the physical arrangement and just as much by the aforementioned ease-of-use - you wouldn't use the feature much if you had to do major messing around with menus just send out a two-sided page.

Unfortunately, the one bane of all printers which is slightly worse with the Brothers is the "ink" aspect. Unlike some competitors, you have to replace a toner AND a drum, and at differing intervals. I assume they do this to keep the costs low, but the costs still aren't particularly low. The non-wireless version of the basic machine sells for a little over $400, and there is no problem spending that much for just a couple of drums and a few toners. I don't understand why printers of all sorts cannot just have a "gas tank" you could fill with cheap ink and then just add paper, but in most instances, the consumables are the tail wagging the dog in terms of buying a printer. The Brother is a superbly-functioning modern machine at a great price, but don't imagine the price ends when you buy it. This is true of all printers, however, and the news with most printers is worse than here.

Review: Fantastic for the price
by: Violin Maker on date: March 27, 2007

I bought this printer from Costco and got the wireless feature for the same price as the non-wireless version with a rebate. It's works extremely well. It's very fast and the quality is excellent. I was unsure whether I needed the duplexing feature but since I have it, I use it all the time and am very pleased that I opted for this model. No, this machine cannot print on envelopes. Don't even try it. I don't need this feature so I can get over it. I print on labels instead. The Brother software is easy to use and works well. I love being able to scan into a pdf document or email directly from a scan. The auto document feeder works very well. I have no complaints other than the envelope problem. I defintely recommend this machine. It does everything I need, very well and for a very reasonable price.

Review: Good tiny but reliable machine
by: Momo on date: April 10, 2007

We actually purchased two(2) of these!! We really love it and planning to buy one more machine in our office. This machine is very fast printing and does everything! Toner is also very reasonable comparing with other brand. I gave 4 stars because the paper tray is little small; so we often add the paper; but we like them a lot!

Review: Wish I could just get one that doesn't have any problems!
by: MKinz on date: April 20, 2007

I ordered one of these two months ago and it worked GREAT for the first two months, then it started having a weird clicking noise every time it would pull from the paper tray and then paper soon started jamming. We returned it to Costco and ordered a new one. We just received the new one and I went to set it up and received an instant error that said "Machine Error. Call Brother." I called them and they told me the error I was receiving was because it was broken and I would have to use the warranty to get it fixed. Thank goodness we purchased it from Costco, because we will be returning it tomorrow. So... why the 2 stars instead of 1... well... it was a great printer while it was working. It was fast and with the wireless option, it would work with all the computers in our house. It scanned and faxed well. I just wish we could actually get one that works. Chances are... we will probably try one more time to purchase it because there is not another wireless all-in-one that I could find on the market for a reasonable price. Wish us luck on our third one!

Review: What you should know before you buy a Brother
by: C. Badgett on date: May 15, 2007

I have owned the MFC-9420CN, but you might want to read this before purchasing any Brother printer. I have had this machine for about a year it cost over $1,000 and is suppose to be for business. This machine is in my home and I do use it more than probably most homes, but not nearly the amount a buisiness would use. After I print about 100-200 copies the machine overheats and needs to take a very long break, sometimes overnight. Make sure you read the entire manual. You need to know how heavy of paper you can use. It won't even take standard coverstock 67lbs. It will only take up to 55 lbs. This machine jams all the time, both at the paperfeeder on top as well as the papertray on the bottom. I have made many calls to Brother. I do get to speak to a live person; however, they are not all trained very well. One problem took them a week to fix, many many phone calls and a guy coming to my home twice. I will give them credit for taking care of the problem and not charging me anything. My most recent problem was with a toner cartridge of theirs. Read the fine print, they only guarantee their cartridge for 90 days with a receipt. So, now I'm out $100, yes, that is how much their cartidges costs. Think twice before purchasing any printer, read the fine print and do a lot of research.

Review: Great choice
by: Bottled Fitness Inc. on date: June 13, 2007

This machine works very well. It warms up fast from sleep mode. The printing looks great. The scanning and copying are excellent. The only problem I've had is that once in awhile the copies print a little off center. I haven't had time to figure out if it's my fault or the machine. Overall it's a great performer.

Review: mfc-8870 DW Toner issues
by: A. Merali on date: June 24, 2007

We got this machine it performed flawlessly. both pc & macs are printing via usb & wireless, quality is tops. After, the 2nd cartridge, we have NOT been able to install a new cartridge properly. We have bought 3 different cartridges none fit in properly. We got a new machine and still the same problem. when we manage to get the cartridge in properly the paper jams all the time. Darn, it was too beautiful to last.... we are using brother stock all the way and it still doesn't work. The techs at Fry's don't seem to be able to correct this either. so it is in the repair shop for 5 weeks and we have a brand new one that has the same symptoms...Man it was too good to be true. If we don't resolve this we are going to HP. We've had several Brother machine and they did work well.