Brother MFC-8860DN Flatbed Laser Multi-Function Center with Duplex
The unit was a breeze to install and set up, even using Windows xp x64 (many manufacturers do not have x64 drivers yet). I plugged it in, installed the software, chose the network option, and it worked. No muss, no fuss. I was sending and receiving faxes and printing in under ten minutes.
I found it much easier to scan from my PC than to use the front panel interface, as many of the settings could be preset from the software instead of being set on the unit's front panel.
One reviewer complained about the volume of the beeps. As with many functions of this unit, it's configurable. You can choose low, medium, high, or off. As for, his comment about lots of buttons for faxing and, "Who faxes any more?" if you don't want a fax machine, don't buy one!
The scanner on this MFC is useless due to horrible UI, way too loud, and way too slow. Prepare to press buttons needlessly until you decide that scanning isn't worth it:
To scan to file you'll have to press a lot of buttons and wait a loooong time.
1. Put the document on ADF
2. Press scan button if it's not already selected
3. press down button FIVE times to select scan to file
4. press OK
5. press down button to select duplex L side
6. press OK
7. press down button if necessary to select which PC (I've only configured one but it still wants me to confirm
8. press OK to select
9. Then it can't find my machine on the network...I'm not going to debug this since I'm going to send it back.
Did I mention the really loud, annoying beeps for all ELEVEN button presses? All the many unnecessary scanning functions are controlled by up-down arrows and the OK button. There's no way to assign a default to one of the many useless buttons on the nearly overwhelming front panel. The UI is really set up for faxing--lots of buttons to store address book...but who faxes any more?
Did I mention that the scanner is really slow (initiated scan from PC) since it pulls the paper through the ADF THREE times (even though there's only two sides of the page)? 23 seconds per page on black and white 300dpi!
Did I mention that this is the loudest scanner I've ever heard. It's louder than the printer and the printer's really loud. I'm not just being sensitive here--it's a lot louder than the Brother 1670N (also a duplex laser printer) this was supposed to replace.
I was hoping for a replacement for my fujitsu fi-4120c sheetfed duplex scanner but there's absolutely no comparison.
Having had bad experiences with multi-function machines in the past, I over-researched this purchase. To begin with, this machine's specs are top notch for the money. You simply cannot get this much bang for your buck from any other company. Taking the machine out of the box and setting it up was remarkably easy. I actually thought I was forgeting something. The software installed cleanly and is user-friendly. I should mention, however, that I have not gone through the fax machine setup (not using for that purpose at the present time). Also, the machine does not come with a USB cable, which is, unfortunately, fairly standard with printers today.
Prints and copies at 30 ppm in 600 dpi. I have tested this and it appears fairly close to true (maybe a little slower, like 28 ppm). It produces nice, crisp clear letters in both print and copy modes. The 50 page ADF is made from a reasonably sturdy plastic. At least it doesn't feel like it is going to come loose or break off, and I have not had any paper jams (as of yet) in the ADF or standard, 250 count paper tray.
The scan function has worked well. Two very nice features this model provides are scan to pdf file and scan to OCR. The scan to pdf file is a rare option in a desktop multi-function machine at this price. It works well, although I am still playing around with the settings in an effort to find the best scan quality at a decent file size. I think the pdf file sizes I have been getting are too large (around 700KB - 1MB for a 1 to 2 page pdf). Surely this can be corrected by changing some settings. The scan to OCR also works remarkably well. I can remember 5 years ago attempting to use scan to OCR on another machine and being very disappointed. Things have improved greatly.
The cost of the toner cartridges on this model are reasonable. A high yield 7000 page cartridge for around $80 - $90 works out to a cost per page of 1.14 - 1.28 cents per page of toner, which is quite good.
Can't comment on the fax functions b/c I am not using it for that purpose.
Overall, a very nice machine with impressive features at this price. Hopefully it holds up.
I bought the 8860DN a couple weeks ago to replace my aging HP 3330. While I'm quite happy with much of the 8860DN, there are a few things that could use improvement. Some of these can be addressed in software, others I fear are hardware issues.
BTW, I'm on my second machine because I thought some of the issues with the first warranted a replacement. Now I know its a "common" issue.
1) The print engine creaks and makes popping sounds as the fuser heats and cools. Even the demo machine in Office Depot does the same thing. The creaking is really annoying if you sit near the machine. A Brother senior tech rep tells me this issue is common to many Brother lasers. Well, gimme a break because HP and others don't creak! **UPDATE** Brother Corporate office tells me the popping sounds are considered "normal" by the engineers and at this time they have no plans to fix. Pathetic if you ask me. I think most users will agree!!!
2) The scanner ADF head will sometimes make odd sounds when its scanning the last page of a multi-page scan. It sounds as if the motor or gears need lubrication.
3) I've had the COPY function lockup on me a couple times (other fucntions continue to work) and the only way to correct is to power cycle. Cause is unknown but the clowns at Brother support tell me to keep power cycling the resolve the problem. IDIOTS!
4) The IFAX feature is not very well explained and is somewhat odd in the way it works (or tries to work). I've yet to really figure it out. As an alternative I use the FAX FORWARD TO EMAIL function which works well.
5) A PC software bug: When scanning multiple pages its impossible to multitask since the scanner interface takes the focus away from whatever you are doing everytime it begins scanning a new page. Brother apparently knows about this issue and will correct in the next software version.
Other than the above isues, I'm fairly satisfied in the short time I've been using this MFC. If I may comment in response to one of the previous reviews, the beep sound is adjustable and I believe if the user took the time to read the manual, he'd be quite happy with the level of customization available on this machine (I rarely hear of people complaining about too many features). Oh, and yes as stoneaged as it sounds, some people still do occasionally receive faxes.
As far as I'm concerned, the print speed is excellent. Even complex pages print quickly with nearly no delay between pages. A huge improvment over my old HP. Also, I find the scan speed on non complex scans to be excellent. Complex and high res scans are somewhat slower, but they are with many scanners (and certainly about every multifucntion I've run across). Print duplexing is another very nice touch and I'm surprised it works as well as it does. The 8860DN gets the job done and it does them well overall.
Things about the 8860DN I prefer over the new HP 3390 I compared it to.
1) 8860 has a legal size scan plate
2) 8860 will fax forward to email
3) 8860 is $150 less with approx. the same cost per page in consumables.
4) 8860 does duplex scan, copy
i'm usually also an hp person. after a lot of research, we went ahead and made our first brother purchase. it was easy to install and network. it was in use within an hour of it's arrival. the large toner option is likely to be a big savings. i really like its capabilities that far exceed competitors at higher prices. while we've owned it but less than a month, it has been perfectly reliable. i am very pleased with this printer / copier / scanner / fax machine combo. - 3 months later (end of august 06), it still works perfectly!
i am usually a hp and epson man, but after reading reviews i decided to give this bother all-in-one a chance. let me add that i recently made the switch from pc to mac, and not many printer companies support all features on the mac side of things. well, let me tell you how satisfied and positively surprised i have been with this printer. just follow the instructions during setup and the printer and software will do everything you would expect them to do.... no fiddling around with settings, no multiple installation attempts, botched configurations etc. etc. besides being able to copy, scan and fax from the printer itself, you can fax, scan, print (duplex) and copy from any mac on your network. what can i say, in true mac faschion, everything just works! and, it comes with a standard toner cartridge, not a puny little 'starter' toner. long story short-buy this one.
We recently acquired this machine for network use in a small office with four employees. Our administrative work area is less than 500 square feet, so we welcomed this machine taking the place of a separate full size Minolta Di151 and a small HP flat bed scanner. This product is loaded with many features at an economical price. Brother has hit a grand slam with this device. All settings and the fax address book are network programmable, which is great if you have difficulty keying in data from the keypad. Need your paper document saved as an Adobe .pdf file? The MFC-8860DN allows you to scan, convert, and save to file as a .pdf with the press of a few buttons. Duplex printing is a snap. Place your stack of two sided copies in the ADF and your duplicates are effortlessly produced a short time later. High yield toner cartridge available. This machine has exceeded our expectations.
I was really happy with the speed and quality of the printer until I tried to print an envelope. This printer does not have a straight-through output path for envelopes. Instead, they have to make a sharp turn inside the machine, which severely creases them, to the point of interfering with the printing.
Take a look at the diagram of envelopes they don't support on page 15 of the manual, and you'll see a picture of every conceivable type of envelope. Bottom line: they don't support any, but aren't willing to admit it.
I would be embarassed to send my letters out in envelopes looking like this. I returned the unit and got an HP 3390, which does envelopes perfectly. It's otherwise pretty much the same, but $250 more.
It has some very nice features. For example, it prints relatively fast. However, during the paper feeding process the pages would curl a bit so they did not lay flat; thus, hit each other in the output tray and become out of order, and sometimes fly onto the floor. That was a big problem. The printer is abnormally very very loud!! Further, the fax tray did not catch the pages well. Nevertheless, for the money the duplex printing (which I did not try) is a good feature, but likely curls the pages so they would not lay flat.
I have had several Brother MFC's throughout the years. All of them have had a by-pass where one could feed either an envelope or a sheet of labels through the front of the machine, open a door in the back of the machine and then print with a straight paper path so the envelope doesn't get rinkled and the labels don't start to come off the carrier sheet, which is especially important if one uses Stamp.com's labels where the same sheet of labels may be printed on up to 10 or more times as one uses up the each label. Other than the foregoing DESIGN FLAW, its a good machine but for me, this is a FATAL FLAW so I took it back to Office Depot. It was interesting to get the reaction of a couple of techs at Brother as they too couldn't believe the engineers forgot this critical function! I will just have to be satisfied with my MFC-8440 until they come out with a new 30 page per minute duplexing machine with the old by-pass capability.
Great Printer with lots of neat features. HOWEVER, the printer uses 1024 WATTS or 9.1 Amps when it powers up to print a page or make a copy. This has caused me alot of problems.
I installed the printer at home in my study. I have two desktop computers, modem, router, HP P1100 color printer,Canon PC 720 Copier, desk lamps, etc. The electrical circuit for the study is a 15 AMP circuit. Everytime the printer powers up, I take a "power hit". Fortunately, I have a UPS for each computer and the UPS units kick in to keep the systems from completely shutting down.
I'm going to have to install a new electrical outlet and run the wire to another circuit in order to keep the printer.
Before you buy, you may want to add up the WATTS of all of the equipment you have on that circuit. A 15 Amp circuit has max of 1800 WATTS; A 20 Amp circuit has max of 2400 WATTS. The 8860DN will use 1024 of the WATTS on that circuit.
Here's the link to brother's web Site that will show the power consumption.
http://www.brother-usa.com/mfc/mfc_detail.aspx?AREA=MFC_1&PRODUCTID=MFC8860DN
fast, efficient, built-in duplexing which works flawlessly, solidly built. i do a LOT of printing (writer/writing teacher), love to save on the tree-killing as much as humanly possible, and this printer is serving me really well. enormous bang for the buck for those who need an all-in-one laser.
After reading reviews here I hesitated but happened to see the same machine (but without duplex capability) at a work site and that clinched it for me.
This machine is FAST. Setup is easy (I used the network connection) and the software is vastly improved over the last Brother laser I had (an HL-1270N).
The ticking noises other reviews mention is very slight and lasts just a few seconds while it heats up. Previous lasers I've had would typically whir loudly during this warm-up time - not this one. I sit next to the printer and it's really nothing. I think people have noticed it because it occurs in silence without other whiring sounds. The noise of the paper pick up (which is typical of any laser printer) is louder than the ticking (heating) sounds and the ticking stops before the first page comes out (so it lasts mere seconds). 5 seconds ticking, 5 seconds whiring and printing, page comes out. Followed by maybe 20-30 very small ticks over the next few minutes as it cools down. In comparison, my QMS color laser whirs loudly for about 15 minutes after printing a page.
What I didn't appreciate before ordering is that even the scanner has duplexing capability - fantastic! Double sided faxes and scans are simple.
Scanning works well both from the printer and when controlled from the PC. From the printer it shows the list of the available networked PC names to scan to - very nice. Pick your machine, press start, job done.
The only slight quirk I've noticed so far is that when sending double sided faxes the reverse sides are transmitted upside down. Maybe there's a setting for this somewhere. I haven't needed to read the manual AT ALL so far.
I haven't seen any sign of flickering room lights or other concerns from the power draw during heat-up. Installation couldn't have been simpler. Machine is not too heavy and is easily picked up and moved by one person.
OCR software works very well - again an improvement on the past.
Verdict (after owning a few days): Don't hesistate to buy - so far very very happy. Vast improvement over previous MFC's and lasers I've owned.
Printer was easy to set up and is very easy to use but it is LOUD. Printing speed is good, print quality is good, prints duplex which is nice, scanner is easy to use (much easier than our old HP3300), does wrinkle envelopes badly (we use another printer for envelopes). Has counter which the HP3300 didn't. So far, so good!!
I just traded up from a MFC 7820n to the 8860dn. I'm very impressed so far with the speed and quality of the print. Unlike the 7820n, this machine produces no paper curl and is quite a bit faster. The duplexing capability is terrific, especially for scanning.
We just got this MFC-8860DN to replace an old MFC my husband broke. We have 2 laptops and an Airport, and I wanted to be able to scan using the buttons on the machine. At first I tried to connect the MFC to the Airport with a USB cable and print remotely using rendevous. But the scaning function was not available, nor I was able to set up the MFC in a network. But then I found out that by connecting the MFC to Airport with a firewire I could have both computers and MFC set up as a network.
If you go through the set up in the beginning and can't find the IP address for the printer, you can check it on the LCD by pressing Menu 612. Then go to the Brother Control Center and click on Network, write the MFC IP address, click on the scan option and it should work just fine.
I am very happy with this printer and it also seems that brother much improved its customer service as well.
There are a lot of things about this multifunction machine that I like. It makes nice copies, and although the printer output is not as dark as the old HP 5MP that I was going to replace, it is acceptable.
But I am returning this machine. When making multiple copies of a page (like 9 copies) or when printing a document of about 15-20 pages, the machine makes an audible alarm noise while printing. Brother customer support says this is normal, and is due to the fuser expanding and contracting. But I am not going to accept that, since, as I said, this noise sounds like an audible alarm, not normal mechanical noise.
This product has exceeded my expectations in most ways. There have only been a couple of issues that I've come across. The feature set is excellent. I use the scan to FTP function to automatically send scanned documents to my web server- making them instantly available online. The duplex is the biggest reason I bought it- and the scanner duplex and printing/faxing/copy duplex are flawless. Items that I've come across- the machine can poll a Pop account and automatically print any text emails, or TIF attachments (according to the manual). I use j2 fax, and it sends my faxes to an email as a TIF. This was perfect in theory, but the machine refuses to print the j2 attachments ("unsupported file type"). Second, the scan to FTP sometimes gives an "ERROR"- no explanation and no mention in the manual- I was on hold with tech support and finally gave up. A power cycle of the printer clears the problem. Third, the light on the printer LCD intermittently flips on for no reason and the printer is next to my desk. Unfortunately for my ADD, any flashy light gets my attention immediately and this has been annoying me lately. Lastly, the manual feed (or thick paper tray) is only accessible by pulling the front panel down and thus extends the already large footprint, plus exposing some of the inside to dust, etc. So you can't keep it open unless you are actually feeding in paper- which makes using envelopes a little more of a pain. I was hoping to just throw a few envelopes in there and print as necessary but that is not possible. Overall this is a very good piece of hardware with a solid ADF and feature set. Fast printing and excellent resolution on scans and printing. I highly recommend- just be prepared for a bug or two.
After having my DEC DEClaser 5100 printer for 10 years, it was time to replace the aging printer with something new. Went around looking at inkjet multifunction, laser multifunction and different vendors.
In the end, the price point, network connectivity and duplex printing of 8860dn won out over the other multifunction printers.
With about 250 pages printed / copies over the past few weeks, the printer has done well. It was easy to setup on the network and configure drivers on multiple systems.
Copying single sided and double sided documents is a breeze. Copying and printing are both fast. Quality of print and copy are both good.
My main complaint with the printer is that it's a bit louder than my old DEClaser printer. I understand that there is noise associated with laser printers, but a side by side comparison in terms of noise of my old DEClaser and the new Brother, the Brother is definitely louder.
Is it too loud for me, probably not as the printer is in an office room away from any noise concern areas, but still marginally annoying.
A good printer, at a good price, with good features....
We are using Multifuntional Lase printer at our church to print the church bulletin each week. It's duplex printing allows us to do this item in house rather than send it out. We love it!
This printer replaced 3 machines and has been wonderful. The setup was a little difficult because the wires were short and could not be past a certain length. But after moving some wires and computers around it has worked out. No real complaints, I would certainly recommend it to anyone for a business machine.
I am on a Mac G5, running OS 10.4.
This is a second printer, but only fax, copier, and scanner. We have been very happy with the MFC-8860dn. The noises others alluded to do not bother me. The machine is in our home office (actually our family room) and I decided to just keep it on all the time. For our uses, we are pleased. No problems with the OCR software. The only drawback, is that I could not hook it up to my airport for use with my laptop, which is wireless.
After doing a lot of reseach, I bought this multi-function center and have been very happy with it. Canon ranked better overall but it doesn't work with Macintoshes so I was afraid at first I might be disappointed. However, I have been happy with this from day one. It was SO easy to set up, and it is has been very easy to figure out how to get it to do different functions. It interfaces seamlessly with my MacBook Pro and the wireless works perfectly. The pages do curl but that seems relatively minor because they straighten right out. The print is sharp (if a little lighter than I would like). Unlike other machines I checked out, the plastic parts on this machine feels sturdy, yet the overall weight of it is manageable. I've had it a little over two months and have, among other things, printed out a 200 page manuscript; it has given me no trouble. The duplex has several options and is easy to use. I have liked the layout on the function buttons and have found them to be readable and intuitive. In the research stage, I plagued Customer Service multiple times with questions but they were always nice, patient, and helpful. I especially liked it that their customer service is still free even after the warranty is over. I have not tried the scanner, but everything else suits me fine.
I purchased this MFC, which is my first, to replace an old HP Laserjet 5P and an old HP Scanjet 3200C. I also needed a copy machine feature, which I used the scanner for previously. I chose this printer over a similar HP printer because of the speed (30ppm vs 22ppm) and the number of features. I received the printer today and it was larger than I thought it would be, but that's no problem at all as I have sufficient space for it. This printer will be used primarily for printing text documents and programming code. I also will use it to scan for website development and for copying small documents.
I just received the MFC and installed it so this is a preliminary review based on the installation and initial tests. I had an issue with the installation because I selected the network connection type and the printer was not recognized at first. I'm not sure if the problem was because I didn't select custom install or that I didn't configure the printer's networking parameters for my network (I thought I would be able to do that remotely similar to my old HP printer server).
I uninstalled, setup the IP information on the printer, and re-installed the printer software selecting network and custom install and now things seem to work correctly in regards to connecting to the printer (MFC). The printer output looks good and much much faster than my old HP 5P. The scan was very good and acceptable for website images for the sites I develop. The copy function was also very good. I love the auto sheet feeder, which is very convenient. The printer's keypad interface is intuitive and seems easy to use thus far.
There is a power issue, which I did expect from some of the reviews that I read before purchasing it. The lights in my small office (the den of my house) dims when the printer is powered on and when it warms up. The dimming is noticable, but otherwise caused no issues with my computer system. I have decided to connect the printer to a separate circuit instead of the one that is closest to it. I have two circuits in my office; one for computers and the other is the regular house circuit. You may need to consider this if the dimming is too much of an annoyance.
Overall I am very pleased with this MFC. It does what I wanted and it is very fast compared to my old printer. The installation wasn't exactly as the manual presented it. There was tape on many other items than what the manual indicated so look carefully for packing tape before use. Configuring the printer for network connectivity also wasn't well documented so if you are not familiar with TCP/IP configuration then you could get stuck. I also loved the scan to file option where you could scan a document/image and have it sent to a particular computer (which is registered with the MFC during installation). That is a really good feature. I am glad that I purchased this MFC and I would recommend it to anyone else. I will update this review as I get more experience with the MFC.
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!!!
I did lots of reading before I bought this printer. this is just great one.
This printer produces quality printing and copies. It was very easy to set up. From the box to set up took less than 10 minutes. The duplexing feature was very important to me and works fine. I also added the extra draw which gave me 500 pages and so far this works fine. Ordering from Amazon was great as always. The product arrived the next day even though I did not pay for express shipping. I saw a lower price a few days later from Amazon and they adjusted the price with a credit to my charge card. Faxing on this printer is very easy. The automatic document feature works just fine. This printer replaced an HP Laser which was great and a brother fax machine which was also trouble free. The brother 8860 had some extra features that the new HP lacked and this was the deciding factor for ordering the 8860 as opposed to the HP 3390. You really can't go wrong with either one.
I got my first HP OfficeJet 600 in the mid '90s and it was a nice unit. From that point forward I stuck with HPs and they got progressively worse. HP hardware is great but their software has become atrocious. The last HP AIO I had installed a freeware webserver (Tomcat) on my machine and this software caused reloads to be doggedly slow.
I moved to my home office full time and needed an AIO with a flat bed so I could copy/scan odd sized documents. Costco was selling the Brother so I did some research on it and it appears to get good marks so I purchased one.
First let me say that I did buy a Brother AIO years ago for home and it was so cheap I quickly returned it. I was gun shy about getting another and would have returned it at the first hint of a problem.
I must say it has ended up being the best AIO I've ever owned and I've had it for well over a year now. All functionality works correctly and the interface to my PC works well. The software that resides on the PC doesn't have any quirks and loads quickly at boot time.
My favorite attribute of the Brother AIO is how fast it scans B&W docs. The HPs did < 10 pages a minute. The brother is cranking at just a couple of seconds / page (this is not true in gray scale or color).
My only complaints with this unit are that when it is scanning the software keeps popping up over what you are doing so you can't use your PC when it is scanning (HP did this too, but it scanned so slowly you could get some work in between the times it took away focus), and that the copy quality isn't as good as it was with the HPs.
Hardware reliability has been fine. I probably print about 2 reams a month and scan roughly 100 pages a month. I'm on the 3rd or 4th toner cartridge. Everything still functions.
My only disappointment is that I thought this unit has the ability to scan both sides of a document and I found out I had to buy a much more expensive unit to do that. I don't have to do this very often so it was cheaper to just copy the back sides of such documents, reassemble them, and then scan them.
After a few years with an HP7130 multifunction that was seriously beginning to fall apart, I began looking for a replacement. I Checked all the reviews for months, every multifunction gets reamed by the reviewers, but not this one.
I wanted automatic feeder capability on the scanner plus high quality printing and an easy way to print lables/envelopes. This unit does it all and does it well.
I scanned in over 2000 sheets of paper in 2 days and had only 4 jams. 3 because I was scanning quite a bit of really flimsy paper and 1 because I forgot to remove a paper clip. Most of the time, I just hit scan and went to do some other work while the machine handled business. My office is now paperless. A nice feature of the scanner is the interface on your computer allows you to program several buttons for where you would like to save your scan and how you want to save a document (ie one button was programed to save to my work as a legal sized jpg. another button was programmed to save to my pictures as a pdf). This means all you need to do is put your papers in the feeder, click the proper button, name the file you're scanning then hit scan. Couldn't be any easier.
One issue that others mention that is annoying is that when you are scanning, the status comes up on your computer when each new page begins to go through, this means you have to click back onto whatever you're working on (or hit alt + tab) then it'll happen again when the next page begins to scan. However, I am happy that while scanning above through the document feeder, I am still able to print down below.
As far as the sounds others mention, GIVE ME A BREAK! This machine is quiet compared to every other printer I've used at home or in the office. As long as you have moving parts, there will be some sounds. But this printer only takes seconds to warm up and then its done.
One feature you will love is the manual tray in the front. If you do any type of work where you need to print labels, envelopes, or other odd shaped items, this tray is great.
The fax works well and doesn't miss pages like my old HP did constantly. No more babysitting an outgoing fax, just hit send and rest assured that everything will go through.
Overall, I am actually astonished at how well this multifunction works for the price. This is the first multifunction I've used (and I've used many) where all the functions work very well. I am giving this 5 stars because that represents the value of this machine.
We purchased two of these multifunction machines for two separate offices. While the brother has many capabilities, including SCAN-to-Email, file and PDF. Quality problems greatly hender its performance.
Scanning documents through the document feeder result in crooked/offset images. I thought we simply purchased a bad-unit. But, after returning it for a replacement - we got the same result.
The first unit we purchased broken down after about 2 months. It just started making this really loud clunking sound. Then it just complained with error messages and wouldn't print.
There was a problem with the included software, which caused Scans to fail with error code. The only way to get a fix for this problem is to call technical support. There is no information on the error on their web site.
I love the feature set of this product - but the quality is poor.
The MFC-8860DN has worked extremely well for several months. Printing is fast and clear. Users seem to be able to easily access the various functions without instruction. Print and scan functions on the network were easy to set up with multiple computers in two locations being able to access the Brother. It does print envelopes but as has been noted in other reviews, causes folds and creases in the envelopes. I haven't been able to get the scan quality on photos to equal our dedicated HP scanner, but that just might be 'operator error.'
Can't say enough good things about this Brother all-in-one, given its price and features. (I paid $100 more than the new Amazon price elsewhere a week ago.)
I installed as a network device and set up the software on my XP Pro as well as Mac OS 10.4.9 machines ... easy installation, and the interface on each OS is essentially the same. Super fast prints from either machine, crisp and beautiful, with tonal background fills printing which never showed up on my previous HP laser.
Duplex scan/fax as well as duplex print was the key to my purchase, and I've been really happy. What I did not anticipate was just how fast the printer is, or how rich the delivered software is compared with prior HP experience.
Noises don't seem unusual to me - no crackling here, just noisy paper handling by ADF and print engine. No big deal IMHO.
Only a few minor negatives I've seen so far: (1) it looks like the firmware can only be updated from a Windows computer, so Mac folks are stuck there (mine was delivered with current version of firmware, so maybe this doesn't matter), (2) you cannot feed heavy stock through it, even the manual feed tray - so need to keep a straight feed device around if you need thicker than 24# stock, (3) scanner transfer rate to computer is a bit slow - not sure if it is the network interface or a slow processor in the device, and (4) expansion memory is not a popular size, so is more expensive than current PC memory - not sure if I'll upgrade or not.
Haven't tried envelopes yet, so can't respond to earlier comments from others.
It's kind of entertaining to watch the machine do a duplex copy - as pages in the ADF suck in and out to scan both sides, and pages ejecting come partway out and suck back in to copy the back side.
We purchased Brother's MFC-8860DN about a month+ ago. Our office staff has been using it mostly for copying and printing. The duplex print feature (which we use a lot) works flawlessly. While shopping for this machine we had read negative reviews specific to it's single page (manual feed) function - for envelopes and label printing. We were pleased to find that the manual feed for label/envelope printing worked flawlessly -the negative reviews were inaccurate. This is an excellent product and the price is very reasonable.
We like this printer. Fast, reliable, fine output. Others' comments about noise is accurate. Sometimes sounds a little like an old washing machine when it warms up, but it's never so loud to distract. We just kid about it sometimes. Would buy another.
The product itself function very well according to its specification. It also setup pretty easy if you have a PC. However, it came with a quite old software for Mac user. I do have a Mac (latest OS X version) and struggle to use this product with it. I did call Brother tech support and they said they have no new software release for Mac user.
I give the product 4 stars and the interface 2. I bought this for my SoHo to replace a trusty HP all-in-one that finally died. I love its efficiency, quality laser printing and zippiness. And I agree with others that the noises are no big deal. My computer fan is much louder and more annoying. I do find it difficult to figure out the scan and fax functions and I consider myself fairly savvy. The "Presto Page Manager" thing is nonsensical. The Brother support site is pathetically unhelpful and the Mac firmware is buggy, however the phone support is great. Techs cheerfully had to walk me through a non-intuitive TWAIN acceptance procedure to get the scanner to work. They acknowledge it's a problem but that the web has yet to address it. I remain mystified by how to access this machine's potential but figure it's always a challenge to master any new device so I still think I made the right choice.
I was a HP fan previously. Had been many years since I owned a Brother printer. Price was what made me take the chance. I'm extremely happy with my decision. This machine does everything I need it to do, and more. I am a loan signing agent, so I print loan documents....and lots of them! Yes, the other people's comments about popping sounds is true, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest and my printer is right next to my desk. Performance is excellent! I've added a second paper tray, and the printer flawlessly selects from the correct tray according to pcl language, to print from the legal paper tray or the letter paper tray. I can shrink or enlarge copies, fax, scan... it's simply a great asset to my small home business. Great value for the buck, which is important to me.
It isn't that often that a product does everything the ads say it will. The Brother MFC-8860 met the hype. The main appeal to me was duplex copying, scanning, faxing and printing.
Initial receipt - It came in five days and only took a few minutes to get up and running. I lost only a few minutes getting the fax working. In that it was on a shared voice line, the manual prompted me to insert five seconds at the beginning of my greeting to allow time for the system to hear the fax tone.
After receipt I saw it was the top rated "All in One" in the April PC Magazine.
The only questions unanswered are durability and service (should I need it - nothing so far)..that will come with time. So far it appears excellent.
I was a HP fan previously. Had been many years since I owned a Brother printer. Price was what made me take the chance. I'm extremely happy with my decision. This machine does everything I need it to do, and more. I am a loan signing agent, so I print loan documents....and lots of them! Yes, the other people's comments about popping sounds is true, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest and my printer is right next to my desk. Performance is excellent! I've added a second paper tray, and the printer flawlessly selects from the correct tray according to pcl language, to print from the legal paper tray or the letter paper tray. I can shrink or enlarge copies, fax, scan... it's simply a great asset to my small home business. Great value for the buck, which is important to me.
It isn't that often that a product does everything the ads say it will. The Brother MFC-8860 met the hype. The main appeal to me was duplex copying, scanning, faxing and printing.
Initial receipt - It came in five days and only took a few minutes to get up and running. I lost only a few minutes getting the fax working. In that it was on a shared voice line, the manual prompted me to insert five seconds at the beginning of my greeting to allow time for the system to hear the fax tone.
After receipt I saw it was the top rated "All in One" in the April PC Magazine.
The only questions unanswered are durability and service (should I need it - nothing so far)..that will come with time. So far it appears excellent.
We purchased Brother's MFC-8860DN about a month+ ago. Our office staff has been using it mostly for copying and printing. The duplex print feature (which we use a lot) works flawlessly. While shopping for this machine we had read negative reviews specific to it's single page (manual feed) function - for envelopes and label printing. We were pleased to find that the manual feed for label/envelope printing worked flawlessly -the negative reviews were inaccurate. This is an excellent product and the price is very reasonable.
We like this printer. Fast, reliable, fine output. Others' comments about noise is accurate. Sometimes sounds a little like an old washing machine when it warms up, but it's never so loud to distract. We just kid about it sometimes. Would buy another.
The product itself function very well according to its specification. It also setup pretty easy if you have a PC. However, it came with a quite old software for Mac user. I do have a Mac (latest OS X version) and struggle to use this product with it. I did call Brother tech support and they said they have no new software release for Mac user.
I give the product 4 stars and the interface 2. I bought this for my SoHo to replace a trusty HP all-in-one that finally died. I love its efficiency, quality laser printing and zippiness. And I agree with others that the noises are no big deal. My computer fan is much louder and more annoying. I do find it difficult to figure out the scan and fax functions and I consider myself fairly savvy. The "Presto Page Manager" thing is nonsensical. The Brother support site is pathetically unhelpful and the Mac firmware is buggy, however the phone support is great. Techs cheerfully had to walk me through a non-intuitive TWAIN acceptance procedure to get the scanner to work. They acknowledge it's a problem but that the web has yet to address it. I remain mystified by how to access this machine's potential but figure it's always a challenge to master any new device so I still think I made the right choice.
The MFC-8860DN has worked extremely well for several months. Printing is fast and clear. Users seem to be able to easily access the various functions without instruction. Print and scan functions on the network were easy to set up with multiple computers in two locations being able to access the Brother. It does print envelopes but as has been noted in other reviews, causes folds and creases in the envelopes. I haven't been able to get the scan quality on photos to equal our dedicated HP scanner, but that just might be 'operator error.'
Can't say enough good things about this Brother all-in-one, given its price and features. (I paid $100 more than the new Amazon price elsewhere a week ago.)
I installed as a network device and set up the software on my XP Pro as well as Mac OS 10.4.9 machines ... easy installation, and the interface on each OS is essentially the same. Super fast prints from either machine, crisp and beautiful, with tonal background fills printing which never showed up on my previous HP laser.
Duplex scan/fax as well as duplex print was the key to my purchase, and I've been really happy. What I did not anticipate was just how fast the printer is, or how rich the delivered software is compared with prior HP experience.
Noises don't seem unusual to me - no crackling here, just noisy paper handling by ADF and print engine. No big deal IMHO.
Only a few minor negatives I've seen so far: (1) it looks like the firmware can only be updated from a Windows computer, so Mac folks are stuck there (mine was delivered with current version of firmware, so maybe this doesn't matter), (2) you cannot feed heavy stock through it, even the manual feed tray - so need to keep a straight feed device around if you need thicker than 24# stock, (3) scanner transfer rate to computer is a bit slow - not sure if it is the network interface or a slow processor in the device, and (4) expansion memory is not a popular size, so is more expensive than current PC memory - not sure if I'll upgrade or not.
Haven't tried envelopes yet, so can't respond to earlier comments from others.
It's kind of entertaining to watch the machine do a duplex copy - as pages in the ADF suck in and out to scan both sides, and pages ejecting come partway out and suck back in to copy the back side.
We purchased two of these multifunction machines for two separate offices. While the brother has many capabilities, including SCAN-to-Email, file and PDF. Quality problems greatly hender its performance.
Scanning documents through the document feeder result in crooked/offset images. I thought we simply purchased a bad-unit. But, after returning it for a replacement - we got the same result.
The first unit we purchased broken down after about 2 months. It just started making this really loud clunking sound. Then it just complained with error messages and wouldn't print.
There was a problem with the included software, which caused Scans to fail with error code. The only way to get a fix for this problem is to call technical support. There is no information on the error on their web site.
I love the feature set of this product - but the quality is poor.
After a few years with an HP7130 multifunction that was seriously beginning to fall apart, I began looking for a replacement. I Checked all the reviews for months, every multifunction gets reamed by the reviewers, but not this one.
I wanted automatic feeder capability on the scanner plus high quality printing and an easy way to print lables/envelopes. This unit does it all and does it well.
I scanned in over 2000 sheets of paper in 2 days and had only 4 jams. 3 because I was scanning quite a bit of really flimsy paper and 1 because I forgot to remove a paper clip. Most of the time, I just hit scan and went to do some other work while the machine handled business. My office is now paperless. A nice feature of the scanner is the interface on your computer allows you to program several buttons for where you would like to save your scan and how you want to save a document (ie one button was programed to save to my work as a legal sized jpg. another button was programmed to save to my pictures as a pdf). This means all you need to do is put your papers in the feeder, click the proper button, name the file you're scanning then hit scan. Couldn't be any easier.
One issue that others mention that is annoying is that when you are scanning, the status comes up on your computer when each new page begins to go through, this means you have to click back onto whatever you're working on (or hit alt + tab) then it'll happen again when the next page begins to scan. However, I am happy that while scanning above through the document feeder, I am still able to print down below.
As far as the sounds others mention, GIVE ME A BREAK! This machine is quiet compared to every other printer I've used at home or in the office. As long as you have moving parts, there will be some sounds. But this printer only takes seconds to warm up and then its done.
One feature you will love is the manual tray in the front. If you do any type of work where you need to print labels, envelopes, or other odd shaped items, this tray is great.
The fax works well and doesn't miss pages like my old HP did constantly. No more babysitting an outgoing fax, just hit send and rest assured that everything will go through.
Overall, I am actually astonished at how well this multifunction works for the price. This is the first multifunction I've used (and I've used many) where all the functions work very well. I am giving this 5 stars because that represents the value of this machine.
I got my first HP OfficeJet 600 in the mid '90s and it was a nice unit. From that point forward I stuck with HPs and they got progressively worse. HP hardware is great but their software has become atrocious. The last HP AIO I had installed a freeware webserver (Tomcat) on my machine and this software caused reloads to be doggedly slow.
I moved to my home office full time and needed an AIO with a flat bed so I could copy/scan odd sized documents. Costco was selling the Brother so I did some research on it and it appears to get good marks so I purchased one.
First let me say that I did buy a Brother AIO years ago for home and it was so cheap I quickly returned it. I was gun shy about getting another and would have returned it at the first hint of a problem.
I must say it has ended up being the best AIO I've ever owned and I've had it for well over a year now. All functionality works correctly and the interface to my PC works well. The software that resides on the PC doesn't have any quirks and loads quickly at boot time.
My favorite attribute of the Brother AIO is how fast it scans B&W docs. The HPs did < 10 pages a minute. The brother is cranking at just a couple of seconds / page (this is not true in gray scale or color).
My only complaints with this unit are that when it is scanning the software keeps popping up over what you are doing so you can't use your PC when it is scanning (HP did this too, but it scanned so slowly you could get some work in between the times it took away focus), and that the copy quality isn't as good as it was with the HPs.
Hardware reliability has been fine. I probably print about 2 reams a month and scan roughly 100 pages a month. I'm on the 3rd or 4th toner cartridge. Everything still functions.
My only disappointment is that I thought this unit has the ability to scan both sides of a document and I found out I had to buy a much more expensive unit to do that. I don't have to do this very often so it was cheaper to just copy the back sides of such documents, reassemble them, and then scan them.
I did lots of reading before I bought this printer. this is just great one.
This printer produces quality printing and copies. It was very easy to set up. From the box to set up took less than 10 minutes. The duplexing feature was very important to me and works fine. I also added the extra draw which gave me 500 pages and so far this works fine. Ordering from Amazon was great as always. The product arrived the next day even though I did not pay for express shipping. I saw a lower price a few days later from Amazon and they adjusted the price with a credit to my charge card. Faxing on this printer is very easy. The automatic document feature works just fine. This printer replaced an HP Laser which was great and a brother fax machine which was also trouble free. The brother 8860 had some extra features that the new HP lacked and this was the deciding factor for ordering the 8860 as opposed to the HP 3390. You really can't go wrong with either one.
I purchased this MFC, which is my first, to replace an old HP Laserjet 5P and an old HP Scanjet 3200C. I also needed a copy machine feature, which I used the scanner for previously. I chose this printer over a similar HP printer because of the speed (30ppm vs 22ppm) and the number of features. I received the printer today and it was larger than I thought it would be, but that's no problem at all as I have sufficient space for it. This printer will be used primarily for printing text documents and programming code. I also will use it to scan for website development and for copying small documents.
I just received the MFC and installed it so this is a preliminary review based on the installation and initial tests. I had an issue with the installation because I selected the network connection type and the printer was not recognized at first. I'm not sure if the problem was because I didn't select custom install or that I didn't configure the printer's networking parameters for my network (I thought I would be able to do that remotely similar to my old HP printer server).
I uninstalled, setup the IP information on the printer, and re-installed the printer software selecting network and custom install and now things seem to work correctly in regards to connecting to the printer (MFC). The printer output looks good and much much faster than my old HP 5P. The scan was very good and acceptable for website images for the sites I develop. The copy function was also very good. I love the auto sheet feeder, which is very convenient. The printer's keypad interface is intuitive and seems easy to use thus far.
There is a power issue, which I did expect from some of the reviews that I read before purchasing it. The lights in my small office (the den of my house) dims when the printer is powered on and when it warms up. The dimming is noticable, but otherwise caused no issues with my computer system. I have decided to connect the printer to a separate circuit instead of the one that is closest to it. I have two circuits in my office; one for computers and the other is the regular house circuit. You may need to consider this if the dimming is too much of an annoyance.
Overall I am very pleased with this MFC. It does what I wanted and it is very fast compared to my old printer. The installation wasn't exactly as the manual presented it. There was tape on many other items than what the manual indicated so look carefully for packing tape before use. Configuring the printer for network connectivity also wasn't well documented so if you are not familiar with TCP/IP configuration then you could get stuck. I also loved the scan to file option where you could scan a document/image and have it sent to a particular computer (which is registered with the MFC during installation). That is a really good feature. I am glad that I purchased this MFC and I would recommend it to anyone else. I will update this review as I get more experience with the MFC.
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!!!
This product is exceptional. I have gone through many printers over time and this is by far the best. It is quick to warmup and quick to print. Printed output looks great. There is built-in duplex for all modes, so double-sided operations are quite easy. In fax mode the copies are scanned quickly into memory then sent after a phone connection is made. A key point is also the fact that scanning requires nothing special. I considerd the HP 3055 but it cannot scan via the network; the 3055 requires a USB cable to be connected in addition to the network cable. The Brother does not have that requirement. This printer is highly recommended.
I purchased this printer because it received great reviews. I suppose for most people it would be OK, but for me 90% of its jobs were to be printing a specific type of graphic from one particular program. I could not get it to look good-lines were too light. Brother gave me little to no help and said it was a problem with my software (I could print fine to other printers). Thank goodness for Amazon's great customer service-I was able to return this item easily!
This is my second MFC from Brother. It is faster than my last one, and prices have down too. I would definitely recommend it for home office use.
I had a network problem during set-up. (A phone company router problem; NOT a Brother problem.) Brother Customer Service picked up within three rings, quickly took me to an American English-speaking techie, and patiently walked me through. Warning: Do not do your first "single sided to double sided" copy job during working hours. You will not be able to stop watching! This is a wonderful product!
I've used one of these in my business and have placed one in a medical clinic where it gets beat to death and it just keeps chugging along. This is a great improvement over their earlier models and extremely cheap to run. I can't say anything better about it.
One of our applications is to make copies of checks as they are processed and using the reduction and duplexing mode I can make copies of 40 checks on one piece of paper and they're nicely readable.
We just got this MFC-8860DN to replace an old MFC my husband broke. We have 2 laptops and an Airport, and I wanted to be able to scan using the buttons on the machine. At first I tried to connect the MFC to the Airport with a USB cable and print remotely using rendevous. But the scaning function was not available, nor I was able to set up the MFC in a network. But then I found out that by connecting the MFC to Airport with a firewire I could have both computers and MFC set up as a network.
If you go through the set up in the beginning and can't find the IP address for the printer, you can check it on the LCD by pressing Menu 612. Then go to the Brother Control Center and click on Network, write the MFC IP address, click on the scan option and it should work just fine.
I am very happy with this printer and it also seems that brother much improved its customer service as well.
There are a lot of things about this multifunction machine that I like. It makes nice copies, and although the printer output is not as dark as the old HP 5MP that I was going to replace, it is acceptable.
But I am returning this machine. When making multiple copies of a page (like 9 copies) or when printing a document of about 15-20 pages, the machine makes an audible alarm noise while printing. Brother customer support says this is normal, and is due to the fuser expanding and contracting. But I am not going to accept that, since, as I said, this noise sounds like an audible alarm, not normal mechanical noise.
This product has exceeded my expectations in most ways. There have only been a couple of issues that I've come across. The feature set is excellent. I use the scan to FTP function to automatically send scanned documents to my web server- making them instantly available online. The duplex is the biggest reason I bought it- and the scanner duplex and printing/faxing/copy duplex are flawless. Items that I've come across- the machine can poll a Pop account and automatically print any text emails, or TIF attachments (according to the manual). I use j2 fax, and it sends my faxes to an email as a TIF. This was perfect in theory, but the machine refuses to print the j2 attachments ("unsupported file type"). Second, the scan to FTP sometimes gives an "ERROR"- no explanation and no mention in the manual- I was on hold with tech support and finally gave up. A power cycle of the printer clears the problem. Third, the light on the printer LCD intermittently flips on for no reason and the printer is next to my desk. Unfortunately for my ADD, any flashy light gets my attention immediately and this has been annoying me lately. Lastly, the manual feed (or thick paper tray) is only accessible by pulling the front panel down and thus extends the already large footprint, plus exposing some of the inside to dust, etc. So you can't keep it open unless you are actually feeding in paper- which makes using envelopes a little more of a pain. I was hoping to just throw a few envelopes in there and print as necessary but that is not possible. Overall this is a very good piece of hardware with a solid ADF and feature set. Fast printing and excellent resolution on scans and printing. I highly recommend- just be prepared for a bug or two.
I just traded up from a MFC 7820n to the 8860dn. I'm very impressed so far with the speed and quality of the print. Unlike the 7820n, this machine produces no paper curl and is quite a bit faster. The duplexing capability is terrific, especially for scanning.
Printer was easy to set up and is very easy to use but it is LOUD. Printing speed is good, print quality is good, prints duplex which is nice, scanner is easy to use (much easier than our old HP3300), does wrinkle envelopes badly (we use another printer for envelopes). Has counter which the HP3300 didn't. So far, so good!!
fast, efficient, built-in duplexing which works flawlessly, solidly built. i do a LOT of printing (writer/writing teacher), love to save on the tree-killing as much as humanly possible, and this printer is serving me really well. enormous bang for the buck for those who need an all-in-one laser.
After reading reviews here I hesitated but happened to see the same machine (but without duplex capability) at a work site and that clinched it for me.
This machine is FAST. Setup is easy (I used the network connection) and the software is vastly improved over the last Brother laser I had (an HL-1270N).
The ticking noises other reviews mention is very slight and lasts just a few seconds while it heats up. Previous lasers I've had would typically whir loudly during this warm-up time - not this one. I sit next to the printer and it's really nothing. I think people have noticed it because it occurs in silence without other whiring sounds. The noise of the paper pick up (which is typical of any laser printer) is louder than the ticking (heating) sounds and the ticking stops before the first page comes out (so it lasts mere seconds). 5 seconds ticking, 5 seconds whiring and printing, page comes out. Followed by maybe 20-30 very small ticks over the next few minutes as it cools down. In comparison, my QMS color laser whirs loudly for about 15 minutes after printing a page.
What I didn't appreciate before ordering is that even the scanner has duplexing capability - fantastic! Double sided faxes and scans are simple.
Scanning works well both from the printer and when controlled from the PC. From the printer it shows the list of the available networked PC names to scan to - very nice. Pick your machine, press start, job done.
The only slight quirk I've noticed so far is that when sending double sided faxes the reverse sides are transmitted upside down. Maybe there's a setting for this somewhere. I haven't needed to read the manual AT ALL so far.
I haven't seen any sign of flickering room lights or other concerns from the power draw during heat-up. Installation couldn't have been simpler. Machine is not too heavy and is easily picked up and moved by one person.
OCR software works very well - again an improvement on the past.
Verdict (after owning a few days): Don't hesistate to buy - so far very very happy. Vast improvement over previous MFC's and lasers I've owned.
Great Printer with lots of neat features. HOWEVER, the printer uses 1024 WATTS or 9.1 Amps when it powers up to print a page or make a copy. This has caused me alot of problems.
I installed the printer at home in my study. I have two desktop computers, modem, router, HP P1100 color printer,Canon PC 720 Copier, desk lamps, etc. The electrical circuit for the study is a 15 AMP circuit. Everytime the printer powers up, I take a "power hit". Fortunately, I have a UPS for each computer and the UPS units kick in to keep the systems from completely shutting down.
I'm going to have to install a new electrical outlet and run the wire to another circuit in order to keep the printer.
Before you buy, you may want to add up the WATTS of all of the equipment you have on that circuit. A 15 Amp circuit has max of 1800 WATTS; A 20 Amp circuit has max of 2400 WATTS. The 8860DN will use 1024 of the WATTS on that circuit.
Here's the link to brother's web Site that will show the power consumption.
http://www.brother-usa.com/mfc/mfc_detail.aspx?AREA=MFC_1&PRODUCTID=MFC8860DN
I have had several Brother MFC's throughout the years. All of them have had a by-pass where one could feed either an envelope or a sheet of labels through the front of the machine, open a door in the back of the machine and then print with a straight paper path so the envelope doesn't get rinkled and the labels don't start to come off the carrier sheet, which is especially important if one uses Stamp.com's labels where the same sheet of labels may be printed on up to 10 or more times as one uses up the each label. Other than the foregoing DESIGN FLAW, its a good machine but for me, this is a FATAL FLAW so I took it back to Office Depot. It was interesting to get the reaction of a couple of techs at Brother as they too couldn't believe the engineers forgot this critical function! I will just have to be satisfied with my MFC-8440 until they come out with a new 30 page per minute duplexing machine with the old by-pass capability.
It has some very nice features. For example, it prints relatively fast. However, during the paper feeding process the pages would curl a bit so they did not lay flat; thus, hit each other in the output tray and become out of order, and sometimes fly onto the floor. That was a big problem. The printer is abnormally very very loud!! Further, the fax tray did not catch the pages well. Nevertheless, for the money the duplex printing (which I did not try) is a good feature, but likely curls the pages so they would not lay flat.
I was really happy with the speed and quality of the printer until I tried to print an envelope. This printer does not have a straight-through output path for envelopes. Instead, they have to make a sharp turn inside the machine, which severely creases them, to the point of interfering with the printing.
Take a look at the diagram of envelopes they don't support on page 15 of the manual, and you'll see a picture of every conceivable type of envelope. Bottom line: they don't support any, but aren't willing to admit it.
I would be embarassed to send my letters out in envelopes looking like this. I returned the unit and got an HP 3390, which does envelopes perfectly. It's otherwise pretty much the same, but $250 more.
We recently acquired this machine for network use in a small office with four employees. Our administrative work area is less than 500 square feet, so we welcomed this machine taking the place of a separate full size Minolta Di151 and a small HP flat bed scanner. This product is loaded with many features at an economical price. Brother has hit a grand slam with this device. All settings and the fax address book are network programmable, which is great if you have difficulty keying in data from the keypad. Need your paper document saved as an Adobe .pdf file? The MFC-8860DN allows you to scan, convert, and save to file as a .pdf with the press of a few buttons. Duplex printing is a snap. Place your stack of two sided copies in the ADF and your duplicates are effortlessly produced a short time later. High yield toner cartridge available. This machine has exceeded our expectations.
i'm usually also an hp person. after a lot of research, we went ahead and made our first brother purchase. it was easy to install and network. it was in use within an hour of it's arrival. the large toner option is likely to be a big savings. i really like its capabilities that far exceed competitors at higher prices. while we've owned it but less than a month, it has been perfectly reliable. i am very pleased with this printer / copier / scanner / fax machine combo. - 3 months later (end of august 06), it still works perfectly!
i am usually a hp and epson man, but after reading reviews i decided to give this bother all-in-one a chance. let me add that i recently made the switch from pc to mac, and not many printer companies support all features on the mac side of things. well, let me tell you how satisfied and positively surprised i have been with this printer. just follow the instructions during setup and the printer and software will do everything you would expect them to do.... no fiddling around with settings, no multiple installation attempts, botched configurations etc. etc. besides being able to copy, scan and fax from the printer itself, you can fax, scan, print (duplex) and copy from any mac on your network. what can i say, in true mac faschion, everything just works! and, it comes with a standard toner cartridge, not a puny little 'starter' toner. long story short-buy this one.
I bought the 8860DN a couple weeks ago to replace my aging HP 3330. While I'm quite happy with much of the 8860DN, there are a few things that could use improvement. Some of these can be addressed in software, others I fear are hardware issues.
BTW, I'm on my second machine because I thought some of the issues with the first warranted a replacement. Now I know its a "common" issue.
1) The print engine creaks and makes popping sounds as the fuser heats and cools. Even the demo machine in Office Depot does the same thing. The creaking is really annoying if you sit near the machine. A Brother senior tech rep tells me this issue is common to many Brother lasers. Well, gimme a break because HP and others don't creak! **UPDATE** Brother Corporate office tells me the popping sounds are considered "normal" by the engineers and at this time they have no plans to fix. Pathetic if you ask me. I think most users will agree!!!
2) The scanner ADF head will sometimes make odd sounds when its scanning the last page of a multi-page scan. It sounds as if the motor or gears need lubrication.
3) I've had the COPY function lockup on me a couple times (other fucntions continue to work) and the only way to correct is to power cycle. Cause is unknown but the clowns at Brother support tell me to keep power cycling the resolve the problem. IDIOTS!
4) The IFAX feature is not very well explained and is somewhat odd in the way it works (or tries to work). I've yet to really figure it out. As an alternative I use the FAX FORWARD TO EMAIL function which works well.
5) A PC software bug: When scanning multiple pages its impossible to multitask since the scanner interface takes the focus away from whatever you are doing everytime it begins scanning a new page. Brother apparently knows about this issue and will correct in the next software version.
Other than the above isues, I'm fairly satisfied in the short time I've been using this MFC. If I may comment in response to one of the previous reviews, the beep sound is adjustable and I believe if the user took the time to read the manual, he'd be quite happy with the level of customization available on this machine (I rarely hear of people complaining about too many features). Oh, and yes as stoneaged as it sounds, some people still do occasionally receive faxes.
As far as I'm concerned, the print speed is excellent. Even complex pages print quickly with nearly no delay between pages. A huge improvment over my old HP. Also, I find the scan speed on non complex scans to be excellent. Complex and high res scans are somewhat slower, but they are with many scanners (and certainly about every multifucntion I've run across). Print duplexing is another very nice touch and I'm surprised it works as well as it does. The 8860DN gets the job done and it does them well overall.
Things about the 8860DN I prefer over the new HP 3390 I compared it to.
1) 8860 has a legal size scan plate
2) 8860 will fax forward to email
3) 8860 is $150 less with approx. the same cost per page in consumables.
4) 8860 does duplex scan, copy
The unit was a breeze to install and set up, even using Windows xp x64 (many manufacturers do not have x64 drivers yet). I plugged it in, installed the software, chose the network option, and it worked. No muss, no fuss. I was sending and receiving faxes and printing in under ten minutes.
I found it much easier to scan from my PC than to use the front panel interface, as many of the settings could be preset from the software instead of being set on the unit's front panel.
One reviewer complained about the volume of the beeps. As with many functions of this unit, it's configurable. You can choose low, medium, high, or off. As for, his comment about lots of buttons for faxing and, "Who faxes any more?" if you don't want a fax machine, don't buy one!
The scanner on this MFC is useless due to horrible UI, way too loud, and way too slow. Prepare to press buttons needlessly until you decide that scanning isn't worth it:
To scan to file you'll have to press a lot of buttons and wait a loooong time.
1. Put the document on ADF
2. Press scan button if it's not already selected
3. press down button FIVE times to select scan to file
4. press OK
5. press down button to select duplex L side
6. press OK
7. press down button if necessary to select which PC (I've only configured one but it still wants me to confirm
8. press OK to select
9. Then it can't find my machine on the network...I'm not going to debug this since I'm going to send it back.
Did I mention the really loud, annoying beeps for all ELEVEN button presses? All the many unnecessary scanning functions are controlled by up-down arrows and the OK button. There's no way to assign a default to one of the many useless buttons on the nearly overwhelming front panel. The UI is really set up for faxing--lots of buttons to store address book...but who faxes any more?
Did I mention that the scanner is really slow (initiated scan from PC) since it pulls the paper through the ADF THREE times (even though there's only two sides of the page)? 23 seconds per page on black and white 300dpi!
Did I mention that this is the loudest scanner I've ever heard. It's louder than the printer and the printer's really loud. I'm not just being sensitive here--it's a lot louder than the Brother 1670N (also a duplex laser printer) this was supposed to replace.
I was hoping for a replacement for my fujitsu fi-4120c sheetfed duplex scanner but there's absolutely no comparison.
Having had bad experiences with multi-function machines in the past, I over-researched this purchase. To begin with, this machine's specs are top notch for the money. You simply cannot get this much bang for your buck from any other company. Taking the machine out of the box and setting it up was remarkably easy. I actually thought I was forgeting something. The software installed cleanly and is user-friendly. I should mention, however, that I have not gone through the fax machine setup (not using for that purpose at the present time). Also, the machine does not come with a USB cable, which is, unfortunately, fairly standard with printers today.
Prints and copies at 30 ppm in 600 dpi. I have tested this and it appears fairly close to true (maybe a little slower, like 28 ppm). It produces nice, crisp clear letters in both print and copy modes. The 50 page ADF is made from a reasonably sturdy plastic. At least it doesn't feel like it is going to come loose or break off, and I have not had any paper jams (as of yet) in the ADF or standard, 250 count paper tray.
The scan function has worked well. Two very nice features this model provides are scan to pdf file and scan to OCR. The scan to pdf file is a rare option in a desktop multi-function machine at this price. It works well, although I am still playing around with the settings in an effort to find the best scan quality at a decent file size. I think the pdf file sizes I have been getting are too large (around 700KB - 1MB for a 1 to 2 page pdf). Surely this can be corrected by changing some settings. The scan to OCR also works remarkably well. I can remember 5 years ago attempting to use scan to OCR on another machine and being very disappointed. Things have improved greatly.
The cost of the toner cartridges on this model are reasonable. A high yield 7000 page cartridge for around $80 - $90 works out to a cost per page of 1.14 - 1.28 cents per page of toner, which is quite good.
Can't comment on the fax functions b/c I am not using it for that purpose.
Overall, a very nice machine with impressive features at this price. Hopefully it holds up.