Brother MFC-7440N All-In-One Laser Printer
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Similar in Printers
- Black Print Speed: 23 ppm
- Output Type: Monochrome Printer
- Technology (Detailed): Laser
- Printer Type: All-In-One Printer
- All-in-One Functions: Copier Fax Machine Scanner
- Web-Connected Features: Scan to eMail
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415
Space-Saving Noisemaker
Pros
Simple copies; clean printouts; clear scans; saves desk space
Cons
Noisy when running
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is an excellent multi-function printer/copier/scanner. It's a little noisy when running but does a great job otherwise.
My computer desk slowly filled up over the years to include a scanner, two printers (laser and inkjet), monitor, speakers, two mice (it's a long story) and the inevitable clutter that rides a computer's coattails. My laser printer still mostly worked okay, but the toner was empty and a replacement cost $60. I decided to look for a multi-function printer that combined both a scanner and a printer, one that had simple copying capability as well.
I looked around, read reviews and shopped, and eventually bought a Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer. I paid $150 for the MFC-7440N at an Office Max store, but had to insist on a sale price with the manager in order to get the best deal.
What it is
The Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer is a single device that includes the functions of a scanner, laser printer, copier and fax machine. The unit stands about 12 inches tall and has a footprint of about 15 inches square. Its footprint is a little bigger than my old HP printer but it's much smaller than my old Epson scanner.
At the top of the Brother MFC-7440N is a document feeder that holds up to 35 sheets for copying or faxing. (I don't think the document feeder works with the scanner, although I haven't tried it.) If you lift up the document feeder, the scanner surface is underneath. Beneath the scanner, on the front of the Brother MFC-7440N, is the slot where printed pages exit the machine. Just below that is a flip-down door that covers an auxiliary input slot, for envelopes or special paper. Finally, below the aux input slot is the paper tray, which can hold 250 sheets of paper. The Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer supports paper up to legal size (8.5 x 14 inches).
As for connections, the Brother MFC-7440N is interesting. It is the first printer I've owned that does not have a parallel (sometimes called "Centronics") connector. Instead, the Brother MFC-7440N has a USB2 connector and an Ethernet port.
The box for the Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer included most of what I needed to get started but there were a couple of inconsiderate exceptions. The unit came with a good manual, toner cartridge, paper tray, CD driver disk and power cable. However, it did not come with either a USB or an Ethernet cable. Good thing I had both, or I would have had to pay at least another five bucks to buy one or the other.
One great thing about the Brother MFC-7440N is that replacement toner cartridges are reasonably priced. (This was something I considered carefully when shopping for this printer.) There are a couple different replacement toner cartridges: standard and high-capacity. The standard cartridge costs $40 or less in stores and is less than $35 on Amazon. That's a pretty good price.
Using it
I have not sent/received a fax from home in years, pretty much relying on e-mail attachments for this requirement. Therefore, I have not used the fax capability of the Brother MFC-7440N. The funny thing is that most of the buttons and the most complicated instructions for this machine have to do with faxing. If you don't fax, the Brother MFC-7440N is a piece of cake to use and completely intuitive.
First, I loaded the drivers for the Brother MFC-7440N in two computers -- one connected to my in-home network and the other directly connected with a USB cable. Neither computer had a problem and both quickly found the Brother MFC-7440N and did the necessary handshaking. The result is that I have the Brother MFC-7440N connected to two computers, and can scan and print from either. I connected it to my in-house network by plugging it into one of the Ethernet ports on the back of my wireless router.
Both of these functions are completely transparent on either computer. The Brother MFC-7440N is listed as a printer on both computers, and it is accessible as a scanner (through Photoshop) with either computer. It is as though the Brother MFC-7440N is directly connected to both computers -- nicely done!
Printed output from the Brother MFC-7440N is clean and sharp. It's in black & white, of course, but it is at least as clean as my old HP printer. Scans are also clear -- the maximum scanner resolution is 600 x 2400 dpi (dots per inch). Although the printer in the MFC-7440N is monochrome only, the scanner works in color. My old Epson scanner has a transparency feature for slides and negatives, and the Brother MFC-7440N does not have this. However, I have not scanned a slide or negative in five years, so this shouldn't be a big issue. And I still have the Epson connected to yet another computer, anyway.
One big advantage of the Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Printer for me is that it also functions as a copier. For previous copies, I used to have to scan a document into Photoshop, then print it. This was time consuming and downright agony when it was more than a couple of pages. With the Brother MFC-7440N, it works just like a copier: I lift the lid, place the paper on the scanner, lower the lid and press the "Start" button. Copies look good, too... at least as good as the dedicated copier I used to have a few years ago.
The document feeder can be used for copies, which makes it easy to copy a multipage document. Copies come out pretty quickly, too. Once the machine is warmed up, copies come out every six seconds or so.
The only downside to the Brother MFC-7440N for my use is that it is fairly noisy when it runs. I have it about 18 inches from my face on my computer table and a couple feet further away would be better. It will go into standby and be pretty quiet, but it makes quite a bit of whirring noise when it operates. Also, my overhead light flickers as the Brother MFC-7440N trips on and off to remain in standby. This tells me that it's using a healthy amount of power. For this reason, I pretty much keep the unit turned off when it's not needed.
Summary
The Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer was a tremendous bargain at $150. I've had it for about four months now and it has saved a lot of time with my occasional copying. It's also freed up a lot of space on my computer desk. Since I needed to buy a $60 toner cartridge anyway, I figure that the net cost of the Brother MFC-7440N was just $90 -- a serious bargain.
I recommend the Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer. If you have the unit switched on all the time, you probably want to place it at least six feet or so from your location at your computer. Otherwise, the Brother MFC-7440N does everything it's supposed to do, and does it well.
I looked around, read reviews and shopped, and eventually bought a Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer. I paid $150 for the MFC-7440N at an Office Max store, but had to insist on a sale price with the manager in order to get the best deal.
What it is
The Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer is a single device that includes the functions of a scanner, laser printer, copier and fax machine. The unit stands about 12 inches tall and has a footprint of about 15 inches square. Its footprint is a little bigger than my old HP printer but it's much smaller than my old Epson scanner.
At the top of the Brother MFC-7440N is a document feeder that holds up to 35 sheets for copying or faxing. (I don't think the document feeder works with the scanner, although I haven't tried it.) If you lift up the document feeder, the scanner surface is underneath. Beneath the scanner, on the front of the Brother MFC-7440N, is the slot where printed pages exit the machine. Just below that is a flip-down door that covers an auxiliary input slot, for envelopes or special paper. Finally, below the aux input slot is the paper tray, which can hold 250 sheets of paper. The Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer supports paper up to legal size (8.5 x 14 inches).
As for connections, the Brother MFC-7440N is interesting. It is the first printer I've owned that does not have a parallel (sometimes called "Centronics") connector. Instead, the Brother MFC-7440N has a USB2 connector and an Ethernet port.
The box for the Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer included most of what I needed to get started but there were a couple of inconsiderate exceptions. The unit came with a good manual, toner cartridge, paper tray, CD driver disk and power cable. However, it did not come with either a USB or an Ethernet cable. Good thing I had both, or I would have had to pay at least another five bucks to buy one or the other.
One great thing about the Brother MFC-7440N is that replacement toner cartridges are reasonably priced. (This was something I considered carefully when shopping for this printer.) There are a couple different replacement toner cartridges: standard and high-capacity. The standard cartridge costs $40 or less in stores and is less than $35 on Amazon. That's a pretty good price.
Using it
I have not sent/received a fax from home in years, pretty much relying on e-mail attachments for this requirement. Therefore, I have not used the fax capability of the Brother MFC-7440N. The funny thing is that most of the buttons and the most complicated instructions for this machine have to do with faxing. If you don't fax, the Brother MFC-7440N is a piece of cake to use and completely intuitive.
First, I loaded the drivers for the Brother MFC-7440N in two computers -- one connected to my in-home network and the other directly connected with a USB cable. Neither computer had a problem and both quickly found the Brother MFC-7440N and did the necessary handshaking. The result is that I have the Brother MFC-7440N connected to two computers, and can scan and print from either. I connected it to my in-house network by plugging it into one of the Ethernet ports on the back of my wireless router.
Both of these functions are completely transparent on either computer. The Brother MFC-7440N is listed as a printer on both computers, and it is accessible as a scanner (through Photoshop) with either computer. It is as though the Brother MFC-7440N is directly connected to both computers -- nicely done!
Printed output from the Brother MFC-7440N is clean and sharp. It's in black & white, of course, but it is at least as clean as my old HP printer. Scans are also clear -- the maximum scanner resolution is 600 x 2400 dpi (dots per inch). Although the printer in the MFC-7440N is monochrome only, the scanner works in color. My old Epson scanner has a transparency feature for slides and negatives, and the Brother MFC-7440N does not have this. However, I have not scanned a slide or negative in five years, so this shouldn't be a big issue. And I still have the Epson connected to yet another computer, anyway.
One big advantage of the Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Printer for me is that it also functions as a copier. For previous copies, I used to have to scan a document into Photoshop, then print it. This was time consuming and downright agony when it was more than a couple of pages. With the Brother MFC-7440N, it works just like a copier: I lift the lid, place the paper on the scanner, lower the lid and press the "Start" button. Copies look good, too... at least as good as the dedicated copier I used to have a few years ago.
The document feeder can be used for copies, which makes it easy to copy a multipage document. Copies come out pretty quickly, too. Once the machine is warmed up, copies come out every six seconds or so.
The only downside to the Brother MFC-7440N for my use is that it is fairly noisy when it runs. I have it about 18 inches from my face on my computer table and a couple feet further away would be better. It will go into standby and be pretty quiet, but it makes quite a bit of whirring noise when it operates. Also, my overhead light flickers as the Brother MFC-7440N trips on and off to remain in standby. This tells me that it's using a healthy amount of power. For this reason, I pretty much keep the unit turned off when it's not needed.
Summary
The Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer was a tremendous bargain at $150. I've had it for about four months now and it has saved a lot of time with my occasional copying. It's also freed up a lot of space on my computer desk. Since I needed to buy a $60 toner cartridge anyway, I figure that the net cost of the Brother MFC-7440N was just $90 -- a serious bargain.
I recommend the Brother MFC-7440N Multi-Function Laser Printer. If you have the unit switched on all the time, you probably want to place it at least six feet or so from your location at your computer. Otherwise, the Brother MFC-7440N does everything it's supposed to do, and does it well.
