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More…Brother's $180 MFC-790CW color inkjet multifunction printer has a tempting array of goodies, but offers lackluster performance. Despite its aspirations, the MFC-790CW can't compete with other machines in its price range, such as the HP OfficeJet J4680.
Brother MFC-790CW
- Spec Navigator
- Core Components
- Media Handling
- Display
- Network
- Connectivity
- Platform Support
- Dimensions
- General Features
- Green
- Included Software
- Resolutions
- Scanning
- Faxing
Media Handling
| Manual Feed Slot | No |
| Maximum Number of Input Trays | 2 |
| Maximum paper size, height | 14.0 inches |
| Maximum Sheets With All Paper Trays | 100 |
| Output Tray Capacity | 50 |
| Standard Number of Input Trays | 2 |
| Maximum paper size, width | 8.5 inches |
| Standard input sheet capacity | 100 |
| Duplex printing | No |
General Features
| Printer Emulation Type | GDI |
| Media slots |
|
| PictBridge compatible | Yes |
Included Software
| Included Software | ScanSoft PaperPort v.11 SE with OCR software for WindowsPresto! PageManager with OCR software for Mac |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Printers »
Pros
Inexpensive; touchscreen control panel
Wi-Fi connectivity; dedicated photo tray
Cons
Agonizingly slow text printing
Bottom Line
This multifunction packs some interesting features into a small space but is sadly way too slow.
Brother MFC-790CW Inkjet Multifunction Printer
MFC-790CW Review, by Melissa Riofrio, PC World November 15, 2008
Though the MFC-790CW is compact, it still provides some nice features for the price. Wi-Fi connectivity is standard. A 4.2-inch color LCD touch screen replaces many control-panel buttons and is easy to use, with a few exceptions: The on-screen ink-status button, for instance, looks more like an icon, so I didn't understand that I could press it to access ink-related features. Media slots, a PictBridge port, and a dedicated photo tray encourage you to print your favorite shots.
Although this model has versatile paper handling, the trays hold a minimal amount. The automatic document feeder (ADF) holds just 15 sheets. The main input tray takes only 100 sheets; the piggybacked photo tray, merely 20. The tray lid doubles as the 50-sheet output tray. With these three components crammed into such a small space, loading or adjusting media requires some tricky maneuvers.
The ink cartridges nestle conveniently behind a small door in the machine's front. The separate cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridges each cost $10 and last 325 pages (per industry-standard ISO measurements), or 3.1 cents per color, per page. That's pretty good. Black is the exception: At $23.50 for 450 pages, it's a pricey 5.2 cents per page.
But the real problem is the MFC-790CW's speed, or lack thereof. It printed plain-text pages at an abysmal rate of 3.9 pages per minute. It did better on graphics, managing 2.4 ppm. The print quality didn't make up for the long wait. Text samples looked a little light but crisp. Graphics printed on plain paper appeared dull, but on Brother's own photo paper they improved considerably. Scan samples seemed dark on occasion and sometimes yellowish, but acceptable; copy samples were also decent.
Given its low price and interesting features, the Brother MFC-790CW could have been a contender. But its plodding performance can't be ignored.
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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65
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80
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82
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Printers
65
74
82
82
Performance
| 300dpi Line Art Image (secs) | 25.08 |
| 4 by 6 Color Photo (secs) | 23.64 |
| 4 by 6 Grayscale Photo (secs) | 22.43 |
| Color Output Quality | Fair |
| Color Photo Quality | Superior |
| Copy Output Quality | Good |
| Copy Quality | Good |
| Final Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 15.06 |
| Final Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 11.12 |
| Final Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 19.13 |
| Grayscale Glossy Output Quality | n/a |
| Grayscale Output Quality | Fair |
| Line Art Output Quality | Fair |
| One-Page Copy | 30.49 |
| One-Page Copy (secs) | 30.49 |
| One-Page Line Art, Maximum Resolution | Good |
| One-Page Webpage (secs) | 29.81 |
| One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | Very Good |
| Overall Scan Quality | Good |
| Preview Scan, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 13.66 |
| Preview Scan, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 13.5 |
| Preview Scan, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 11.68 |
| Sports Action Shot (secs) | 87.94 |
| Ten-Page Word Document | 202.58 |
| Ten-Page Word Document (secs) | 202.58 |
| Tested Color Speed (ppm) | 2.4 |
| Tested Glossy Photo Speed (ppm) | 0.7 |
| Tested Grayscale Speed (ppm) | 2.7 |
| Tested Lineart Speed (ppm) | 2.4 |
| Tested Text Speed (ppm) | 3.9 |
| Text Output Quality | Very Good |
| Three-Page Word Document | 61.24 |
| Three-Page Word Document (secs) | 61.24 |
| Total Scan Time, 2-by-2-Inch Document, 600 dpi | 15.06 |
| Total Scan Time, 4-by-5-Inch Document, 100 dpi | 11.12 |
| Total Scan Time, One-Page Word Document, 300 dpi | 19.13 |
| Two-Page Excel Document | 48.37 |
| Two-Page Excel Document (secs) | 48.37 |
Scanning
| Preview scan, 2-by-2-inch document, 600 dpi | 13.66 |
| Preview scan, 4-by-5-inch document, 100 dpi | 13.5 |
| Preview scan, one-page Word document, 300 dpi | 11.68 |
| Preview scan, one-page Word document, 300 dpi | 11.68 |
Text Printing
| Text output quality | Very Good |
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