Brother MFC-7840W All-In-One Printer (23 PPM, 400x600 DPI, B&W, 32MB, PC/Mac)

Monochrome Laser Printers Offer Reliability, Value, Variety to Business Users

A monochrome laser printer such as this one is a business basic. While color inkjet and color laser printers involve more complexity and invite higher print costs, monochrome laser printers are reliable, their toner is cheap, and they come in any size, speed, or price range you'd like. Plain-text printing is its forte; it can't manage anything beyond extremely simple graphics.

A monochrome laser prints by using a laser and rotating mirrors to beam an image indirectly onto a photoconducting drum; attracting toner to that image; and then melting the toner at high temperature to transfer the image to paper.

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Fax Capability Saves Space in Small Offices

This printer can also be used as a fax machine, a feature you'll find on some multifunction models. If you frequently send faxes, having a device that does both can save space in a small office. This printer may have just one phone jack for faxing, or two so it can also be used to place calls via a handset. 

If faxing features are important to you, pay attention to fax-page and speed-dial memory -- 100 is the common capacity in both cases. Also look for fax transmission speed, resolution, and perhaps the ability to fax to networked computer.

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Document Feeders a Big Convenience If You Scan Lots of Multi-page Documents

This multifunction printer contains an automatic document feeder (ADF) for feeding multi-page documents through the scanner. While users who make an occasional copy of a photo or document could get along with a plain old flatbed scanner, an ADF is essential for users who scan, copy, or fax a lot of multi-page documents. ADF capacity varies widely, from as little as 10 or 15 pages to 50 or more pages on higher-end machines, so consider the typical length of your documents when you look at this feature. Most ADFs can scan only one side of a document at a time ("simplex"); if you scan a lot of two-sided ("duplex") documents, a duplexing ADF would save you a lot of time.

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Compatible With Windows and Linux Operating Systems

This printer offers no official support for Mac OS X. However, it does support computers that use either Microsoft Windows or Linux. In addition to having at least one appropriate connection for the computer platform, it should also come with drivers written for both operating systems. In the case of the Linux drivers, double-check whether they are the vendor's own drivers or third-party ones.

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Universally Compatible with Apple, Linux, and Windows Operating Systems

This printer will likely support any recent computer that you connect it to. It has drivers available that are compatible with Apple computers (OS X), as well as Windows and Linux machines. For Linux, double-check whether they are the vendor's own drivers or third-party ones.

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Compatible with Microsoft Windows Operating System

Printers such as this model are compatible with computers that use the Microsoft Windows operating system, meaning it has at least one appropriate connection type and also has drivers written for Windows.

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Compatible with Both Apple and Windows Operating Systems

Printers such as this model are compatible with computers designed by Apple that run either Mac OS X; or computers that use Microsoft Windows. In addition to having at least one appropriate connection for each computer platform, it should also come with drivers written for both operating systems.

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Take black-and-white print speed times with a grain of salt

A printer's stated monochrome or "black-and-white" print speed (expressed in pages per minute, or "ppm") should be taken with a grain of salt. Vendors often use contrived methods to arrive at such numbers. For instance, they might print in draft mode, which is faster than the default mode most people use. Or they'll exclude the first page out from a document's total print time, because its slower exit reflects the processing time needed to create the document image for the printer. Or they might send raw data straight to the printer, bypassing any application or PC processing time. The PC World Test Center uses dedicated testbed PCs and real-world applications to reflect actual use as closely as possible. We also time the document "from click to clunk" -- from the time we click the "Print" button to the time when the last page falls into the output tray.

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Installed Memory is Ideal for Five or Fewer Users

This printer's installed memory is sufficient for small offices or workgroups that print typical business documents, such as memos, spreadsheets, or simple Web pages. If you have more than six people using the printer or the printer handles heavy traffic, you will want more memory than this printer provides.

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Ethernet Connection Ideal for Networking

This printer offers an Ethernet connection, the standard for networking in an office environment. Ethernet comes in many flavors, but all offer plenty of bandwidth, making it ideal for handling the traffic for anything from a handful to hundreds of users.

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USB Interface Connects Quickly and Easily to Your Computer

This printer uses USB (Universal Serial Bus) to connect to your computer. Connecting a printer via USB is very easy; just remember not to do it until the installation routine tells you to -- or risk having to start over.  

The original USB version 1.1 was slow: 12 Mbps (megabits per second). USB 2.0's faster bandwidth of 480 Mbps is plenty for a standalone printer.

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