Brother recently released a new lineup of flatbed laser multi-function print products designed for small and home office use, as well as small business workgroups. The new models MFC-8420, MFC-8820D and MFC-8820DN, provide five different functions — plain paper faxing, laser printing, digital copying, color scanning and PC faxing.
Designed with a flatbed scanning area that accommodates single-sheets or bound documents up to the length of legal paper, the new series from Brother print up to 17 pages per minute. Also new to the lineup — increased memory capacity and a five-line backlit LCD display. In addition to these base model features, the MFC-8820D and MFC-8820DN add duplex (two-sided) printing and a 50-sheet multipurpose tray. The top-of-the-line MFC-8820DN adds built-in networking capabilities to the feature set.
The new flatbed models address a wide range of business applications, not the least of which is a need for copying or scanning bound documents. All three models include high-speed USB 2.0 and parallel interfaces, and are compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. Each is covered by a one-year limited express exchange warranty from Brother.
The MFC-8420 has a number of features that make it attractive to small- to medium-sized businesses. It’s versatile enough to work as heavy-duty power printer for a single user or in a multi-user small workgroup setting. As a laser printer, it prints up to 17 pages per minute and features high quality output of up to 2400×600 dots per inch. The MFC-8420 comes with a 250-sheet standard paper capacity and is expandable to 500 sheets with an optional second paper tray. It also features 32MB of memory that is upgradeable to 128MB, using industry-standard 100-pin DIMM memory.
As a full function stand-alone fax machine, it incorporates a Super G3 33.6k bps fax modem, 340-station auto dialing, broadcasting up to 390 locations, and a built-in 50-page automatic document feeder. The MFC-8420 can store up to 600 pages for Quick Scan faxing or out-of-paper fax reception. Because the unit features dual access capabilities, users can scan an outbound fax into memory while an incoming fax is being received. Additionally, its PC fax capability allows sending and receiving of faxes to and from a computer.
As a digital copier, the MFC-8420 provides up to 17 copies per minute, along with reduction and enlargement capabilities spanning from 25 percent to 400 percent in one percent increments. As a color scanner, the MFC-8420 has the ability to scan color documents at up 9600 x 9600 dpi interpolated resolution on either the legal-size document glass or through the automatic document feeder.
For Windows-based users there is an easy to use “scan to” button for scanning directly to an image, OCR or e-mail applications. Document management and OCR software is bundled in the CD — ScanSoft PaperPort and TextBridge OCR software is included standard for Windows users, and Presto! Page Manager (which also includes an OCR application) is included for Mac users. The MFC-8420 is compatible with Windows 95/98/NT4.0/2000/Me/XP and for the Mac OS 8.6-9.x, OS X 10.1, 10.2.1 or greater.
The estimated retail price for the MFC-8420 is $549.99. The MFC-8820D and MFC-8820DN have estimated retail prices of $649.99 and $799.99 respectively. The first shipments of all three models are expected to begin mid-May.
Network access is available an add-on function with the purchase of a Brother NC-9100h Internal Print/Fax Server Board. The Brother NC-9100h Print/Fax Server allows these models to connect with a 10/100Mbit Ethernet Network. The Web-based Management and Administration utilities provide easy configuration and management, while connected to a network. Multiple protocol capabilities allow users in Windows, Novell, Macintosh, and Unix environments to simultaneously have access to the MFC-8420, MFC-8820D and the MFC-8820DN. The suggested retail price of the NC-9100h is $199.99.
The new MFC-8420, MFC-8820D, and MFC-8820DN all come standard with a TN-530 toner cartridge — capable of printing up to 3,300 pages with about five percent page coverage — and a DR-500 drum unit — capable of printing up to 20,000 pages.
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