Re: OT: Anyone using the Brother MFC-7820?

Hello Jim,


My experience with Brother products... BARF!


Hmm, not so encouraging. What went wrong? So far I have heard good things, mostly from family members using Brother printers (but not multi-function versions).


For FAXing, why not just use a laser printer and a scanner?


I've tried that. It's a hassle. Have to fire up the scanner (which in my case is part of a color inkjet printer), then the PC, scan one page after the other hoping XP doesn't croak halfway through, dial via the PC keyboard. The scanner doesn't have a feeder so multiple pages is a real hassle. I like the convenience of a stand-alone fax where you place the stack of docs in the feeder, dial and walk away. I rarely use it these days but when I do it's usually a big stack of docs such as a contract where they'd rather see a signed and faxed copy instead of a scan.

Receiving faxes is even more of a pain. Murphy says then just when a fax wants to come in I will have done something crazy with the uC compiler and hung the whole machine.


If you use a router like an SMC Barricade the printer plugs into it
instead of a parallel port or USB, and is available to all on the LAN.


I have the same router as you do. Probably I could get the proper driver into it. However, it's going into the basement hub soon and the printer need to be close. Meaning lots of exercise for me ;-)

Then there is the problem that many 'modern' printers lack a parallel port and that's what the Barricade provides. Nowadays many are USB-only. The nice thing about this Brother is that it can be plugged into an Ethernet jack anywhere.


I presently have an hp LaserJet 1320 which can do two-sided
printing... love the paper-saving.


Cool. I do it via print even pages, then odd pages. But when my main HP printer goes some day I'll look into a 1320 as well.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
.