Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I almost never write a review, but the forest of multi-functions is so thick and I am so impressed by my Brother DCP-7020 that I figure I ought to share my personal view of this tremendous small office/home-office machine.
I spent weeks researching and testing multi-functions, going back and forth among Brother, HP, Sharp, Xerox, Canon, and others. What a nightmare, sorting out and comparing all the rival features!
My own needs were straight-forward: truly excellent, professional-looking B&W laser printing and copying capability; reliable paper-path routing with few or no jams; able to handle periodic high volume and otherwise steady daily use; large paper tray capacity; reliable Auto Document Feeder; handy and roomy output tray; acceptable color as well as B&W scanning; and reasonably priced laser supplies that have a reasonably high volume capacity.
While I had no need for fax or networking, I might have taken either or both if the quality of the more important features I sought warranted the extra price. I also was hoping for a stand-alone copying capability, just to give me more flexibility in office machinery since I also have a Brother HL-5150DLT (which is a tremendous stand-alone printer, by the way!)
Several times I almost decided on the Sharp AL-1641CS or its equivalent at Canon and Xerox. My initial misgivings about the latest Brother multifunction machines came down to three things: I was concerned about a few reports of modest paper curling; I was nervous about the paper output slot which seemed at first glance kind of puny and inconveniently located at the inside front, rather than outside to the side, of the machine; and the Brother multi-function machines somehow didn't look to me quite as robust or strong as some of their competitors, at least as they sat on the store shelf.
Repeated testing in multiple stores convinced me that the Brother DCP-7020 was the most likely to meet my needs at an initial price (and also a lower laser cartridge supplies price) so substantially less than the Sharp or equivalents that I decided to 'chance' it, as I thought. It turned out far, far better than I had hoped.
This is a GREAT workhorse machine that takes up substantially less work space and yet turns out excellent laser printing and/or copying with sharp, professional-looking text. Reliable, smooth paper handling with no paper jams to speak of (other than one deliberately caused for testing, which was very easily cleared). Superior copying capability (stand-alone or attached to a computer.) And, though not my top priority, very good scanning as well, supported by excellent, intuitive software.
The earlier review and product descriptions you can read at Amazon.com are accurate. This machine is awesome; the best buy for the money you will find, unless you need faxing capability or color printing in your multi-function. As for my original misgivings, here's my experience:
(1) Paper curling. Not a problem! The paper curling reports are true but greatly exaggerated. Very, very minor curling occurs (probably due to the extreme heat needed for any laser printing), but the paper flattens quickly as it cools and in a minute or so you won't even know it had a slight curl as it emerged from the machine.
(2) Output tray. Not a problem! True, the output slot at the front of the machine looks a little inconvenient or insubstantial, but that turns out to be a mirage, probably because we are so accustomed to expecting to see a bulky exterior separate output tray. The Brother DCP-7020 output tray actually is an innovation. It works perfectly and can hold up to 100 pages, no problem. Lift the lid below the copier and you will see you have access to the entire output tray in all its glory.
(3) The wrong-est I was in my initial misgivings was in thinking that visually the Brother DCP-7020 looked somehow more fragile, or less robust, than the Sharp or similar competitors. It may look that way, but in reality it is every bit as much a workhorse machine as its equivalent competitors. The DCP-7020 is a strong, muscular, and reliable machine. Just a much smaller footprint and at half the price.
Although not my own top priority, I've also been very pleasantly surprised at how good the scanning function is. A couple of reviewers here and there on the web grumble about this, but I found the Brother DCP-7020 scanning function and quality does at least well with color photos as any other $200-$400 scanner I've used, and far better than most of them. The text recognition software is far superior to what most well known competing brands use. And the scanner control panel is very intuitive with good defaults and ample opportunity to easily customize. I've wound up putting my 1 year old $400 HP scanner in the attic.)
I unhesitatingly recommend the Brother DCP-7020. It is everything I wanted in a B&W laser printer/copier/scanner -- and more! -- at half the price of the competition.
Afterword about Brother support: For those concerned about tech support, there is good, and bad, and more good news -- but REALLY good news if you pay attention to what I have to say here.
1. Good news: Brother's toll-free number you can call in an emergency usually leads you to a live English-speaking person who isn't in India or Sri-Lanka or some other Exploited-Labor-of-the-Month hell hole.
2. Bad news: Like the infamous Indian "tech support" people we all know and loath, you probably will get an American who is mostly clueless other than they've been trained to read the manuals. If you haven't read the manual yourself, they can be a kind of "aural" manual and walk you through a few quick fixes. If you know the manual and those fixes haven't worked, go to the next point below.
3. More good news: If you have time to e-mail or call Brother support and ask specifically for a truly knowledgeable tech person to contact you, in a day or at most two you will wind up being called by a REAL expert who will take the time to answer all of your questions patiently and in depth. These people know what they're doing. They're honest and knowledgeable. They are the way tech support used to be, once upon a time.
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Brother DCP-7020 Laser Digital Copier/PrinterBrother DCP-7020 Monochrome Laser Printer, Copier, and Color Scanner
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