If you need a printer for your home or a small office, then the Brother MFC-J995DW
This Brother printer has a number of exciting innovations to offer, and they all seem focused on making your printing tasks as affordable as they possibly can. For instance, this printer comes with a year of ink in the box. I think that is a huge plus for shoppers looking for a home printer. A few technological tweaks on this model also make it a handy piece of equipment to have around your home or office. For instance, you can print straight from your phone or tablet, and printing is automatically two-sided. A real workhorse, the printer can handle a 5000-page duty cycle, although the manufacturer recommends 1500 pages a month.
So, let’s take a closer look at some of the upsides and downsides to owning this printer, ending in a verdict that will help you decide whether this Brother printer has a place in your home or office.
If you want to skip our review, click here to check out the Brother MFC-J995DW.
Here’s my Brother MFC-J995DW Review; Is It the Best Printer for Home Use?
The Pros
Super Cheap Ink
Having owned a few printers myself, I can honestly admit that nothing can ruin your peace of mind as easily as the high cost of printer ink. A printer might seem like a bargain when you are making the purchase, but your spending on ink might make you consider getting a more efficient model altogether. If you have been through this experience, then you will gladly appreciate what the Brother MFC-J995DW Inkjet printer has to offer. Believe it or not, you will go for a year without having to worry about ink when you get this printer.
That’s right. You can print about 150 pages a month for a year using the year’s supply of ink that comes with this printer. Brother has used what it calls INKvestment Tank Ink System that, among other things, features larger and more efficient cartridges that will ensure that the ink lasts longer. This has to be hands down the greatest benefit to having this printer.
Most printers I know look good on paper, and they do deliver
quality work. But most users have gripes about their unforgiving ink
consumption rates. You will not have to worry about that when using Brother
MFC-J995DW
Small Design Being a printer designed for home and small offices, it is no mean feat that this printer features a small compact design. Space economy is a big deal in these kinds of environments, and the company took full consideration of that fact. You will be glad to know that, in this case, small does not mean inefficient. This printer is also easy to operate regarding things like refilling the paper tray and replacing the ink cartridges. In fact, the cartridges are front loaded, and they are tucked away in an ink tank that ensures they deliver their maximum performance throughout their useful life.
Small-in-One
For a printer that offers such a high level of performance, it is surprising that the J995DW does not take up a whole lot of space. Usually, printers that can do these kinds of job take up more space, and that can be an issue for someone who is trying to find space for their printer among other things on their desk. The printer measures just 17.1” x 13.4” x 7.7”, and it weighs 19.2 pounds. By being light and small, moving this printer around or finding a good place to position it will not be an issue. Despite having this small size, the printer is still able to hold 100 sheets on its main tray and an additional sheet on its bypass tray on the back.
Cheap Cheap Cheap!
Many people have had this problem – soon after purchasing a printer, they have to shop for ink a few weeks afterwards. That is what makes printing such an expensive affair. But this Brother printer is cheap all the way. The ink is cheap, and the printer is affordable, with a price of under $200. The printer is also quite efficient in its use of ink, and without compromising the quality of the print outs the printer can give you. The printer even comes with a visual display that lets you know how much ink you have used, and how many pages you can print before you need a refill. This is brilliant, and it’s nothing like ridiculously inaccurate ink volume indicators that come with most printers. The printer’s ink gauge system is actually more reliable, and you can even request replacement cartridges from the control panel directly. For this reason, the problem of running out of ink in the middle of an important assignment is well addressed with this printer.
And it’s not like it makes sense to buy spare cartridges for this model, considering that they are designed to provide a year’s worth of printing before they run out. As long as you are printing below the recommended monthly maximum, you’re all good! Otherwise, this printer is designed to print for less than a cent in black and for less than 5 cents for colored pages.
The Cons
Printing. Takes. Forever.
This printer takes it time. Sure, it does great work and is more than capable of delivering business-quality print ups. But it will probably take longer than you would like to get the job done. For instance, printing a letter-sized glossy photo takes over 4 minutes. There are printers that can do the job in less than half the time. The sluggishness is also witnessed in other aspects of the printer’s operations. For instance, the printer will take its pretty time loading content from a USB drive. The problem is compounded by the fact that the printer does not print very fast. There is also the issue of the media tray behind the unit, which can also have one sheet at a go and nothing more. Therefore, printing photos and other high quality work is going to take time and effort. Also, while being able to print from your mobile device might sound enticing, the printing speed that comes with this functionality is not something you might like. A page might take up to a minute print. One of the few times you might actually be impressed with the unit’s speed is when making copies. The MFC-J995DW can give you a copy in a little over 12 seconds. That’s not far from the specs sheet value of 6 ppm. In this class of printers, these speeds are not entirely shocking, but they still leave something to be desired.
User Interface Takes Time
The printer is outfitted with a 2.7-inch color touch screen, and it works great. We have to commend Brother for that. However, the menu is difficult to operate, the screen is just a little too small. You will have to play around with the settings to get the desired printing results with this printer, and that might take a little time to learn. So, you will have to use the manual to ensure that you get the functionalities right and achieve the expected results. Also, it takes a little while before the printer gets to work. While setting up the printer is designed to go smoothly, this is not always the case. On both Windows and Mac, downloading or installing the printer software comes with some challenges, but nothing an average joe cannot handle. But while the process might take a while, the process is easy. The mobile apps work great, which is obviously a huge relief.
Brother MFC-J995DW Review Verdict – The Best Printer for Home Use Gets 4/5 Stars
If your dream is to own a printer that spends less ink, then the Brother MFC-J995DW might be everything you want and more. The cost per page on this printer is unbelievably low; and the company will give you a head start by giving you a year’s worth of ink with the purchase. Most of its competitors do not even come close as far as ink economy goes.
So, all in all, the Brother MFC-J995 printer is a solid purchase. The printer is versatile, and it will be more than adequate for most homes and small offices. With its small space footprint, this is also a printer that will force you to rethink your office décor as you try to find space for it. Generally, the printer offers a rich blend of productivity and convenience, and the fact that it has extras like automatic two-sided printing and diverse connectivity options is a huge plus as well.
Still, if you want a machine that can churn out the prints much faster, you will have to master some patience to really like this printer. And again, this is not the kind of printer that you will unbox and master the controls intuitively – the user interface will need time to learn. But as far as compact, low-maintenance, all-in-one printers go, you can count on the Brother MFC-J995DW
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