Brother MFC-7840W Multifunction Scanner Review

The Efact USA test labs recently got our hands on a Brother MFC-7840W Multifunction copier/scanner/printer/fax machine. Here is a quick rundown: 35-page input tray (we were actually able to fit up to about 60 pages) plus flatbed Single-sided scanning only No page size auto-detection At 200DPI In our tests, around 10 pages per minute black and white 200DPI (faster at lower DPI) Network scanning support (NOTE: we do NOT typically recommend network scanning for high-volume scanning needs) Monochrome laser printer, fax machine, and copier all built in Wireless networking support Pros: Price!  Much better than any other scanners at this price range. Much faster than a flatbed Also includes a flatbed Relatively easy setup Print, fax, and copy features Cons: Some problems with double-feeds Some problems with skew Not appropriate for high-volume scanning Lack of page size autodetect means it is inconvenient for people doing a lot of mixed-size scanning Single sided scanning means you will need to scan any double sided document twice Before we got ahold of the Brother MFC-7840W we maintained that most document-fed scanners below the ~$800 level were not worth purchasing, due to driver issues, jamming issues, double feeds, roller problems, maintenance problems, etc.  However, this little device may just fit a niche for the small office ...

Connecting a scanner to your PC: USB or SCSI?

Some scanners on the market offer two ways to connect to a personal computer: Either they can do so via USB or via SCSI. At My Efact, we overwhelmingly recommend the use of USB. The key here is availability: We believe that your scanner is less likely to be down for extended periods with USB instead of SCSI, for several reasons: Ease of maintenance: SCSI is hard to manage. One needs to know about archaic details such as SCSI IDs and proper termination. Some IT professionals may not be familiar enough with SCSI to get your scanner up and running quickly. That delay results in downtime. In contrast, USB is easy to manage. Every IT professional and most tech-savvy office employees can easily diagnose and correct USB problems. Scanner downtime is minimized. Availability: SCSI cables and SCSI terminators are hard to find and expensive. If you have a bad SCSI cable, be prepared for a trip to a far-away specialty store, or wait for UPS to deliver a new one. In contrast, USB cables can be found inexpensively at any office supply store; many offices even have USB cables on-hand. If you have a bad USB cable, spend a few minutes to hook ...