Find The Right Printers

Brother MFC-990CW

The Brother MFC-990CW is a speedy, fully capable all-in-one device that earns our recommendation for an individual or a family that will make use of its touch screen and telephone/answering machine. Mechanical issues notwithstanding, this is the highest-scoring Brother printer we've tested to date.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi, Cordless handset

Brother MFC-3360C

The Brother MFC-3360C does decent quality text and graphics, but anyone printing a large volume of photos won't be happy with the extremely slow output speed. If you're set on buying a multifunction printer, put your $90 toward a more capable device, like the Canon Pixma MX330.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 1200 dpi, Corded handset

Brother DCP 165C

We've tested plenty of printers at CNET, but very few have frustrated us as much as the Brother DCP-165C multifunction has. The counterintuitive setup, bland design, deplorable print quality, and crawling output speeds earns this printer a double thumbs down. Spend $30 more and you can get the Canon Pixma MX330, an all-in-one printer that adds a fax machine on top of the copy, scan, and print features.

Specs: Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi

Brother MFC-490CW

The Brother MFC-490CW is an improvement over the more expensive MFC-5890CN, but that still doesn't excuse its drudging print speeds and mechanical issues under the hood. Instead of dealing with these headaches, we recommend you look toward the Canon Pixma MX330, which will give you consistent performance and a variety of extra features for the same price.

Specs: 1 year warranty

Brother MFC-5890CN

The Brother MFC-5890CN all-in-one is hands down the worst printer to take up space in our lab. From the irritating initial set up to the horrendous output quality and slow print speed, this device is the easiest way to flush $200 down the drain.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi, None

Brother MFC 7440N

The Brother MFC-7440N prints quickly and is fairly inexpensive to sustain, but we simply can't get behind a printer with poor quality graphics, significant hardware defects, and a boring design.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Laser, 600 x 2400 dpi, None

Brother HL-2170W

The Brother HL-2170W laser printer can be the perfect money saving sidekick to your existing inkjet, but don't expect it to handle even the most minor graphic jobs.

Brother MFC-685cw

The Brother MFC-685CW inkjet multifunction printer offers tons of great features at the expense of print speed and quality. If speed and quality are your priorities, look elsewhere.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 2400 dpi, Corded handset

Brother MFC-9440CN

Our quibbles with the Brother MFC-9440CN pale in comparison to the many things we like about it, chiefly its sublime combination of fast speeds with high-quality output. It's currently our favorite recommendation for a small office environment.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Laser, 1200 x 2400 dpi

Brother HL-4040cn

Despite its lagging black print speeds, the Brother HL-4040CN does a lot of things right and makes a compelling color laser printer for small offices or workgroups.

Specs: Workgroup printer - Laser - Color, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 21 pages/min, 20 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB, Direct print USB, Ethernet 10/100Base-TX

Brother MFC-440cn

The Brother MFC-440cn has a lot to offer, but it falls short on print quality. We prefer the Canon Pixma MP530 for a small-office environment.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 2400 x 600 dpi

MW-100 MPrint Micro Printer

This tiny printer creates instant receipts and other tiny documents, handy for on-the-go PDA-toting workers in the field.

Specs: Personal printer - Direct thermal - Monochrome, A7 (2.9 in x 4.1 in), Wired, Wireless, 4 pages/min, PC, USB, Infrared

MW-140BT MPrint Micro Printer (Requires Bluetooth enabled PDA)

Beyond its wow factor, the wallet-size Brother MW-140BT is a perfect fit for anyone needing minute prints from a PDA.

Specs: Personal printer - Direct thermal - Monochrome, A7 (2.9 in x 4.1 in), Wired, Wireless, 4 pages/min, PC, USB, Bluetooth

Brother MFC-5840cn

We love this all-in-one's low price and office-appropriate features, but we can't overlook its poor performance and dismal output quality.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi, None

Brother MFC-3340CN

It's affordable, easy to use, and full of professional features, but this all-in-one printer scans and prints like an amateur.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 1200 dpi, None

Brother MFC-5440CN

It's affordable, easy to use, and full of professional features, but this all-in-one printer scans and prints like an amateur.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 1200 x 2400 dpi, None

Brother MFC-3240C

It's affordable, easy to use, and full of professional features, but this all-in-one printer scans and prints like an amateur.

Specs: Fax, Copier, Printer, Scanner, Ink-jet, 600 x 1200 dpi, None

HL-2040 Personal Laser Printer

The Brother HL-2040 makes a fine first laser printer. To serve a small workgroup, seek its sibling, the HL-2070N.

Specs: Personal printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 20 pages/min, Linux, PC, Mac, USB, Parallel

Brother HL-6050D

The HL-6050D is a reasonably priced option for a growing business.

Specs: Workgroup printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 24 pages/min, 6 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB, Parallel

HL-2070N Monochrome Laser Printer

Specs: Workgroup printer - Laser - Monochrome, A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in), Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Wired, 20 pages/min, PC, Mac, USB, Parallel, Ethernet 10/100Base-TX