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Reviews of the Brother MFC-685cw

  • 6.3

    CNET Review

    October 25, 2007

    The Good: Compact design; offers PictBridge port and memory card reader; PictBridge port supports USB flash drives; wide-screen LCD; onboard handset and answering machine; secure mode lets you receive faxes in password-protected memory.

    The Bad: Average to slow task speeds; print quality needs a lot of improvement; refilling paper cassette and engaging photo tray require you to fully detach the cassette.

    The Bottom Line: 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.

    Read the full review

  • 10

    alaTest.com

    By alaTest | November 21, 2009

    Review Summary: Experts rate this product 68/100 and users 78/100. Comparing these reviews to 210785 other Printers reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 100/100 = Excellent.

    Read the full review

  • 6.9

    computershopper.com

    By Denny Atkin | March 20, 2008

    Review Summary: For the price, the Brother MFC-685CW is a decent but unexceptional all-in-one printer. You should only consider it if speed isn't a concern.

    Read the full review

  • 8.0

    goodgearguide.com.au

    Review Summary: The MFC-685CW is a burger with the lot, with wireless connectivity thrown in for good measure. Its print quality for documents is adequate, and its scanning capability is good, but it's not a good choice for photo prints.

    Read the full review

  • 7.3

    pcworld.com

    By Melissa Riofrio | January 18, 2008

    Review Summary: The MFC-685CW's slowness hampers an otherwise solid machine. Only a very patient person would put up with that in exchange for everything else

    Read the full review

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Manufacturer: Brother International

Part number: MFC685CW

General

  • Copier Type Digital
  • Fax Type Plain paper
  • Printing Technology Ink-jet - Color - Photo printer
  • Monthly Duty Cycle (max) 2500 impressions
  • Display Diagonal Size 3.3"
  • Office Machine Features Print from memory card
  • Width 15.7 in
  • Depth 14.6 in
  • Height 7.1 in
  • Weight 18.5 lbs

Memory

  • Standard Memory 32 MB
  • Supported Flash Memory CompactFlash, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, USB flash drive, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro

Copying

  • Max Copying Speed up to 22 pages/min (mono) / up to 20 pages/min (color)
  • Max Copying Resolution up to 1200 x 1200 dpi (mono) / up to 1200 x 600 dpi (color)
  • Gray Scale Half-Tones 256
  • Max Document Enlargement 400 %
  • Max Document Reduction 25 %
  • Maximum Copies 99
  • Automatic Duplexing None
  • Copying Features 2 on 1, 4 on 1

Printing

  • Max Printing Resolution up to 6000 x 1200 dpi (mono) / up to 6000 x 1200 dpi (color)
  • Max Printing Speed up to 30 pages/min (mono) / up to 25 pages/min (color)
  • Ink Cartridge Configuration 4 cartridges (1 each: cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
  • Ink Palette Supported (Colors) Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
  • Color 4-ink
  • Minimum Ink Droplet Size 1.5 pl
  • Ink Type Brother Innobella ink

Scanning

  • Scan Element CIS
  • Optical Resolution 600 x 2400 dpi
  • Interpolated Resolution 19200 x 19200 dpi
  • Gray Scale Depth 8 bit
  • Color Depth 24 bit
  • Color Depth (Internal) 36 bit

Fax Machine

  • Compatibility G3
  • Max Transmission Speed 14.4 Kbps
  • Data Compression System MH, MR, MMR, JPEG
  • Total Memory Capacity 480 pages
  • Handset Corded handset
  • PC Faxing Yes

Fax Machine Features

  • Broadcast Transmission 210 stations
  • Remote Fax Retrieval (Polling) Yes
  • Features Fax forwarding, Automatic redialing

Document & Media Handling

  • Min Original Size 5.8 in x 5.8 in
  • Max Original Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
  • Original Type Sheets
  • Document Feeder Capacity 10 sheets
  • Max Copy Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
  • Standard Media Capacity 100 sheets
  • Bypass Feeder Capacity 20 sheets
  • Output Trays Capacity 50 sheets
  • Document & Media Handling Details ADF - 10 sheets size: 5.8 in x 5.8 in - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), Input tray - 100 sheets, Output tray - 50 sheets, Bypass tray - 20 sheets - 4 in x 6 in
  • Speed Details Printing : up to 30 pages/min - B/W, Printing : up to 25 pages/min - Color, Copying : up to 22 pages/min - B/W, Copying : up to 20 pages/min - Color

PC Connectivity

  • PC Connection Availability Yes
  • PC Connection USB, USB host, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Ethernet 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX
  • Network Protocols TCP/IP
  • Security Protocols & Features WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA-PSK
  • Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.2.4 or later, MS Windows Vista (64-bit versions), MS Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
  • Software Included Drivers & utilities, Presto! PageManager, ScanSoft PaperPort SE

Miscellaneous

  • Direct Printing Specifications DPOF, PictBridge
  • Included Accessories Scansoft PaperPort
  • Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7

Manufacturer Warranty

  • Service & Support 1 year warranty

Environmental Parameters

  • Sound Emission 50 dB (operating)
  • Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
  • Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
  • Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%

Answering Machine

  • Answering system type Digital
  • Recording Capacity 29 min

CNET Labs' Benchmarks

  • CNET Labs Color Scanning Speed Test (pages per minute) 3.65
  • CNET Labs Gray Scale Scanning Speed Test (pages per minute) 4.29
  • CNET Labs Photo Speed Test (pages per minute) 1.3
  • CNET Labs Presentation Speed Test (pages per minute) 2.62
  • CNET Labs Printer Graphics Speed Test (pages per minute) 1.99
  • CNET Labs Text Speed Test (pages per minute) 2.76

Product Photos

  • OVR
  • FT
  • SD
  • BK

User Opinions

Write your own review

Buying Choices

MFC-685cw All-In-One Printer from 5 online stores: Lowest Price: $184.99

See prices from 5 stores

Brother MFC-685cw

Buying Choices

MFC-685cw All-In-One Printer from 5 online stores: Lowest Price: $184.99

See prices from 5 stores

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