Brother may not be the biggest name in printers – they tend to be overshadowed by some of the other manufacturers – but they do tend to produce some well-known and popular units. The question is whether or not you should add one to your home or office. Here is a look at some advantages and disadvantages of this brand.
Pros of Buying a Brother Printer
There are a number of advantages to purchasing a Brother inkjet or laser printer.
• Price. In comparison to the other brands, Brother’s models are quite reasonable in terms of their price tag. For example, you can find a laser printer with wireless capabilities for just over $100. You can also find an all-in-one inkjet unit for around $80 which is very inexpensive.
• Reputation. Brother has been around for a long time. Older users may remember learning how to type on Brother typewriters or using Brother word processors before computers hit the market in a big way.
• Reasonable operating costs. Unlike some brands, Brother does not have a reputation for charging a fortune for Brother ink cartridges and toner. In fact, operating one of the units can be very affordable.
Cons of Buying a Brother Printer
Everything isn’t rosy with Brother printers, of course. There are some problems that consumers have noticed and that might cause you to rethink your desire to buy one of these printers.
Poor customer service. As with Dell, Brother has had some major customer service complaints in recent years and consumers have been very vocal about these troubles on the Internet.
Not equal in performance. Brother does offer a wide selection of printer options but they are not all created equal. Customers seem to prefer the quality of the laser printers to the all-in-one units which seem to have more than their fair share of problems.
Automatic head cleaning. To maintain high quality printing, the heads of your printer need to be cleaned periodically and this uses up some of the ink. With some Brother units, the head cleaning is automatic and can even occur in the middle of a print job (or fax job if you’re using a multifunction unit). Other units allow you to schedule these cleanings. However, if the cleaning is being done too frequently you may be wasting ink.
Using All of the Ink
One complaint a few consumers seem to have with some of the Brother units is that they stop working before the ink is completely empty. That means you’d end up paying for ink that ends up thrown away.
Getting a Brother?
While there are some plusses and minuses to Brother printers in general, you’ll want to investigate some individual models on your own before making a final decision and picking the right printer for your specific needs.