Product Solutions

To Inform

To Support

Business Solutions

Learn more about the Brother Creative Center
How to Choose | The Brother Advantage
  How to Choose the Right Printer for Your Needs
There are a wide range of laser printers available today to fulfill the needs of virtually any computer user. Because there are so many printers to choose from, you can easily find a model to fit the needs and budget of any home, office or corporate user.

Color Laser / LED Printer

If your output needs require greater flexibility, then you may want to consider a Color Laser / LED Printer. While Color Laser / LED Printers are more expensive than monochrome lasers, they do allow you the versatility to rapidly produce color documents, reports, and presentations. In addition, Color Laser / LED Printers can easily handle higher daily print volumes as well as deliver a lower cost per page vs. other color printing technologies.
back to top

Black & White Laser Printer

If the majority of your printing is in black and white, a monochrome laser printer may be your best choice. These printers excel at delivering fast, high quality text printing, as well as a low cost per page compared to other print technologies. A monochrome laser printer is a good choice when your print volume exceeds a few pages per day.
back to top

Color Inkjet Printer

If you need to print "photo quality" images and your print volumes are relatively low, your application is best handled by inkjet technology, and one of Brother's Color Inkjet Multi-Function Center® printers may be ideally suited to meet your needs.
back to top

Print Speed

A printer's speed is described in terms of ppm (pages per minute). More expensive printers have faster print speeds. Many entry-level laser printers today have a print speed of around 20ppm, which is usually adequate for personal use.
back to top

Monthly Print Volume

Your print volume determines which printer class to consider. Personal printers are designed for users with lower print volumes. For individuals with higher print volumes, or small groups sharing a printer, an office printer is suitable. Heavy volume users require a heavier duty office printer.
back to top

Print Quality

Print resolution is always stated in dots-per inch (dpi). Most laser printers today have a default resolution at 600x600dpi, which is fine for everyday text printing. For sharper output when printing photographs or documents combining text, photos, and charts, a higher resolution, such as 1200x1200dpi or 2400x600dpi, is preferable. 1200x1200dpi is recommended when your materials need to look their very best, but choosing this resolution can significantly reduce your print speed. Certain Brother printers offer HQ1200 resolution (up to 2400x600dpi) and are capable of printing at their best quality while still printing at or near their highest-rated print speed.
back to top

Compatibility

Brother laser printers offer excellent compatibility with support for both Windows® and Mac® computers. If you have a legacy application that runs under DOS, consider a Brother printer with both a Parallel interface and PCL® emulation.
back to top

Connectivity

Most Brother laser printers come standard with USB and Parallel interfaces for maximum flexibility. If you have a network or plan to share your printer, consider a Brother printer with a built-in Ethernet or wireless network interface. Wireless printers eliminate the need to connect the printer using a cable, and allow you to locate it where it is most convenient.
back to top

Memory

All Brother printers have sufficient standard memory for everyday office printing. If you are printing more complex documents such as graphics, photographs, charts, or specialized fonts, consider a Brother printer with upgradeable memory. In general, the more memory a printer has, the better it can handle larger, more complex documents. All of Brother's memory-upgradeable printers use industry standard memory, which is readily available.
back to top

Paper Capcity

If your printer will be on a network, or if you have large print volumes, consider a Brother printer with a large paper capacity to avoid paper outages. Brother offers several models with over 500-sheet input capacity. In addition, many models offer optional input or output options for future expansion.
back to top

Different Paper Sizes

Consider whether you will be printing on different paper sizes. All Brother laser printers support up to legal size paper. If you frequently print on both letter and legal size paper, consider a Brother printer that offers two lower paper trays. You can fill letter paper in one tray and legal in the other, and automatically select paper from either tray.

Most Brother laser printers also offer a manual feed slot or multi-purpose tray for printing letterhead, envelopes, labels, custom paper sizes, and heavier media.
back to top

Duplex Printing (2-sided)

If you want to print two-sided documents, consider a Brother printer with built-in automatic duplex printing. This feature saves time, reduces waste, and can decrease your printing costs.
back to top

USB Direct Interface

Brother Color Laser / LED Printers offer an easy access built-in USB Direct Interface for convenient "PC free" printing. With this feature, users can print PDF and JPEG files directly from a USB flash memory drive. The USB Direct Interface also provides PictBridge support. Simply connect your PictBridge-enabled digital camera to print pictures directly from the camera, without first downloading to a PC.
back to top

Secure Print

For document security, many Brother printers offer a Secure Print feature. This feature password protects documents to help ensure that only the password holder will see confidential documents.
back to top

LCD Displays

Many Brother printers offer either a monochrome or 3-color LCD display to enable users to easily modify settings or to determine the printer's status.
back to top

Emulations

If you have applications that require DOS support, you'll need a printer with PCL® emulation and a Parallel Interface. Most Brother laser printers offer PCL® emulation, which is generally used for everyday office document printing. If you are printing graphics, photos, special fonts and charts, or if you are a Mac® user, consider a printer with PostScript®. Many Brother laser printers come standard with BR-Script3 for PostScript®3™ compatibility.
back to top

Warranty, Service and Support

All Brother monochrome laser printers come with a one-year Express Exchange limited warranty, and Brother Color Laser / LED Printers come with either a one-year Express Exchange limited warranty, or a one-year on-site limited warranty. Brother also offers warranty extensions for extra protection.

A toll-free customer service number and a technical website provides access to the most up-to-date printer drivers, documentation, and technical support.
back to top

PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Printed in the U.S.A. All specifications subject to change without notice. ©2007 Brother International Corporation. Brother is a registered trademark of Brother Industries, Ltd.

© 1995 - 2009 Brother International Corp.