Brother's DCP-330C is a feature-packed multifunction inkbox that uses the company's new Innobella-branded consumables. But what really makes this AIO shine is the affordable price of S$218. It's not all rags and bones, though. You get a built-in 2.0-inch color LCD panel that allows you to check the ink level status or preview your images, as well as an onboard memory card reader.

Design
At that price, most people would assume the printer won't be the fanciest machine around. Well, they're right. The DCP-330C's design is plain, but it is functional. The buttons on the control panel are well-labeled and we like the rubbery texture which reduces the occurrence of unsightly fingerprints.

Everything is kept fuss-free on this Brother. However, being simple doesn't mean it's sloppy. The 7.3kg DCP-330C felt solid when we took the unit out of its packaging. Ink cartridges are conveniently slotted into the compartment on the front of the printer so you don't have to lift the top lid to find the ink holders.

Features
There's an onboard memory card reader that reads most types of storage devices, though you'll need to use an adapter for those smaller miniSD and Memory Stick DUO cards. A PictBridge port allows the user to print direct from the digital camera. Working hand-in-hand is a 2.0-inch color LCD that can be lifted at varying angles for picture review.

With the exception of fax, this printer prints, scans and copies. However, if you intend to connect the machine to a network of computers at home or require an automatic document feeder (ADF), you'd have to turn to the higher-end DCP-540CN. Like most devices these days, setting up and installing the printer on our test PC wasn't a challenge. The user manual and quick setup guide was easy to follow.

What's unique about this multifunction printer is its dual-purpose tray that allows the user to load both A4 (100 sheets) and 4 x 6-inch media (20 sheets) concurrently. When you're not printing 4R photos, all you have to do is slide the top tray forward by releasing the catch and the lower tray will feed A4-sized paper for normal printing.

Performance
Performance on this Brother wasn't too sloppy, though we did wonder why it took 55 seconds from the time we hit Print on our computer before the inkbox started printing our 10-page test, taking 3 minutes for the last page to drop onto the tray. A color graphics and text page managed 25 seconds, but not after 20 seconds had passed. Printing pauses if the ink compartment holder is opened.

Printing a borderless A4 photo required a sluggish 8 minutes, which gave us enough time to grab a quick bite and drink while the machine still continued working on the picture. Choosing the bordered version shaved off just 40 seconds. 4R snaps, on the other hand, took about 2 minutes 20 seconds. All photo tests were done with Brother's Premium Glossy photo paper with default Photo-quality print settings.

Copying on the multifunction was a little more comforting at 40 seconds for a color graphics document or an A4 photo.

Image Quality
We didn't have much to complain about print quality. The text prints can be read clearly up to a 3 point Times New Roman font. Color graphics prints were also good with smooth graduation. Unless you have eagle eyes, you won't be able to spot any problems with the photo prints. Flesh tones were accurate with nicely saturated colors. Our copied prints were nearly identical to the original with only slight banding issues and discoloration.