By Leonard Goh, CNET Asia
31/10/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/printers/0,39051182,62048047,00.htm

In the already saturated inkjet printer market, it can be difficult to distinguish one printer from another. But Brother's latest lineup sure did make us sit up and take notice. Keeping in line with its focus for this year, the company's inkboxes are targeted at the small and medium enterprise users.

Traditionally, A3 inkjet printers are associated with professional photo printing or industrial use, but the Japanese company has introduced three such machines meant for small businesses. What really caught our attention was that the machines can not only print up to A3-size sheets, they can also fax, copy and scan in A3 dimensions. Its flagship model, the Professional series MFC-6490CW an automatic document feeder (ADF) and wireless networking capability that office users will appreciate. Besides this unit, there is also a range of A3 printers with different features such as touchscreen LCD for navigating and operating the inkbox.

Brother is hoping that its A3 printers can lighten the load of small businesses such as architectural firms and marketing companies which occasionally need to print larger collaterals or floor plans. This can help cut costs and save time by printing in-house instead of outsourcing the job. Size-wise, it is significantly bigger than conventional A4 multifunction printers but can still fit on desktop.

For home offices, Brother has updated its lineup with six new A4 multifunction printers. Entry-level models such as the DCP-385C has a 3.3-inch color LCD for previewing print jobs and is suitable for light users who don't require a fax function. The higher-end MFC-490CW and MFC-5490CM have network connectivity options and ADF to target the multi-user office environment with heavier print loads.

What we think was a thoughtful touch is the company bundling its A3 printers with high-yield ink cartridges rather than the standard ones. Certain models even have built-in watermark capability for printing sensitive documents.

The nine new printers are available in stores now across Asia with prices ranging from S$158 for the entry-level units to S$548 for the A3 inkboxes.

Model name	In a nutshell
Brother MFC-6490CW Click for more details	Notable features: A3 multifunction inkjet printer Print, fax, scan and copy in A3 size 50-sheet ADF Dual paper tray system handles up to 400 sheets 35ppm in A4 black draft mode Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity 3.3-inch color LCD 540 x 488 x 323 mm 15.6kg Retail price: S$548 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother DCP-6690CW Click for more details	Notable features: A3 multifunction inkjet printer without fax Print, scan and copy in A3 size 50-sheet ADF Dual paper tray system handles up to 400 sheets 35ppm in A4 black draft mode Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity 4.2-inch touchscreen color LCD 540 x 488 x 323 mm 15.6kg Retail price: S$548 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother MFC-5890CW Click for more details	Notable features: A3 multifunction inkjet printer Able to print in A3 size Fax, scan and copy up to A4 size only 50-sheet ADF 150-sheet paper tray 35ppm in A4 black draft mode Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity 3.3-inch color LCD 485 x 408 x 242 mm 10.9kg Retail price: S$448 Availability: In stores across Asia now

Model name	In a nutshell
Brother MFC-5490CN Click for more details	Notable features: A4 multifunction inkjet printer Fax, scan and copy 50-sheet ADF 150-sheet paper tray 35ppm in black draft mode Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity 440 x 403 x 222 mm 9.6kg Retail price: S$348 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother MFC-490CW Click for more details	Notable features: A4 multifunction inkjet printer Fax, scan and copy 50-sheet ADF 150-sheet paper tray 3.3-inch color LCD 33ppm in black draft mode Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity 390 x 375 x 180 mm 8.2kg Retail price: S$368 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother MFC-290C Click for more details	Notable features: A4 multifunction inkjet printer Fax, scan and copy 15-sheet ADF 100-sheet paper tray 30ppm in black draft mode USB 2.0 connectivity 390 x 375 x 180 mm 7.8kg Retail price: S$268 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother DCP-585CW Click for more details	Notable features: A4 multifunction inkjet printer Scan and copy 100-sheet paper tray 33ppm in black draft mode Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity 390 x 365 x 180 mm 7.2kg Retail price: S$298 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother DCP-385C Click for more details	Notable features: A4 multifunction inkjet printer Scan and copy 100-sheet paper tray 3.3-inch color LCD 30ppm in black draft mode USB 2.0 connectivity 390 x 365 x 150 mm 7.2kg Retail price: S$198 Availability: In stores across Asia now
Brother DCP-165C Click for more details	Notable features: A4 multifunction inkjet printer Scan and copy 100-sheet paper tray 30ppm in black draft mode USB 2.0 connectivity 390 x 365 x 150 mm 7.1kg Retail price: S$158 Availability: In stores across Asia now