World's first multifunction A3 printer by Brother

by Leonard Goh |
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 (US$126.95) for the entry-level units to S$548 (US$440.30) for the A3 inkboxes.
Model nameIn a nutshell

Brother MFC-6490CW
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    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 (US$440.30)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother DCP-6690CW
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    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 (US$440.30)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother MFC-5890CW
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    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 (US$359.96)
Availability: In stores across Asia now
Model nameIn a nutshell

Brother MFC-5490CN
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    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 (US$279.61)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother MFC-490CW
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    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 (US$295.68)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother MFC-290C
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    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 (US$215.33)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother DCP-585CW
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    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 (US$239.43)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother DCP-385C
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    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 (US$159.09)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Brother DCP-165C
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    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 (US$126.95)
Availability: In stores across Asia now

Latest comments

That looks just like what I need. Super. I'll see if Santa can fit that in his sack this year.

Posted by aweysham
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