Brother MFC-J480DW, we have tested it

Brother MFC-J480DW

Your Expert RecommendedThe Brother MFC-J480DW is a multifunction printer for the home that combines features such as copier, scanner and fax with various connectivity options via WiFi, WiFi Direct or remote printing from Android phones, iPhone and iPad . This model achieves print speeds of up to 12 pages per minute in black and white and 6 ppm in color, has automatic two-sided printing and strengthens its performance with an automatic document feeder of up to 20 sheets (for copy functions, scanner and fax). To carry out the control of the functions, a4.5 centimeter touch screen. In short, an all-terrain team for the living room with all the features we need on a day-to-day basis. The Brother MFC-J480DW is available on the market for a price of 110 euros . We have had the opportunity to test this printer in depth, we tell you our impressions.

Brother MFC-J480DW

Good speeds for the living room

The Brother printer incorporates the features of Print, Copier, Scanner and Fax . A versatile machine that achieves speeds of up to 12 pages per minute in black and white and 6 pages per minute in color. One of the functions that can give us a lot of play is automatic double-sided printing , although it must be taken into account that this feature considerably reduces the printing speed. Even so, we have found that this team maintains quite respectable times (more at less than half the speed of a single-sided printing). In terms of quality, our experience has been good for a team that is around 100 euros. The maximum resolution is 6,000 x 1,200 dots per inch.

We are facing a model designed for sporadic use at home. Its limit is 2,500 printed pages per month , although Brother recommends sticking to a gentler cycle of between 50 and 1,000 prints to make sure the machine will withstand type throughout its life cycle. By the way, when printing, the Japanese company's team places the pages in natural order by default , instead of starting with the last page so that the final result is aligned correctly. This feature can be changed in the settings of the printer itself, but the fact is that it would be more comfortable if the pages were printed in reverse order without having to go through setup first. What does seem like a great success to us is the ability to continue printing temporarily in a single color when one of the cartridges is used up. That way, we will not leave a document halfway and we will have a margin of time to buy the consumables.

Brother MFC-J480DW

Copier, scanner and fax

Besides printing, this equipment also incorporates copy, scan and fax functions. To make use of these characteristics, the inclusion of an automatic document feeder with a capacity of 20 sheets will be very useful , which greatly facilitates the tasks by not depending on placing sheet after sheet on the glass. Unsurprisingly, both copying and scanning are single-sided. The ADF performance is quite good, with copies and scans well aligned. Of course, you have to be more aware of the leaves since it has ever happened to us that it takes two pages by mistake.

Within the copy function, the maximum speed that is achieved is up to 6 copies per minute in black and white and 3 copies per minute in color . Reaches the maximum resolution 2400 x 600 pixels . This tool works perfectly as an occasional substitute for a copier in a reprography, although it must be taken into account that it does not work very quickly and that it might be advisable to go to a store in the event that we have to copy longer documents.

As for the scanner function , its maximum resolution goes up to 2,400 x 1,200 dots per inch . Speed ​​at standard quality is  3.37 seconds per page in monochrome and 4.27 seconds per page in color. The options for working with this scanner are more limited than in more professional cut models such as the Brother MFC-J5720DW , but it maintains the type for home use. Users will be able to scan the document directly through email using an Outlook account. File types that can be scanned to include JPEG or PDF . In addition, one of the interesting options is to use theOCR technology to be able to edit scanned documents in compatible programs.

The fax of this equipment has a speed of 14.4 kbps. Also of note is the option of using PC Fax to send documents directly from the computer to another fax.

Brother MFC-J480DW

Design, interface and paper handling

The Brother MFC-J480DW has a classic design, which stands out for its compact format. It is easy to find a corner in the house to leave this equipment, especially if we consider that its WiFi connectivity avoids having to pass the cable to the router. The full dimensions of this model are placed at  40 x 34.1 x 17.2 centimeters, along with a weight of 8.3 kilos. Compared to other models in which we have seen that the buttons are greatly reduced, Brother has chosen to introduce a notable amount on the front panelto move through the equipment menu. After a first moment in which that much button can be somewhat overwhelming, the truth is that moving through the different characteristics of the printer is simple and quite agile . The role of each button is well marked and the necessary controls appear on the LCD screen to keep going whenever we need it.

Without a doubt, we think it is a great success to make life easier for users who do not have much experience with printer menus.  Another point that we really liked: one of the buttons is used to directly access the WiFi settings from the main menu.

When it comes to paper handling, this printer features a simple 100-sheet input tray . When the paper comes out, a simple plastic extension is used that serves as a stop so that the prints do not fall to the ground. The maximum capacity is 50 sheets. 

Brother MFC-J480DW

Mobile printing and connectivity

Within the field of connections, one of the aspects that could not be missing today is compatibility with WiFi networks. This makes it easy to connect the printer to your home network and print from any device. But also, Brother is one of the companies that is betting the most on mobile printing, and the Brother MFC-J480DW is no exception. On the one hand, we are Mopria certified . This means that users who have an Android mobile or tablet from version 4.4 KitKat will be able to print documents from the apps' own menus., without the need to install a specific tool. Of course, to get the most out of this printer we may be interested in downloading Brother iPrint & Scan , an app with a very attractive interface that not only has a printing function but also allows us to take the scans directly to the mobile, send faxes or even review the printer ink levels. 

Other options go through AirPrint technology for iPhone and iPad , WiFi Direct or Google Cloud Print.

Brother MFC-J480DW-06

Price and reviews

The Brother MFC-J480DW is available in the market for a price of 110 euros. In short, it seems to us a very complete printer for its price , which gives us very good performance in the living room and all the versatility offered by the copy, scan or fax functions . It also has useful features such as a simple automatic document feeder , duplex automatic and a good set of connections and printing remotely via mobile or tablet . All this with a simple and easy-to-use interface that make it an all-terrain team for the day-to-day life of our home.

Brother MFC-J480DW

BrandBrother
ModelBrother MFC-J480DW
TypeInkjet, A4 printing, home printer

performance

SpeedUp to 12 ppm black and white and 6 ppm color
Color / MonoColor
ResolutionUp to 6,000 x 1,200 dpi
First print time-
Maximum monthly cycleUp to 2,500 pages per month
Recommended cycleBetween 50 and 1,000 impressions
DuplexYes

Design

Dimensions40 x 34.1 x 17.2 cm
Weight8.3 kilos
ColorsBlack
screen4.5 cm LCD panel
OthersControl buttons

Other functions

CopyUp to 6 cpm in black and white and 3 cpm in color

Resolution up to 1,200 x 2,400 dpi

Up to 99 copies of the original

Scanner1,200 x 2,400 dpi optical resolution

Speed ​​of 3.37 seconds in monochrome and 4.27 seconds in color (A4, 100 x 100 dpi)

JPEG, PDF formats, OCR function

Scan to Image, Email, File, Web Services

Fax14.4 Kbps, PC fax send and receive (receive only for Windows)

Paper handling

Inbox100 sheets
Outbox50 sheets
Automatic document feederYes, 20 sheets
Supported thicknesses64-220 g / m2 in input tray (64-105 g / m2 with duplex function)

64-90 g / m2 in automatic document feeder

Connections

WifiYes
EthernetNot
USB ports1 x USB 2.0
Mobile printingGoogle Cloud Print, Apple AirPrint, Wi-Fi Direct, Brother iPrint & Scan, Mopria
Others-

Consumption and consumables 

Functioning19 W
Ready3.5 W
ConsumablesBrother High Capacity 550-page Cartridges

260-sheet regular cartridges

BK mode (continues to print in monochrome when one of the cartridges runs out)

+ info

Release dateAvailable
Manufacturer's websiteBrother

Price 110 euros