Brother DCP-L6600DW, we have tested it

The Brother DCP-L6600DW is a powerful Brother bet for SMEs with a heavy workload. This black and white laser printer prints at high speeds of up to 46 pages per minute and is designed to handle monthly print cycles of up to 7,500 prints . But also, one of its great bets is in its additional functions. And is that this equipment is capable of scanning documents with a speed of up to 100 images per minute or get 46 copies per minute. Both printing, copying and scanning incorporate the duplex function , a really interesting addition to save on paper. We had the chance to test the Brother DCP-L6600DW, available in the store of the Japanese company for 835 euros.

Print speeds

We live in an age where speed is key. And at work more. The Brother DCP-L6600DW printer is ready to give us really good performance, comparable in speed (single-sided printing) to what we have experienced with various HP Officejet Pro X printers . This model has a top print speed of up to 46 pages per minute . As usual, this is a theoretical figure that is rarely reached, and we have put it to the test both single-sided and double-sided with common office prints. Here we do not intend to make an exhaustive study but to give a measure or sketch of what we can find in a typical office environment on a day-to-day basis.

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Speed test

Number of documents and quality	Simplex / Duplex	First printing / Total time	Average speed
40 (600 dpi)	To one side	16 seconds / 68.5 seconds	35 ppm
40 (600 dpi) Second test with hottest printer	To one side	16 seconds / 66.5 seconds	36 ppm
40 (1,200 dpi)	To one side	21 seconds / 72.4 seconds	33 ppm
40 (600 dpi)	Two-sided	22 seconds / 118.5 seconds	20 ppm

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The results show the good performance achieved by the printer, with speeds of up to 36 pages per minute in simplex printing with good print qualities (600 dpi). In the case of using the duplex function, the speed drops notably to 20 ppm, something normal in the vast majority of printing equipment. Still, these are very competitive numbers that make it worth waiting a little longer to save on paper costs. As you can see, the maximum print quality of the Brother DCP-L6600DW is 1,200 x 1,200 dots per inch. The overall impression is very good with professional finishes and little heat curl.

The Brother DCP-L6600DW is designed for a recommended print volume of up to 7,500 pages per month . This figure is the one that we must respect to ensure the correct operation of the equipment throughout its entire life cycle.

Powerful scanner and copier

Without a doubt, one of the great bets of this multifunction printer is found in the speed and versatility of its copy and scan functions. Something normal, if we consider that little by little printing loses weight in the office environment in favor of document digitization. According to official Brother figures , your DCP-L6600DW printer is capable of scanning speeds of up to 100 images per minute in black and white using the duplex function (50 ipm when using the normal function) . This speed drops considerably to a maximum of 34 images per minute in color and duplex, or 20 ipm in color and in single-sided function.. Precisely, it should be noted that both the scanner and copy functions incorporate automatic duplexing, a key function to save time and inconvenience when scanning documents or making copies. The maximum quality of the scans is placed at 600 dots per inch if we use the automatic feeder or up to 1,200 dpi with the glass (one document at a time).

As in the case of printing, we wanted to confront this printer with two jobs with a mixture of black and white and color of 40 sheets with an average resolution of 200 dots per inch . The final result is placed at a maximum of 58 images per minute in the case of using the duplex function or 39 images per minute in the case of working on one side.

To facilitate larger jobs, an 80-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) is built into the top . When creating digital documents, the option to generate a single PDF document with all the pages of the job or automatically divide each page into a different PDF stands out. Nor could the option of OCR type PDF be missing , that is, a format that makes it easier for us to work with the text of the document itself created with different compatible editing programs. For companies that regularly have to work with legal documents, the PDF / A format is also available . This format ensures that the content that appears in the file iscomprehensive and valid for several decades . To give an example, external links to web pages that may vary over the years are not allowed.

The Brother DCP-L6600DW incorporates another way to scan documents and send them directly to email , a very common practice for working with other users. In the event that the resulting document is too large, there is the option of dividing the PDF into several less heavy files to be able to send them without problems in several emails . Of course, the downside of this feature is that afterwards you have to rejoin the PDFs with an external tool (and you can also fill the mailbox with exploded PDFs). Personally, one of the advanced functions that I have liked the most about this printer is the option to eliminate the background color of a document, something very useful when dealing with forms or other similar formats.

As for the copy function, we also have automatic duplexing and maximum speeds of 46 copies per minute in black and white. Quality goes up to 1,200 x 600 dots per inch. In our tests we have faced it with a 40-sheet job with automatic quality and speeds of up to 74 copies per minute single-sided and up to 21 copies per minute double-sided.

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Speed test

Number of documents and quality	Simplex / Duplex	First printing / Total time	Average speed
Copy 40 sheets Automatic quality black and white	To one side	6 seconds / 32.3 seconds	74 cpm
Copy 40 sheets Automatic quality black and white	Two-sided	16 seconds / 111.4 seconds	21 cpm
Scanner 40 sheets 200 dpi	To one side	6 seconds / 61 seconds	39 ipm
Scanner 40 sheets 200 dpi	Two-sided	7 seconds / 82.5 seconds	58 ipm

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Very comfortable interface with advanced security options

Without a doubt, one of the advances that laser printers have experienced the most in recent years is their ease of use. More and more manufacturers are opting for a clean and well-ordered interface, which revolves around its touch functionality. The Brother DCP-L6600DW brings us a 12.3-centimeter color touch screen. Its location on a panel that protrudes from the feeder area and has a good degree of inclination makes it easier to see the panel and navigate through its menus. The Japanese company is committed to continuity with the use of its already usual large icons and with the prominence of shortcuts.This menu, which is accessed from an icon at the bottom of the screen, allows us to establish different shortcuts to the functions most used in the printer. For example, we can incorporate a button to scan a file from the feeder and send it directly to a recipient. This panel opens up a world of different options that can save us a lot of time when handling the printer.

Brother also wanted to put the accent on security with a dedicated button for secure printing. In this way, a document sent to be printed with this function will only be able to exit the printer once we have entered the corresponding PIN . Even more interesting is the ability to create up to 200 different users. Each of these users with their own limitations and assigned functions. So, for example, we can limit a worker's color prints or only allow them to make prints so that they cannot easily get company information out of the office. In addition, we have an NFC reader that is used to manage printing or other functions through a NFC employee card supported.

Nor could it lack access to different cloud services, such as Dropbox, Facebook, OneNote, Evernote, Google Drive ... Although it is a universe that has not yet been squeezed much in the world of printers, the truth is that They provide us with extra functionality for users who do not want to have to perform intermediate steps. On a personal level, I have the impression that this access to the cloud will not be fully developed until the accounts and access to services can be configured directly through the mobile (with the dedicated app).

Design and paper handling

The Brother DCP-L6600DW is a printer with a fairly compact design considering its speed and the versatility of its functions. Its overall dimensions are placed in 59.9 x 52.6 x 65.9 cm , with a weight of 18.5 kilos . The company uses white on the bottom of the equipment and gray on both the glass and the automatic document feeder and the panel that includes its 12.3-centimeter diagonal touch screen . One of the design details that we liked the most about the Brother DCP-L6600DW is the fact that the USB memory slot has been incorporated just below the display panel. It is a very comfortable and visible placement that facilitates working with these memory skewers.

The standard version of the printer includes a 520-sheet capacity paper tray . We also have a 50 sheet multipurpose tray . However, since we are looking at a printer designed for powerful workloads, it may be a good idea to add one or more additional trays, available in 250-sheet or 520-sheet formats. In its full capacity, we can choose a 2,080-sheet tray tower (4 trays of 520 sheets). In addition to being able to work with several formats, the trays can be configured so that the system automatically searches for the same type of format in a secondary tray when we run out of paper from the first one. Or, use a tray as a separator to place a specific colored sheet between jobs. The output tray has a maximum capacity of 250 sheets.

Wireless and mobile printing

As usual in the Japanese company, Brother has deployed a very complete set of connections in this printer to facilitate tasks at work. Starting with its WiFi connectivity , which allows the printer to be connected to the company network without the need for cables. Of course, we also have the option of using an Ethernet cable . Options for wireless printing include AirPrint (for Apple computers) or Google Cloud Print. While if our intention is to connect through an Android mobile we can use the Brother Print Service plugin , Mopria technology(which is integrated into Android to facilitate printing from the apps' own menus) or from the Brother iPrint & Scan app . This third way is the most complete, with several advanced options that cannot be accessed from the plugin or Mopria. In addition, each year Brother is working to improve the interface and add more advanced options.

From here we can print documents from the mobile with preview, perform scans that are sent directly to the smartphone or tablet, check the status of the toners or have a preview of the copy of the documents with which we are going to work on the printer to avoid mistakes. As a novelty, several document editing tools have been included such as scale, straighten or crop. We also have the option to send a fax directly from the mobile (although this is not the case with the L6600DW as it does not incorporate fax, as is the case with the Brother MFC-L6800DW ). In short, a very complete platform with a very easy to use interface.

Price and reviews

The Brother DCP-L6600DW is available in the company's official store for a price of 835 euros. It is a complete team that offers us a set of powerful features that stands out for its great versatility. Of course, designed for those companies that do not have to print in color . Among the most outstanding aspects of this model we find its good speed for both printing and copying or scanning, the clarity of its interface or the range of options to print wirelessly or via mobile.