Brother MFC-6490CW

by Lennard Canter
(Chicago,Il.)

For me all computer printers are very much the same. Actually, I had an open mind in buying a printer, so did I when I bought the Brother MFC-6490. I just wanted a printer to have all functions available so the whole family can use it for its other features. It’s always been so ironic that everybody has to use the printer all at the same time.

The main reason why I bought the Brother MFC-6490 is that it’s small enough to move around yet I can scan spreadsheets and ledgers with its tabloid size capability. All computer printers are very much the same to me. If I were after superior prints, I would have opted for the laser printer types or if I was after superb photo printing I would have chosen an inkjet photo printer. Therefore, my criteria were mainly in its printing and scanning size capacity and all other functions were secondary. As long as they can do the job decently, that’s good enough for me.

That’s exactly the problem, you couldn’t count on its “great” features to work seamlessly. For one, I was disappointed to learn that Brother MFC-6490CW restricted networking to only two computers. I read it right from the Quick Setup Guide and was confirmed by an authorized Brother Customer service. They said if I were to add a third laptop or PC, I would have to purchase an additional NL-5 or a five-user license. I was told that the MFL-Pro Suite Software License permits only up to 2 network computers.

So that started to dampen my spirits but I still gave faith that the tabloid size printing, scanning, photocopying and fax messaging will work well for a multi-function AIO computer. So far, the print didn’t fail to disappoint me either. The colors seemed blunt and dull and I would hate to think it’s because of the size. I’m not a perfectionist but I recognize quality too. The documents I printed didn’t make me feel too proud when I showed them to my customers.

In fact, the ink costs confirmed just that, it didn’t use up much ink for printing my spread sheets and large drawings. I guess the software didn’t adjust much as far as ink is concerned when printing its famed tabloid size. The good thing about it is that the printer software provides easy access to indicate ink levels so you can see how much of the ink you have used up.

The thing that really got me exasperated is when the machine jammed on the last paper it pulled from the tray. I removed the jammed sheet and went through all the reset motion of opening and closing printer doors and lids but it wouldn’t budge. Even the jam screen will not reset so I simply pulled the plug. After several tries at recycling power, I was finally able to keep it going again and finish what I was doing. I downloaded a new driver but without any confidence that it’s going to solve the problem. I did that as a sort of fresh start and kept my fingers crossed that it’s not going to jam again.

Obviously, I’m not too happy with the Brother MFC-6490 I bought that’s why I’ve made some arrangements with the local dealer for a replacement while it’s still under warranty. Well that’s what I get for settling on a low cost tabloid sized printer. As I said, I’m not a perfectionist, but even non-perfectionists would prefer a printer that doesn’t jam at will.