Printing The Brother MFC-J1170DW prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. It has very good text quality, though not quite as good as the best printers. Text printing was reasonably fast, 5 pages took 19 seconds, costing 7.7 cents per page. It prints color graphics well enough for most purposes, such as school reports, costing 45.1 cents per page. It prints photos on glossy paper that are fine for casual users, but not as good as many inkjet printers. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page. Individual cartridges for each color let you change only the ones that are empty. The capacity of the main paper tray is 150 sheets, a typical amount.
Scanning and Copying This is a multi-function printer. Scanning performance was OK, but had a few noticeable flaws. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages.
Controls and Display The printer has a color display screen 2.6-inch diagonal size, touch-input capability, and can be tilted.
Connectivity and Networking It can print documents via USB, Ethernet, WiFi and a phone with NFC. We found it relatively easy to setup the WiFi connection on this printer. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC.
Cost of Ownership and Ink When this page was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $160, low for a all-in-one cartridge inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink and the costs add up over time. This printer uses four (4) cartridges. When the ink runs low, you replace the empty cartridge. The inks we used in testing were the Brother LC401 BK, LC401 C, LC401 M, and LC401 Y cartridges—at the time, the prices were $15, $11, $11 and $11 respectively. We estimate each cartridge of ink to last at least 4 months—a very short time—following a typical monthly printing amount of 19 text and 8 graphic pages. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate your total equivalent cost to be $479—high for a inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $160, which is very high for a inkjet type of printer. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $958. The printer uses up very little space.
Printer Firmware Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing.
Software The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual and scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a PC and the Windows operating system, using the latest version of printer software (driver) and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was NP.
About the ink, software and firmware Our test results are valid only for the Brother-brand ink, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown, you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware: Either (1) run the Brother printer-update app on the PC, or (2) access the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Brother's website for further guidance.
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