Brother Presents Three New Inkjet, Wireless AIO Printers

The importance of the SOHO (small office / home office) segment has seriously increased over the past few years, although it remains to be seen whether it will be able to withstand the current (and most likely, future) economic predicament the world is going through. And given the fact that home office users will most likely be on a pretty tight budget in the future, Brother, one of the world's best-known manufacturers of various printing solutions, has come up with three new all-in-one printers (MFC-290C, MFC-490CW and MFC-790CW), which provide multiple functions at a fairly affordable price point.

The MFC-290C is the entry-level model of the series, featuring printing speeds of up to 30 ppm color and 25 ppm black, a built-in fax function, automatic document feeder, media card slots and a PictBridge/ USB direct interface. Since it has the fewest features from all the three new products, it's also the least expensive, selling for an estimate 99 US dollars.

Next in line comes the MFC-490CW, built on the same platform as the MFC-290C, but with improved features and specs. Thus, the printing speeds are superior to the 290C (up to 33 ppm color and 27 ppm black), and this version also comes packed with a widescreen 3.3 inch color LCD, built-in wireless and Ethernet networking, and photo bypass tray. Since its features have been improved, the price has also increased, the MFC-490CW selling for an estimate $130.

The last of the three new models is also the most advanced. Thus, besides the features shared with the MFC-490CW, the MFC-790CW has been equipped with a 4.2 inch TouchScreen for easy menu navigation, direct photo printing on demand from media slots and PictBridge interface, photo enhancement and editing features on-screen, up to 15-page automatic document feeder, user-friendly front loading cartridges, as well as built-in answering machine and telephone. Quite obviously, the MFC-790CW is also the most expensive of the bunch, selling for around 180 bucks.

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