Brother DCP-7020 Laser Digital Copier/Printer

I almost never write a review, but the forest of multi-functions is so thick and I am so impressed by my Brother DCP-7020 that I figure I ought to share my personal view of this tremendous small office/home-office machine.

I spent weeks researching and testing multi-functions, going back and forth among Brother, HP, Sharp, Xerox, Canon, and others. What a nightmare, sorting out and comparing all the rival features!

My own needs were straight-forward: truly excellent, professional-looking B&W laser printing and copying capability; reliable paper-path routing with few or no jams; able to handle periodic high volume and otherwise steady daily use; large paper tray capacity; reliable Auto Document Feeder; handy and roomy output tray; acceptable color as well as B&W scanning; and reasonably priced laser supplies that have a reasonably high volume capacity.

While I had no need for fax or networking, I might have taken either or both if the quality...Read more

Overall, I'm amazed with this printer. I've only used it for a few weeks, but I've already printed a few hundred pages in various sized jobs, and installed it on multiple machines across platforms.

The Good:
-Very fast startup
-Very fast printing
-The printing is very detailed, even for a laser printer.
-Good OCR (optical character recognition) software. I tested this on small grey text from the back of a bank statement.
-Very little page curling
-Once connected to a computer, shared printing is a snap.
-The output area, embedded in the machine itself, is very sturdy

The Bad:
-No automatic duplexing
-Windows oriented documentation
-Somewhat loud
-The scanning is slow, although typical with my experience.
-Limited use if connected directly to a network router / airport express (i.e. no scanner)
-Not appropriate for high volume printing. The volume specifications are on the Brother...Read more

I agree with the review above by "On The Level". My wife has copied school papers on this machine continuously since we got it. It appears to be tough as nails.

We bought two full-sized toner cartridges in addition to the starter cartridge. Each of them reported low toner and stopped copying with about half the toner still left! For a while, I switched cartridges to fool the machine, but even that did not work. The ink cartridge has two small circular windows in the sides. The machine shines a light through the cartridge to see how much toner is left. The holes are not at the bottom of the cartridge! The light can get through when lots of toner is left.

I put a piece of black tape over the hole in side of the carrier for the cartridge. This keeps the sensor light from entering the cartridge, and makes the machine think there is plenty of toner. Works like a charm. With this fix, I am very happy with the machine.