This compact all-in-one device is aimed at small office users requiring a compact photo printer with a scanner and copier. The Brother DCP-395CN is a great improvement in terms of size, networking capabilities, and design when compared to previous models, but some people may find the 4-ink cartridge system somewhat expensive and inefficient to run.
Design
The Brother DCP-395CN is a sleek machine with intelligent controls for scanning, copying, and printing. The printer's defining feature is the 3.3-inch colour LCD screen and a dual-purpose paper tray is a welcome bonus. The flatbed scanner is conveniently positioned at the top and the lid can be made loose to accommodate odd-shaped media and thick books. Brother included a built-in Ethernet networking feature into the DCP-395CN, so at least 5 users can share it. The 4-ink cartridge system, built-in memory card readers, and PictBridge have been retained.
Advantages
Setting up the Brother DCP-395CN is easy. Because of its compact size and small footprint, it is suitable for a desktop. It is easier to review pictures and documents using the 3.3-inch colour LCD display before directly printing them from a digital camera, USB flash drive, or memory card. The printer is thrifty when it comes to ink consumption (using only 1.5 picoliters of droplets) but is still capable of producing up to 6000x12000 dpi-resolution images. Colour printing is faster at 27 ppm, and speeds go up to 33 ppm in monochrome. The printer is already Energy Star-qualified.
Disadvantages
The 4-ink cartridge system could be inefficient for those who prefer to use the Brother DCP-395CN for standard office applications like document printing. Printing photos could be problematic with the paper feed that has difficulty in picking up photo paper. The Brother DCP-395CN is only good for low-volume printing because of its duty cycle of 2,500 printed pages per month. Curiously, the ‘recommended’ monthly print volume is only 1,000 pages.
