Brother shifted their focus in the 9040 series of printers to a full service colour photocopier that happens to also be a network printer. The DCP-9040CN is their base model which includes a wide array of features that would make it a decent multi-purpose workhorse for a small to medium size business or work group. While it may not be ideal for any company needing a high-volume of cheap black text prints, it delivers good quality from colour prints to complex scanning jobs.
Design
The appearance of this multi-purpose printer is very similar to Brother's other machines in this range. A 50 page automatic document feeder is nestled onto the lid of the flatbed scanner. Just over two dozen buttons and a 2-line backlit LCD display control most of the options and there is included driver support for both Mac and PC computers. The front hatch opens up to reveal the 250 sheet input bin which can be expanded with 500 sheet base. A small gap under the user interface is where the 150 sheet output bin is housed. There are network connections for both USB 2.0 and Ethernet plugs at the back. The drum comes installed as well as the four Brother DCP-9040CN toner cartridges which are accessed through the side hatch.
Advantages
As this printer was made primarily as a colour photocopier, its resolution for the flatbed is exceedingly good. Even the most complex of graphics come out flawlessly, including books and magazines which may give other scanners some trouble due to the lid not closing properly. Print speeds for both black text and colour graphics reach upwards of 20 pages per minute which means that this printer could hold its own in any small offices.
Disadvantages
Everything that the DCP-9040CN falls short on, the higher-end models in this series make up for. The lack of wireless networking or double-sided printing is a definite loss for an otherwise well-rounded printer, but these can all be found its big brother. The print quality will come at a cost as the four Brother DCP-9040CN cartridges may need to be changed more often than other similar printers due to the high resolution and dots per inch being used.
