TechRadar Verdict
The feature range is welcome but let down by dull, lifeless printouts
Pros
- +
A3 printing in a compact size
- +
Feature-packed
- +
Great touchscreen controls
Cons
- -
Workmanlike print quality
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According to Brother, the MFC-6890CDW takes all the best features of its previous A3 inkjet printers and puts them in one box.
It's certainly feature-packed, offering Ethernet, USB and WiFi connectivity, colour faxing directly from the device, A3 faxing and Duplex at A4 size. Unfortunately you can't receive faxes directly onto your Mac, which is annoying considering PC users enjoy this feature.
It has two paper trays, both of which handle A3, while the upper tray can use photo paper, envelopes or postcards. Its 4.2-inch colour LCD touchscreen display makes it easy to print directly from a flash card, USB stick or a PictBridge-compatible camera.
Its scanner is A3 too, which is a boon. In our tests, the MFC-6890CDW performed adequately. Merits gained for clarity were lost on vibrancy. Our text test produced solid characters with little bleed and few jagged edges, but the overall finish was dull and grey.
Plain-paper photo tests on A4 and A3 gave well-defined images, but with too little contrast. Using photo paper and best-quality photo settings delivered better results, although areas of solid black looked weak.
Given its features, especially the A3 flatbed scanner, this device is not overpriced. It brings A3 printing and scanning to the home and small office, but is let down by its workmanlike print quality.
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