Brother MFC-9125CN

Brother MFC-9125CN

The $400 (as of May 22, 2012) Brother MFC-9125CN stands out among other low-cost color laser multifunction printers for having decent speed and toner costs. Though this MFP is unremarkable otherwise, it's a legitimate option for a small office seeking an inexpensive print/copy/scan/fax machine. The MFC-9125CN's engine uses an LED array instead of the more traditional laser, and the MFP comes with 64MB of RAM, expandable to 576MB total. While its monthly duty cycle is a midrange 25,000 pages, the more realistic print volume (per Brother) is 300 to1500 pages per month--a low to moderate figure for a small office. Installation was easy via either ethernet or USB connection. (If you're looking for wireless in this price range, the Canon ImageClass MF8080Cw, the Dell 1355cnw, and the HP LaserJet Pro 100 Color MFP M175nw all have it; but the Canon is very slow, and the Dell and the HP have pricey toner.) Brother bundles Scansoft PaperPort 11SE with OCR for Windows users, and Presto PageManager 9 for Mac users. The control panel has a straightforward layout, with a two-line, monochrome LCD for navigating menu items. The MFC-9125CN should cover a small office's paper-handling needs.