Brother DCP-J140W review
The DCP-J140W is cheap, but it's also slow to print and expensive to run
Brother makes a truly daunting range of inkjet multifunction peripherals (MFPs), of which the DCP-J140W is one of the cheapest. An entry-level model aimed at micro businesses, it can handle basic prints, scans and copies, but there’s no fax facility.
There are a couple of other features missing when compared to devices further up Brother’s range. There’s no automatic document feeder for unattended multi-page copying and the printer doesn’t support automatic duplex (double-sided) printing. It’s also one of comparatively few models without a memory card reader for making direct photo prints, but we’ve never been convinced that this is a necessary feature on a business machine.
The DCP-J140W is a squat device that can connect to a single PC via a USB connection, or be joined to a wireless network for sharing among several users. With just a simple LCD display and up/down keys, entering a network passkey is a little bit of a fumble, but it’s otherwise easy to set up. The 100-sheet paper input tray seems more robust than we’ve seen on some of Brother’s other printers, and it coped perfectly with a stack of paper which we had stored so awkwardly that it had developed a pronounced curve.
Brother claims that the DCP-J140W can print up to 33 black pages per minute (ppm) or 27 in colour, but the 5ipm figure obtained with the ISO/IEC 24734 test gives a more accurate impression; that of a rather slow printer. The fastest rate we timed was 13.4ppm when producing 25 pages of draft text, but at the normal print quality this dropped to just 5.4ppm. Colour graphics edged out at just 3.7ppm, while postcard-sized borderless photos took more than two and a half minutes each.
Unfortunately the quality was nothing special. On plain paper, black and coloured inks lacked impact and black text had a slightly approximate outline, revealing at a glance that it came from an inkjet. While photo prints were also nothing special, they were more than adequate for occasional use.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | *** |
Maximum native print resolution | 1,200×6,000dpi |
Max optical resolution | 1,200×2,400dpi |
Output bit depth | 24-bit |
Quoted Speeds | |
Quoted speed, mono A4 | 33ppm |
Quoted speed, colour A4 | 27ppm |
Tested Print Speeds | |
Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 16m 19s |
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 16m 9s |
Physical and Environmental | |
Standard printer interfaces | USB, 802.11b/g/n wireless |
Optional printer interfaces | none |
Size | 150x392x369mm |
Weight | 6.8kg |
Noise (in normal use) | 50dB(A) |
Duty cycle | 2,500 pages |
Paper Handling | |
Maximum paper size | A4/legal |
Maximum paper weight | 218gsm |
Standard paper inputs | 1 |
Standard paper input capacity | 100 |
Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
Maximum paper input capacity | 100 |
Duplex (code, cost if option) | No |
General | |
Printer technology | piezo inkjet |
Supported operating systems | Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later |
Other inkjet features | Mono LCD display, supports Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 via free app |
Other inkjet options | none |
Buying Information | |
Price | £50 |
Consumable parts and prices | £6 |
Price per colour A4 page | 6.4p |
Quoted life of supplied black cartridge | 300 pages (ISO/IEC 24712) |
Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s) | 260 pages each (ISO/IEC 24712) |
Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) | N/A |
Warranty | one year RTB |
Supplier | http://www.lambda-tek.com |
Details | www.brother.co.uk |
Print Quality | |
Number of ink colours | 4 |
Number of ink cartridges | 4 |
Maximum number of ink colours | 4 |
Maximum number of cartridges | 4 |
Quoted photo durability | 100 years |
Quoted photo durability source | Brother |
Tested Scan Speeds | |
Full scan area preview | 12s |
A4 document at 150dpi | 13s |
A4 document at 300dpi | 19s |
6x4in photo at 600dpi | 26s |
6x4in photo at 1200dpi | 1m 20s |
Tested Copy Speeds | |
Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 | 35s |
Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 | 39s |
Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 | N/A |
Photo Features | |
PictBridge support | No |
Borderless printing | A4 |
Direct (PC-less) printing | No |
Supported memory cards | none |
CD printing | No |
Copy Features | |
Maximum number of copies | 99 |
Max mono copy resolution | 1,200dpi |
Max colour copy resolution | 600×1,200dpi |
Fax Features | |
Max mono fax resolution | N/A |
Fax memory (maximum mono pages) | N/A |