Brother MFC-8300 Toner Cartridges

Brother MFC-8300 Printer Review

The Brother MFC-8300 is a monochrome laser printer, but its design allows it to handle more than one function, including receiving incoming faxes and copying important jobs to share with coworkers. The MFC-8300 is targeted toward small office needs, but due to slow maximum print speeds of only 12 pages per minute, this device is best fit to handle low volumes. Despite its output speeds and small media capacity, this 3-in-1 printer does benefit from features like long-lasting and inexpensive Brother MFC-8300 printer toner, professional-quality results and standalone copying.

The main issue with the MFC-8300 is its lack of a flatbed scanner, which will limit the type and size of documents users can copy. Rather, this unit is designed primarily with faxing in mind, providing dedicated features like a handset that supports calls, a memory that can store 90 pages and a numeric keypad on the front panel that supports up to 100 speed dials. The front panel also provides enough control buttons for the copier, including keys for scaling and to select the number of times a certain job needs to be duplicated.

The unit is best suited to support the needs of light-duty small offices due to its small media capacity of 250 pages, which includes a single input tray that supports coated paper, greeting cards, glossy paper and labels. This minimal media handling does mean, however, that the MFC-8300's functions are bundled into a smaller build of only 17x17x12 inches to enable desktop use. Since the only connectivity options provided are standard wired ports, this machine will need to sit near a user's computer.

When creating a monochrome duplicate of text or graphics jobs, this machine can achieve a decent resolution of 600 dpi using black Brother MFC-8300 printer toner cartridges. Since the device uses one supply as opposed to multiple toners, users won't be spending abundantly on replacements. When supplies expire, users have the choice to select standard replacements that can yield around 3,000 pages, or high-capacity Brother MFC-8300 toner cartridges that can last up to 6,000 pages.

Buyers that need a more advanced multifunction device with a built-in scanner should keep shopping, but those more interested in affordability and easy-to-use fax, copy and print functions may benefit from the MFC-8300. Slow output speeds and limited connectivity are additional setbacks, but this machine's inexpensive running costs and range of built-in fax and copy tools will make it a good fit for low-volume offices.