iTWire - Brother brings A3 “multi-function centres” to life

Brother brings A3 “multi-function centres” to life

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Page 1 of 2 All-in-one’s or multi-function centres (MFCs) – call them what you will –can print, scan, copy and usually fax, too. Now Brother has decided it’s time to bring one to market that can handle A3 sized paper! Register now to win a Canon EOS 500D I remember back in the early 90s getting a Canon bubblejet printer that was able to handle A3 sized paper, but in those days all the unit could handle was printing. Back the “all-in-one” market was very young, and things such as “borderless printing” were still to come. These days, “multi-function centres” (MFCs) or “all-in-one’s” (AIOs) are very common thanks to the wonders of convergence, with each function performing as well or even better than standalone devices. Now Brother, who makes MFCs for consumers and businesses, has decided to offer three new MFCs that can handling A3 and A4 paper as standard, with one new A4-only model as well. Gabriel Hamid, Brother’s General Manager for Customer Service and Marketing said: "Brother has always had great vision and has anticipated the needs of businesses by developing necessary solutions; this series is designed to make A3 printing accessible to everyone. These colour inkjet all-in-one printers are easy to use, highly efficient but more importantly, cost effective, adding significant value to small and medium-sized workplaces." Brother says some of the “benefits and applications made possible by A3 print, fax, copy and scan include:” - Eye-catching A3 signage - Large floor plans and diagrams on a single sheet - Promotional sales posters with bigger images and bolder text allowing businesses to print in-house rather than needing to pay suppliers - Multiple fold brochures, flyers and marketing collaterals - Large layout of mind maps and flowcharts for easier viewing. Large replication can also be achieved through A3 copying, scanning or even faxing - Large layout of financial data and spreadsheets for easy viewing - Professionally printed presentation boards, colour business proposals and mock-ups - Customisable and professionally printed restaurant menus and info materials for frequent changes of promotional items - Faxes up to A3 size via an A3 document glass and Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) The two flagship A3 MFCs are the Brother MFC-6490CW (which can print, copy, scan and fax) and the DCP-6690CW (which omits fax capabilities but does the rest). Brother says its “hero model” in its “professional series” is the MFC-6490CW. Featuring wired and wireless capabilities, and a 3.3” colour widescreen LCD display, Brother is promoting this models ability to make “enhancing and editing photos easy, with large font help menus and convenient fax previews.” It has print speeds of up to 35 pages per minute (ppm) black and 28ppm colour as well as unattended fax, copy and scan functions, a 50-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and two separate paper trays holding up to 400 sheets for “hassle-free” management of different size paper formats. Brother is also promoting the fact this model uses “high-yield ‘Innobella’ ink cartridges, ensuring users only need to replace the colour that is empty, for highly cost-effective printing.” The MFC-6490CW will retail for AUD $499. What about the other new Brother models? Please read on to page 2. << First page < 1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>