Msg: Re: Brother laser (semi-O.T. ?)

I have done well with Brother lasers, include MFCs. However, some years ago, when Brother changed the HP emulation from 4.0 to 6.0, I suddenly had huge formatting problems using Xy 3+. So my Xy work prints to an old HL 1440; everything else to an MFC 8640D.

Beyond the described wrinkle, I have found that Brother lasers are very economical, rarely jam, and seem to go forever. And recently, when a friend could not get connectivity with a very recent MFC laser, I spent less than 30 minutes on the phone with a live person at Brother tech support, blew away seven months' accumulated dust, and the machine worked like a charm.

Fred Gross

J R FOX wrote:

[Caution: this is going to be more than semi-O.T.] --- On Mon, 3/16/09, Patricia M. Godfrey mailto:priscamg@xxxxxxxx wrote:
From: Patricia M. Godfrey mailto:priscamg@xxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Brother laser (semi-O.T. ?) To: xywrite@xxxxxxxx Date: Monday, March 16, 2009, 12:35 PM J R FOX wrote:
I was wondering if any of you have experience or
comments re the use of Brother (B&W) lasers Not lasers, but I had a perfectly maddening experience some years back with a Brother inkjet multifunction.
Thanks for your comments on this, Patricia. I've tentatively decided _not_ to go inkket this time. The cartridges can dry out on you, and I don't think the cost of consumables makes sense. I still have a fair amount of research to do on this, because I like to get these things right the first time and not have to return something then replace it. (Due to some more pressing priorities, I'm not going to rush this.) In doing this kind of research online, with "professional" reviews plus reviews from users, one generally finds Pro and Con comments that differ widely and contradict each other. (This is true for almost any product.) But issues emerge, and hopefully there gets to be some consensus. Unfortunately, it is looking like a lot of such products -- and here I'm leaning more on in-store inspections -- are now flimsy junk, made as cheaply as possible. It may cost as much as $400., but it is still made to be a disposable product: when it wears out after a year or two, the most sensible and economical choice will be to take it to the dumpster or recycler, and get a new unit. Gone are the days when you could buy something really solidly built, and get 10 years out of it, like I did with that high end HP Fax machine. So, it becomes a matter of which deficiencies you can tolerate, at the right price. Most of the units I've considered have some major dealbreaker. An office equipment repair shop I've used here for many years says that in fax-only, Canon is the way to go. But they have this very large plastic piece jutting out that would be right in my face, so forget it. Anyway, I want to have the flatbed type for copies, so I don't have to run out to Kinko's all the time, which is one of the considerations pointing me towards the All-in-Ones.
BUT going through the usual Uninstall software-Uninstall Hardware routines wasn't enough; the Scanner software and it's connected app, in particular, had to be pruned from the registry by hand. (several hundred references). After doing this two or three times, I decided my time was worth the cost of a new printer
Yes, that sure sounds familiar. I'm all but certain the culprit is ScanSoft, which seems to have gobbled up all of its former scanning / OCR competitors. I avoid anything from them like the plague, because it drives so many hooks deep into your Registry that you need a block of C-4 to pry them loose. You can't uninstall their stuff without Tech Support walking you through it. It took close to an hour over the phone. I did this once, but won't go there again. , got an Epson, and kept the Brother as
a stand-alone fax and copier. IT did yeoman service in that capacity for several years, then finally died.
If you got several years out of it, you're ahead of the curve.
Meanwhile, at the office, we had several Brother thermal faxes in succession. The problem with them was--and is--that it is absolutely impossible to reach even automated tech support. You wade through voice mail hell forever. FWIW.
I read in one user comment that their tech support was in the Phillipines. Can't really single that out these days, though. Does *anyone* still offer tech support that is _not_ wretched and abysmal ? Jordan