Pros & Cons
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- Prints and scans at up to tabloid size (11 by 17 inches).
- Automatic document feeder.
- Duplex (two-sided) printing.
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- Only one paper tray means you can't keep letter- and tabloid-size paper loaded at the same time.
Brother MFC-J6510DW Specs
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Adobe Acrobat 8 - 4 pages, text and photos (landscape): | 1:03 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Effective PPM (pages per minute): | 4.1 |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft Excel 2003 - 1 page, graph: | 0:16 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft Excel 2003 - 1 page, table A (with grid): | 0:16 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft Excel 2003 - 3 pages, charts and graphs: | 0:39 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 - 4 full-page slides: | 1:03 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft Word 2003 - 2 pages, text: | 0:23 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Total output time : | 3:40 (min:sec) |
| Color or Monochrome: | 1-pass color |
| Connection Type: | Ethernet |
| Connection Type: | USB |
| Connection Type: | Wireless |
| Cost Per Page (Color): | 7 cents |
| Cost Per Page (Mono): | 1.7 cents |
| Direct Printing from Cameras: | Yes (via cable) |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | Memory Stick |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | Memory Stick Duo |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | Memory Stick Pro |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | MiniSD Card |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | MultiMedia Card |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | Secure Digital |
| Direct Printing from Media Slots: | Secure Digital High Capacity |
| Duplexing Scans: | No |
| Duty Cycle: | 12000 pages per month |
| Ink Jet Type: | Standard All-Purpose |
| Input Capacity (printer input only): | 250 sheets |
| LCD Preview Screen: | Yes |
| Maximum Scan Area: | 11" x 17" |
| Maximum Standard Paper Size: | Tabloid |
| Network-Ready: | Yes |
| Number of Cartridges: | 4 |
| Number of Ink Colors: | 4 |
| Photos - HIGH -QUALITY SETTINGS - Adobe Photoshop 7 - Average output time per print: 4" x 6" prints : | 2:24 (min:sec) |
| Print Duplexing: | Automatic |
| Printer Category: | Ink Jet |
| Scanner Optical Resolution: | 2400 pixels per inch |
| Scanner Type: | Flatbed with ADF (Standard or Optional) |
| Standalone Copier and Fax: | Copier |
| Standalone Copier and Fax: | Fax |
| Tech Support: | 24/7 online support. |
| Tech Support: | email available; 2 year limited warranty |
| Tech Support: | Phone |
| Tech Support: | web |
| Type: | All-In-One |
| Water/smudge proof or resistant: | No |
Probably the single most attention-grabbing fact about the Brother MFC-J6510DW ($250 street) is how much it delivers for the price. One of only a few inkjet printers that can print at up to tabloid size (11 by 17 inches), it's also one of the most capable in that group, and arguably the most capable for the price. Quite simply, it's a highly attractive, low-cost option for any micro, small, or home office that needs to print at tabloid size.
The MFC-J6510DW is only a little more expensive than, for example, the single-function Canon Pixma iX6520 Inkjet Business Printer ($199.99 direct, 3.5 stars) that I recently reviewed. In addition to printing, however, it can scan and fax over a network and work as a standalone copier, fax machine, and email sender. Even better, it can print in duplex at up to tabloid size, and both its flatbed and 35-page automatic document feeder can handle tabloid-size paper. It also offers both Ethernet and WiFi support.
Paper capacity is limited to a single 250-page tray, which means you can't load both letter- and tabloid-size paper at the same time. There's also a manual feed, however, so you can print on a different size paper without having to swap out the paper in the tray. The manual feed can also handle a thicker paper size, up to 76 pound weight. Note too that if you need the convenience of two paper trays, the Editors' Choice Brother MFC-J6710DW ($300, 4 stars) is a close cousin to the MFC-J6510DW, but with a second tray.
Setup and SpeedSetting up the printer is standard. For my tests, I connected it to a wired network and installed it on a Windows Vista system.
Speed turned out to be a strong point. On our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) I clocked the printer at 4.1 effective pages per minute (ppm), making it tied with the MFC-J6710DW as the fastest tabloid-capable inkjet we've tested.
Among single-function inkjets, both the iX6520 and the significantly more expensive Editors' Choice Canon Pixma iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer ($399.99 direct, 4 stars) were notably slower, at about 2.8 ppm. And among inkjet MFPs, the previous Editors' Choice HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-in-One ($299.99, 4 stars), came in at 3.4 ppm, which is fast for the category, but still slower than the MFC-J6510.
Output Quality and Other IssuesThe printer also did reasonably well on output quality, with quality across the board that's equal to or better than most inkjets. Text quality was easily good enough for most business use. Unless you have an unusual need for small fonts, you shouldn't have any issues with it.
Colors in graphics were a little dulled down, but still well within the range of reasonable if not vibrant. The quality is certainly good enough for most business needs, including, for example, PowerPoint handouts. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, you may or may not consider them good enough for output going to important clients or customers. Photo output was as good as you would expect from drugstore prints.
Whether you look at the MFC-J6510DW in terms of its speed, its output quality, or its long list of capabilities, it delivers a lot for the price. I'd like it a lot better if it had two paper trays instead of one, but that's a shortcoming you'll find in other inexpensive tabloid-size printers as well.
Ultimately, if you're looking for a single printer for all your printing needs, you almost certainly need two paper trays—one for letter-size and one for tabloid-size paper—and you should probably be looking at the Brother MFC-J6710DW instead. But if one paper tray will do— if you already have a letter-size printer and want a second printer strictly for tabloid-size printing, for example— the MFC-J6510DW is easy to recommend as the budget choice.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
Check out the test scores for the Brother MFC-J6510DW.
COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Brother MFC-J6510DW with several other MFPs side by side.
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