Pros & Cons
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- Prints, scans, copies, and faxes.
- WiFi.
- Better than par text quality.
- Fast speed for business applications.
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- No wired network support.
- Slow photo speed.
- Low paper input capacity.
Brother MFC-J430w Specs
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Adobe Acrobat 8 - 4 pages, text and photos (landscape): | 1:00 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Effective PPM (pages per minute): | 4.3 |
| 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): | 0:13 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft Excel 2003 - 3 pages, charts and graphs: | 0:37 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 - 4 full-page slides: | 1:02 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Microsoft Word 2003 - 2 pages, text: | 0:21 (min:sec) |
| Business Applications - DEFAULT SETTINGS - Total output time : | 3:29 (min:sec) |
| Color or Monochrome: | 1-pass color |
| Connection Type: | USB |
| Connection Type: | Wireless |
| Cost Per Page (Color): | 11.3 cents |
| Cost Per Page (Mono): | 3.8 cents |
| Direct Printing from Cameras: | No |
| Duplexing Scans: | No |
| Duty Cycle: | 2500 pages per month |
| Ink Jet Type: | Standard All-Purpose |
| Input Capacity (printer input only): | 100 sheets |
| LCD Preview Screen: | No |
| Maximum Scan Area: | 8.5" x 14" |
| Maximum Standard Paper Size: | Legal |
| Network-Ready: | No |
| 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 : | 1:59 (min:sec) |
| Print Duplexing: | No |
| Printer Category: | Ink Jet |
| Scanner Optical Resolution: | 1200 pixels per inch |
| Scanner Type: | Flatbed with ADF (Standard or Optional) |
| Standalone Copier and Fax: | Copier |
| Standalone Copier and Fax: | Fax |
| Tech Support: | 1 year limited warranty |
| Tech Support: | 24/7 online support. |
| Tech Support: | email support available |
| Tech Support: | Phone |
| Tech Support: | web |
| Type: | All-In-One |
| Water/smudge proof or resistant: | Yes |
Unlike most $100 inkjet multi-function printers (MFPs), the Brother MFC-J430w ($100 street)—also available through some sources as the MFC-J425w—leans much more toward being office-centric rather than being a home printer. Given the price, that's a little surprising, but if you're looking for an inexpensive printer for your small or home office, it's a pleasant surprise indeed. More than that, the mix of office-centric features and overall capability is more than enough to make the printer an Editors' Choice.
The office-centric design doesn't mean that you can't use the MFC-J430w for home printing also. Like most inexpensive inkjets today, it can serve a dual role as both home and home office printer. It's just that unlike most printers at this price, including the Editors' Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99.99 direct, 4 stars) for example, the focus in this case is on the office side of that dual role.
View All The MFC-J430w prints from, scans to, and faxes from a PC, and it works as a standalone copier and fax machine. It also offers a 20-page automatic document feeder (ADF) to supplement the letter-size flatbed, so you can scan multipage documents and legal-size paper. What you won't find are photocentric features, like memory card slots or PictBridge support for printing from cameras.
The printer doesn't offer wired network support, but it does support WiFi, which will let you share it in a micro office or at home. Outside of the dual role of home and home-office printer, however, it's best suited as a strictly personal printer because of its limited paper handling, with a 100-sheet tray, no duplexer, and no paper handling options.
Speed and Quality
The emphasis on office use extends to the MFC-J430w's speed and output quality, with much more impressive results for business documents than for photos.
For my tests, I installed the printer on a Vista system using a USB connection. Setup was absolutely standard fare. On our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), the printer scored an effective 4.3 pages per minute (ppm), far better than most printers at anything like the price. The C310 , for example, managed just 2.7 ppm on our tests, and the Canon Pixma MG5120 All-In-One Photo Printer ($109.99 direct, 3.5 stars) came in at 2.3 ppm. Even Brother's own, somewhat more expensive MFC-J615w ($129.99 direct, 4 stars) managed only 2.4 ppm.
For photo speed, in contrast, the MFC-J430w is on the slow side, averaging 1 minute 59 seconds for a 4-by-6. The ESP C310 took less than half the time, at 44 seconds.
The output quality also favors business applications, with text that's better than par for an inkjet MFP and more than good enough for most business purposes. Graphics are slightly below par. Although the output in my tests was easily good enough for any internal business use, the quality was a little short of what I'd want for output going to an important client or customer. I saw some banding in default mode, for example, and colors were a little dull rather than vibrant.
Photos are roughly par for an inkjet MFP but just barely. Most of the photos in our tests were at the low end of what I expect from drugstore prints, with colors oversaturated in some cases. I'd call them acceptable for snapshots, but not suitable if you want your photos to look their best.
One other point worth mention is the low claimed cost per page, at 3.8 cents for a black and white page and 11.3 cents for a color page. Both numbers are low for any printer at this price. In fact, the MFC-J430w is essentially a match on this score for the Kodak ESP C310, which claims a low running cost as one of its key selling points.
The Brother MFC-J430w is in no danger of replacing the Kodak ESP C310 as Editors' Choice for a budget MFP that leans heavily towards home use. However, it's a far better choice for office needs, with fax capability, an ADF, and an emphasis on speed and quality for business applications. That balance of features makes it Editors' Choice for a budget-priced personal MFP for a small or home office.
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