Brother MFC-8420 Printer Review:

The Brother MFC-8420 laser printer is designed for the small or medium office environment and is capable of printing, faxing, copying, and scanning. This allows the printer to replace multiple machines in an office in many cases, which might make up for its bulky frame. The Brother MFC-8420 measures 18.8 inches by 21.3 inches by 17.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 36.6 pounds. Its design is bulkier than most multifunction devices, and its large scanning unit seems perched precariously on top of the printing and paper unit.

The control panel is very well-designed, with function buttons for every major task that make it very intuitive to use. The unit can operate as a standalone copy machine and a fax machine, without needing to be connected to a computer. It connects to a computer over parallel or USB, but lacks built-in networking, making it more useful in a larger office as a copy and fax machine than a printer. However, the Brother MFC-8420 can still be shared across a network with either a print server or a computer acting as a host.

The Brother MFC-8420 has very fast print speed at up to 17 pages per minute. Copies print at the same speed, minus scanning times. Print quality is generally very good. Text is sharp and detailed, though graphics quality is below average.