Manage updates with the Download AppBrother MFC-5890CN
Manufacturer: Brother International Part number: MFC-5890CN
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Brother MFC-5890CN all-in-one is hands down the worst printer to take up space in our lab. From the irritating initial set up to the horrendous output quality and slow print speed, this device is the easiest way to flush $200 down the drain.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Buy |  | See Site | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/23/2013 |
CNET editors' review
Brother MFC-5890CN price range: $199.99
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 07/13/2009
The good: Low cost to print; two-year warranty.
The bad: Poor output quality; slow print times; awkward build quality; outdated design; lacks wireless networking.
The bottom line: The Brother MFC-5890CN all-in-one is hands down the worst printer to take up space in our lab. From the irritating initial set up to the horrendous output quality and slow print speed, this device is the easiest way to flush $200 down the drain.
User reviews
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Brown Should Retire From Writing Reviews
by easyshare on October 9, 2009
Pros: Easy set up, excellent print quality, like the idea of the hidden cables and takes 2 different quantity of ink cartridges and it comes with the LC65 high yield cartridges.
Cons: Fax was a little difficult to set up, but a call to support got me up and running. Printing is a tad slow, but not unlike my previous hp"s and epsons.
Summary: I guess Canon is Browns fetish, because if you check the net you will find a plethora of printers using this same style and footprint. So its not an outmoded ...
Summary: I guess Canon is Browns fetish, because if you check the net you will find a plethora of printers using this same style and footprint. So its not an outmoded style. This printer has no larger a footprint than previous printers I have owned. It sure a lot quieter than most. For Browns info, Brother does offer a wireless printer if you are so inclined. I wasn"t.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simple to set up. Very quite when printing. Auto sleep.
by spierce98 on August 28, 2009
Pros: This product is great. I am a tester for Windows 7 and I had no trouble installing this in my computer. I have a dual boot system and installed it on my XP also and works great.
Cons: Large foot print but what do you expect for a machine that will print 11X17 pages.
Summary: Need to adjust the print settings for pictures. They have a default setting and you need to tweak it for much better picture quality. I love having separate tanks for ...
Summary: Need to adjust the print settings for pictures. They have a default setting and you need to tweak it for much better picture quality. I love having separate tanks for the ink. When one runs low you just replace that one and not all of the color ink. Very BIG cost savings too me. I use this for work and it is much better than the 500 dollar machines that we use at work for printing. Get some good quality paper if you want to print pictures.Big screen for easy set up and use. Network able this is a huge factor that at first I did not think I would use but I added a computer to the house since I bought this and all I did was add the software to the new computer and presto I have t a printer with out having to buy another one. Bought on sale at Best Buy and glad that I did. I will never look back at the old HP that I replaced. Well OK I did have fun smashing it and then recycling it.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I LOVE THIS PRINTER
by Mimi_Rogers on March 12, 2009
Pros: It comes with extra software for image and document enhancement, I love that I can plug my camera card directly into it, I haven't tried the Ledger size printing yet. And it hasn't used any ink to speak of, where my other printer would have already.
Cons: Can't think of any yet.
Summary: For my business, it was important for me to be able to print borderless so when I'm creating a brochure I don't have to leave my home, go ...
Summary: For my business, it was important for me to be able to print borderless so when I'm creating a brochure I don't have to leave my home, go to the printers, go back home, fix it, on and on. Now I can print it directly here and make corrections. And as I design book covers, it will be great for printing out a book cover draft for the client to see without having to send it to the publisher for them to print it. All in all, even though I've not even had it one month, I am just in love with it. What more can I say.
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best printer & deal I could find for under $100.
by BM_0914 on September 14, 2010
Pros: 1) Price (refurbished w/ $25 coupon) was under $85 shipped with tax.
2) Very easy to setup- under 15 minutes.
3) Works better than my old Brother MFC-5440 that it replaced.
4) 11x17 printing is a plus for when I may need it.
5) Low cost ink.Cons: 1) Takes up a little more desk space than my old MFC.
Summary: ***This review is for a refurbished machine***
My Brother MFC-5440CN died after many years and pages recently and I searched for a replacement. I had used mainly HP Deskjets & ...Summary: ***This review is for a refurbished machine***
My Brother MFC-5440CN died after many years and pages recently and I searched for a replacement. I had used mainly HP Deskjets & Officejets before that one. It seemed like every machine I looked at from HP, Epson, Lexmark, Brother, etc. had mixed reviews (much like the one here at CNET for the 5890- editors hated it, users loved it). My install and use will of course be somewhat skewed since this machine sets up and operates much the same as my old one.
The HP reviews seemed better than average, but their consumables cost was a good bit higher than the Brother. Lexmark had a big ad campaign for a printer that used $5 ink, but I couldn't find the $5 ink anywhere, plus the printer was nearly twice the cost of this one. Since I had a good experience with my old machine, I leaned towards this brand.
I need mostly a printer, but on occasion will need to scan or send/receive a fax. The PC-fax capability of the Brother line is handy. I did not want a wireless capable printer, since I was set up for a hard wired installation. While I picked the 5890 mainly due to the price and deal, the features it has such as 11x17 printing are icing on the cake. The color LCD display is a nice upgrade from the basic panel on my old printer. I was used to the network cable jack being inside the machine on my old machine, and this one had connectors in all the same places.
On Windows XP, the setup went perfectly, and the machine was detected via my third-party firewall. The main differences I've noted on this one vs. the 5440 so far are as follows:
1) Larger (for 11x17 paper)- only like 2" deeper though
2) Color LCD display panel
3) Paper tray with lid and guides for several sizes of paper/printing stock
4) Uses LC61 (std capacity) and LC65 (high capacity) ink cartridges
5) Ink loads w/o opening the top part of the machine
6) Media card ports
7) Scan to FTP capability
I was up & running inside of 15 minutes, to include setting the date/time/preferences. I printed some test pages, and scanned an image via a photo editing software. No bugs or problems at all. It seemed noisier than the old machine when I put the ink in and it went through a start-up cycle, but if it was, it was not by much and certainly not intolerable. The machine has several advanced settings such as the above scan to FTP. Since this is not anything I do, it's nice that you don't have to fool with it if you don't use it.
After a lot of research and shopping, I found this one refurbished at Staples for $99 with free shipping. I had a $25 off coupon, so the total cost with tax was right around $80. This machine was just what I needed and I'm hopeful it will last as long as my last one.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great printer for 11 x 17 prints!
by clashrocker on March 18, 2010
Pros: Easy to use. Great quality outputs, Good ink prices, Quick set up, 11 x 17 prints
Cons: Needs a bigger LCD screen but that's about it...
Summary: Not sure why the guy from cnet gave this printer a bad review. I love this printer.
I am a Art Director and i needed a printer that can produce ...Summary: Not sure why the guy from cnet gave this printer a bad review. I love this printer.
I am a Art Director and i needed a printer that can produce decent 11" x 17" outputs. This machine went beyond my expectations. For the price, you can't go wrong. Works great!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wish I had tried it before wasting money on several HPs
by GLiebhold on January 18, 2010
Pros: Set up could not be easier, including network
Very efficient & easy doc feeder & scan
Ink level monitoring works, even remotely on PCs and Macs
With multiple cartridges: replace only what you need
Definition is surprisingly good
Much cheaper thanCons: Not the fastest - but still decent
Probably not a photo printer - but you are better off printing at a lab anyway - better and cheaper
Does not look as fancy / modern / trendy as Canon, Epson or HP
Does not do 2-sided (or it is well hidden...)Summary: Strangely, for years, I kept buying HPs because I had an old Inkjet that seemed built like a tank and HP had the reputation of a leader - justified: printouts ...
Summary: Strangely, for years, I kept buying HPs because I had an old Inkjet that seemed built like a tank and HP had the reputation of a leader - justified: printouts always turned out better than the competition. But after seeing quality going down the drain after each HP I bought, I said stop. Printers lasted 2 years, then a year, then ink cartridges cost more than the printer - did you know HP reduced the quantity of ink in the cartridges so that price would seem not to increase? I got fed up with a new printer that HP knew was not compatible with Norton antivirus and had a defective install CD: they admitted all of that on the phone when I spent 8 hours to install. Plus the printer kept disappearing from the network, jammed, could not scan multiple pages as one doc, etc. I gave up and bought a Brother. I had stayed away because it was so much cheaper that I thought it should be bad. But since I paid a lot for HPs which proved to be bad, what was the risk? The above review is amazing: How could it be so negative when all user reviews are so good. Lesson: read user reviews. I now have a great printer for my needs. Easiest set up ever. I have full access to all functionalities remotely on the network with both PCs and Macs. although not a leader, no problem for Brother to be recognized by all computers I had and get all the drivers working. did not even need a CD to install on a Mac (other lesson: print from a Mac).
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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11x17 Prints and Borderless at this Price is great
by interwoven on October 22, 2009
Pros: Hidden Cables, 4 separate ink cartridges, 11x17" prints, borderless printing, network ready, 2 year warranty, the price!
Cons: None to speak off
Summary: I was really surprised on this scathing review and couldn't disagree more. The review writer almost sounds like he has a vendetta against Brother. This printer setup easily for ...
Summary: I was really surprised on this scathing review and couldn't disagree more. The review writer almost sounds like he has a vendetta against Brother. This printer setup easily for me with no problems at all. I installed it on a Vista Machine and then I installed the software on my MacBook Pro and it prints wireless to it over the network with no issues at all. Personally as far as speed goes if I'm printing a few pictures at home I can't tell the difference between 1.3 pages a minute and .81. Yes if you were in an office printing hundreds of pages a day but this isn't meant for that. This is a good home or light duty office printer. I may even get another one for postcard and poster proofs for the office! Our $8000 Xerox office printer can't give me a borderless proof. I actually like the fact that the cable snakes into the body of the printer. It has a cleaner look and I can fit it tighter against the wall. The software that came with it doesn't appear to be bloated and has minimal impact on system resources as far as I can tell. Also the 2 year warranty is awesome. I am fed up with companies that give you a 3 month warranty and then do a hard sell on an extended warranty that seems to average about 15% the cost of the product. Let me tell you if 15% of there products fail I don't want it. Brother eliminates this with a walk in 2 year replacement warranty. This tells me they are confident in their product. All in all a great printer for a price less than some drum kits on laser printers.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easy out of the box
by picklefinder on July 29, 2009
Pros: Simple set up. Straight fowrad controls, Auto-sleep feature
Cons: It is a bit on the large side
Summary: Its not the flashiest printer out there, but works great for me at home.My old Dell Inspiron 700 finds it just fine via wireless network.The ink is pretty ...
Summary: Its not the flashiest printer out there, but works great for me at home.My old Dell Inspiron 700 finds it just fine via wireless network.The ink is pretty cheap, and copies are good. Scans a hefty stack of Docs, and you can scan to a memeory device with the card readers. Like it alot. $120.00 at Costco
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The best all in one printer I have ever used.
by wikincaid on February 8, 2009
Pros: Simple set up without a single glitch. High yield ink carts came in the box...wow. Great prints. Nothing to complain about except I couldn't find it on sale. Now I know why. Plus you get 11 by 17 printing.
Cons: Very large footprint but given it prints 11 by 17 it's all good.
Summary: Awesome all in one - well worth full price. I have not regretted this purchase one bit.
Summary: Awesome all in one - well worth full price. I have not regretted this purchase one bit.
2 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Editor review is worthless-specialized printer
by cpovey on January 11, 2010
Pros: I really don't believe the review posted by the 'professional' reviewer. Did he not look at the list of features? He NEVER mentioned the unique feature of this printer-printing 11x17 pages. Of course the printer is big-so is the output!
Cons: Not a photo quality printer.
Summary: This is a specialized printer-it was probably not meant to be your 'normal' printer. Because of it's ability to print up to 11x17 pages, of course the printer is ...
Summary: This is a specialized printer-it was probably not meant to be your 'normal' printer. Because of it's ability to print up to 11x17 pages, of course the printer is big and heavy. A great big 'Doh' to the reviewer for that oversight.
This size paper, readily available in most office supply superstores, makes a great impression when compared to normal 8.5x11 pages. It's a great printer for printing sales flyers, posters, and the like. I can't believe the reviewer never mentioned this ability while complaining about the size of the printer.
While not a photo-grade multi-function device, like an Epson Artisan 810, it does a creditable job with just four colors of ink.
Brother probably did not design this printer to compete with normal desktop printer, rather this printer is an intermediate step in printers, sitting between normal letter/legal size printers and the very large and expensive wide-carriage printers made primarily by Epson.
So, yes, it's heavier and larger than the competitors, and yes, maybe they put the USB and Ethernet connections in the wrong place, but the Canon Pixma MX330 the reviewer praises cannot print 11x17 pages, period.
Without mentioning it's print size capability, this review is like an automobile comparison test comparing a Ford F-250 pickup and a Mini Cooper. Yes, the Ford is larger, is harder to drive and park, and gets lousy fuel economy, but it will carry a ton of cargo, unlike the Mini. It's just not a fair comparison.
In fact, if you try and compare this printer to another capable of the same size printing, the only other ones that can do it are the less larger, more expensive Brother MFC-6490CW (which has the wireless connection that the reviewer also whines about) and the large carriage Epson's, at five times the price, and up!
All-in-all, a very good printer for the money.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Brother International
- Part number: MFC-5890CN
- Description: The professional series MFC-5890CN all-in-one is perfect for your presentations, signs, spreadsheets, reports, photos and more with versatile printing from 4" x 6" up to 11" x 17". Save time with unattended fax, copy and scan using the large 50-page auto document feeder, high volume paper handling with 150-sheets paper capacity up to 11" x 17" (ledger size). Also, it uses high yield cartridges and has a built-in wired (Ethernet) network interface. Easy to see, easy to use widescreen 3.3" color LCD display for enhancing and editing photos, using large font help menus and previewing faxes. Lastly it has professional quality printing with resolutions up to 6000 x 1200 dpi.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Device Type Fax / copier / printer / scanner
- Copier Type Digital
- Fax Type Plain paper
- Printing Technology Ink-jet - Color
- Display Diagonal Size 3.3"
- Office Machine Features Print from USB flash drive,
Print from memory card,
Save to memory card Memory
- Standard Memory 64 MB 64 MB
- Supported Flash Memory Memory Stick PRO,
SDHC Memory Card,
CompactFlash,
Memory Stick,
SD Memory Card,
USB flash drive,
xD-Picture Card Copying
- Max Copying Speed up to 23 ppm (mono) / up to 20 ppm (color)
- Max Copying Resolution up to 1200 x 1200 dpi (mono) / up to 1200 x 1200 dpi (color)
- Gray Scale Half-Tones 256
- Max Document Enlargement 400 %
- Max Document Reduction 25 %
- Maximum Copies 99
- Automatic Duplexing None
- Copying Features 4 on 1,
2 on 1,
Poster-9 Printing
- Max Printing Resolution up to 6000 x 1200 dpi (mono) / up to 6000 x 1200 dpi (color)
- Max Printing Speed up to 35 ppm (mono) / up to 28 ppm (color)
- Ink Cartridge Configuration 4 cartridges (1 each: cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
- Ink Palette Supported (Colors) cyan, magenta, yellow, black
- Color 4-ink
- Minimum Ink Droplet Size 1.5 pl
- Image Enhancement Technology Brother True2Life
- Ink Type Brother Innobella ink
Scanning
- Optical Resolution 1200 x 2400 dpi
- Interpolated Resolution 19200 x 19200 dpi
- Gray Scale Depth 8 bit
- Color Depth 24 bit
- Color Depth (Internal) 48 bit
Fax Machine
- Compatibility Super G3
- Max Transmission Speed 33.6 Kbps
- Data Compression System JPEG,
MH,
MR,
MMR - Fax Resolutions 203 x 98 dpi,
203 x 196 dpi,
203 x 392 dpi - Total Memory Capacity 480 pages
- Handset None
- PC Faxing Yes
Fax Machine Features
- Error Correction Mode (ECM) Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Telephone / Fax Switch Yes
- Broadcast Transmission 216 stations
- Delayed Transmission Yes
- Remote Fax Retrieval (Polling) Yes
- Features Fax forwarding,
Automatic redialing,
Answering machine interface,
Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection (DRPD) Document & Media Handling
- Max Original Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
- Original Type Sheets
- Document Feeder Capacity 50 sheets
- Min Media Size 3.5 in x 5 in
- Max Media Size A3/Ledger Ledger/A3 (11.7 in x 17 in)
- Min Media Weight 64 g/m2
- Max Media Weight 220 g/m2
- Supported Media Type Coated paper,
Envelopes,
Transparencies,
Plain paper,
Photo paper - Borderless Photo Sizes 5 in x 7 in,
Ledger B Size (11 in x 17 in),
A3 (11.7 in x 16.5 in),
4 in x 6 in,
A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in),
Letter A Size (8.5 in x 11 in) - Standard Media Capacity 150 sheets
- Output Trays Capacity 50 sheets
- Document & Media Handling Details ADF - 50 sheets size: 5.8 in x 5.8 in - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in),
Input tray - 150 sheets size: 3.5 in x 5 in - Ledger/A3 (11.7 in x 17 in) weight: 64 g/m2 - 120 g/m2,
Output tray - 50 sheets - Speed Details Printing : up to 35 ppm - B/W,
Printing : up to 28 ppm - Color,
Copying : up to 23 ppm - B/W,
Copying : up to 20 ppm - Color
Connections
- PC Connection Availability Yes
- Interfaces USB host,
LAN,
USB 2.0 - Interfaces USB 2.0,
USB host,
LAN - Network Protocols TCP/IP
- Security Protocols & Features WEP
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP Professional x64 Edition,
Apple Mac OS X 10.2.4 or later,
MS Windows Vista,
MS Windows 2000 Professional,
MS Windows XP Professional,
MS Windows XP Home Edition - Software Included Presto! PageManager for Mac,
ScanSoft PaperPort SE Power
- Power AC 120 V ( 50/60 Hz )
- Power Consumption Operational 29 Watt
- Power Consumption Standby 6 Watt
- Power Consumption Sleep 4 Watt
Miscellaneous
- Direct Printing Specifications DPOF,
PictBridge - Consumables Included 1 x Cartridge ( Black ) - up to 900 pages - Brother Innobella LC65HYBK,
1 x Cartridge ( Cyan ) - up to 750 pages - Brother Innobella LC65HYC,
1 x Cartridge ( Magenta ) - up to 750 pages - Brother Innobella LC65HYM,
1 x Cartridge ( Yellow ) - up to 750 pages - Brother Innobella LC65HYY - Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
Environmental Standards
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
- Manufacturer Warranty 2 years warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Express exchange - 2 years
Dimensions & Weight (Shipping)
- Shipping Width 23.5 in
- Shipping Depth 21.3 in
- Shipping Height 15 in
- Shipping Weight 73.6 lbs
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 19.1 in
- Depth 16.1 in
- Height 9.5 in
- Weight 23.6 lbs
Environmental Parameters
- Sound Emission 50 dB (operating)
- Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Brother International products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Brother International
- Address:
100 Somerset Corporate Blvd., Bridgewater, NJ 08807 - Phone: 1-908-704-1700
- Fax: 1-908-704-8235
