Output Quality and Running Cost Output quality on our tests was just a touch below par overall, but not by much. All four of the Brother printers are notably faster than the competition. That counts as a tie with both the MFC-J6510DW and the MFC-J6710DW as well as with the Brother MFC-J6910DW ($350, 4 stars). I timed it on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing) at 4.0 effective pages per minute (ppm). Given the lower price, the fast speed is even more impressive. The MFC-J5910DW delivered essentially identical results. When I reviewed the Brother MFC-J6510DW, I pointed to speed as one of the printer's strong points.
For my tests, I connected it to a wired network and installed drivers and other software on a Windows Vista system. Setup and Speed In addition to a USB port, the MFC-J5910DW offers both wired and WiFi network support. If you want two trays, so you can load both letter and tabloid size paper at the same time, you need to step up to the Editors' Choice Brother MFC-J6710DW ($300, 4 stars). Paper capacity is limited to a single 250-sheet tray. According to Brother, you can also download a firmware upgrade that will add direct email and direct internet fax features. It has an automatic duplexer (for two-sided printing), and a 35-page automatic document feeder (ADF) to complement the letter-sized flatbed, so it can handle legal-size pages as well as stacks of pages. In addition to printing and scanning, the MFC-J5910DW can fax from a PC and work as a standalone copier and fax machine. In almost every other way, however, the two printers offer essentially identical capabilities.
The other key difference is the lack of a manual feed to let you print on a different paper without having to swap out paper in the main tray. The smaller flatbed lets the printer itself be smaller, at 10.2 by 20.2 by 18.1 inches (HWD), so it can fit more easily in a small office. The MFC-J5910DW is limited to scanning up to legal size, rather than tabloid size. The key difference between the MFC-J5910DW and the Brother MFC-J6510DW is the paper size they can scan. Unless you can't live without one of the Brother MFC-J6510DW's few extra features that justify a higher cost, that makes the MFC-J5910DW even more attractive as a low-cost tabloid-capable multi-function printer (MFP) for any micro, small, or home office.
Much like its more expensive sibling, the Brother MFC-J6510DW ($250 street, 4 stars) that I reviewed earlier this year, it stands out for how much it delivers for the price, only more so.
The Brother MFC-J5910DW ($200 street) is more than just another entry on the growing list of inkjets that can print at up to tabloid size (11 by 17 inches).