Brother DCP-1612W Mono Laser Printer - All-in-One, Wireless/USB 2.0, Printer/Scanner/Copier, Compact, A4 Printer

The Brother DCP-1610W printer was easy to setup via the CD installation disk provided, but the lack of a USB cable to connect to your PC was a bit surprising, but it's a standard printer USB so I used my previous printers cable so no major problem as long as you know that you need one. I set the wi-fi up using the printer menus as the WPS option didn't find the network, but it was straight forward and connected with no problems. You have to download the iPrint software to print wirelessly from your phone or tablet which was also easy to setup on Android and MAC. The one major surprise was that you can't load paper and shut the door, as A4 paper sticks out beyond the printer body and there is an extender which pulls out to support it. I keep the paper door shut when not in use to keep the dust out and load paper as needed, it's not a game changer but worth noting. The scanner/copier is good and the printer is quick and produces good quality laser prints. Overall it's a very affordable, well built all in one printer that produces good results at an excellent price.

This came recommended in a review of desktop mono printers. Does the job well. It also has apps for phone connectivity which is handy, I often find I want to print something off the phone. Two things I'd like to improve it would be: better wireless setup, it just would not pair using WPS and needed a usb cable (not bad but I had to go looking for one in 'the drawer'), setup was a breeze with the cable and they do recommend using a cable to be fair. The second thing was a backlit screen, it's difficult to see it unless you're standing directly above it, I've got mine further back on the desk and cannot read the screen without using a light, mind you, you don't need to look at it much at all once it's all set up. I'm still glad I bought it as it prints really nicely.

I opted for this mono laser unit as a dependable document workhorse rather than a multifunction showpiece, and in that role it largely delivers. On the desk, the footprint is compact for a laser, though at just over seven kilograms it has the reassuring heft of something built to stay put. Initial setup over Wi-Fi required a little patience, but once configured it has remained stable in daily use. The 20 pages per minute output is realistic for text-heavy documents, with crisp character edges and consistent toner density across full pages. In practical terms, scanning and copying are straightforward, and the flatbed lid feels adequately rigid for repeated use. I tested it with intermittent workloads, which is where laser printers typically excel, and there was no penalty for long idle periods. Running costs are sensible thanks to the starter toner, although the lack of automatic duplexing and the basic control panel reflect its entry-level positioning. For monochrome home offices prioritising reliability over features, this is a sound choice.

We do low volume of home printing and rarely want colour so this cheap and cheerful laser printer does the job. Good quality printing, can sit for weeks without being used and still happy. Good copier with scaling (we do a lot of walking and like to take copies of walk book guides with us rather than the actual book, and books are funny sizes). Easy to set up and link to multiple computers and unlike other printers, the connection is stable. The scanning software is a bit quirky and dated - Canon scanning software was far better 10 years ago, but once you work out its foibles you can get multi-page PDFs and good colour scans - and it is a pretty quick scanner compared with other budget printers I've had in the past. Refills are reasonably priced if you shop around. Unlike ink jets. I've also had good results with compatibles on lasers.

Unless you want to be angry, frustrated and have a giant useless hunk of metal and plastic sitting in your study — avoid this printer like the plague. Set up was a nightmare. It refused to “see” my PC running Windows 11 on my home network wifi. I ran through setup multiple times. Even with the USB cord plugged into the PC, the printer had all kinds of print/sleep issues. After having it operational for less than 2 weeks, the power button started to intermittently cut out. The scanner button never worked at all. In a very short amount of time (within less than 3 weeks of ownership), the power button stopped working & printer would not turn on at all. So now I’ve been without a printer for months since the unit I got was unfit for purpose/faulty. Outside the return window, so I contacted Brother who were about as helpful as a a glass of water in a deluge. So now I’m out 150 quid and have to figure out if I should even bother purchasing another printer — but definitely never another Brother printer. The only thing this printer is actually good for is if you wanted to reenact the printer scene from Office Space.

Nowhere it is mentioned it is a type G-socket for the UK! I bought this on amazon.de, and as there is no info about the socket, assumed it was compatible for a German socket!