Comparison Brother DCP-L2560DWR vs Brother MFC-L2700DWR

The time passed from pressing the Copy button to the completion of the first copy in MFPs. Typically specified for low quality black and white printing on A4 paper. The time for the first copy to be released is the longest (because of the time to prepare for work and scan the document); subsequent copies of the same document are printed much faster. Fast first copy time is important if you have to copy documents frequently.

Black and white copy speed – the number of copies of one page that the MFP can produce in 1 minute. Typically indicated for poor print quality. This option is important if you often need to make many copies of a single document.

The number of pages the printer can produce per minute in black and white mode. Typically indicated for low print quality, higher print quality takes longer. This setting is important if you need to frequently print text documents.

The maximum amount of sheets that can be loaded into the MFP's document autofeed at one time. The autofeed makes it easy to scan and copy a large amount of documents - just load a stack of sheets and turn on the programme, after which each document will be automatically fed for scanning. An auto-feed MFP is worth considering if you frequently scan or copy a large amount of documents.

The type of display provided in the design of the MFP. This parameter is indicated by two points — colour (monochrome or colour display), as well as the availability of a touch screen(if only spec 'coloured' is indicated, then the display is non-touch).

Chroma determines the features of the image on the display. Monochrome (black and white) displays allow you to show a lot of different information, and are inexpensive. On the other hand, such a display is poorly suited for viewing drawings and photos sent for printing, the results of scanning pictures, etc. — for such purposes it is better to use more expensive, but more functional colour displays.

As for touch displays, they provide additional convenience in management and expand its capabilities. Various controls can be displayed on such a display — sliders, lists, text menus, etc.; operating them with touches on the display is easier than using traditional control panels with hardware buttons. On the other hand, the presence of a sensor affects the cost of the display, and it makes sense to use this feature mainly in advanced MFPs with an abundance of additional functions.

The diagonal of the display installed in the MFP.

The larger the display, the more convenient it is to use, the better you can see the image on it. MFPs with a large display(from 7" and above) are especially convenient when you need to view various graphic materials on the screen — for example, photos for printing or scanned results. In addition, a large diagonal is highly desirable for touch screens (see "Display "). On the other hand, the larger the display, the more expensive it is and the more space it takes up, despite the fact that a small diagonal is enough for basic tasks and settings (this is already better than models without a display). Therefore, even in the most advanced models this indicator does not exceed 10.4", and in general, large screens are typical mainly for high-end MFPs with an abundance of additional features.

Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana. The presence of one or more of these names in the specs of the MFP means that the device is compatible with the corresponding voice assistant — a system that allows you to give commands to various devices using your voice and receive voice notifications. Note that this is usually not about the presence of an assistant in the MFP itself, but about the ability to connect the device to a gadget equipped with a voice assistant — for example, a smartphone or laptop. However, this feature provides additional convenience — it allows you to control the MFP with just your voice, without using the control panel or touch screen, in particular, to send various files to print. At the same time, you should note that the functionality of the voice assistant and the possibilities for connecting it may be limited. For example, Amazon Alexa is able to print only content directly associated with the assistant (shopping lists, calendar templates, coloring books, and some other types of materials) and does not allow you to randomly select a file for printing from a third-party source, and you need to connect a device with such a voice assistant via a local network — this cannot be done directly via USB.

— Keyboard. In this case, we are talking about a full-fledged QWERTY keyboard, like those used in computers and laptops. For basic tasks, such equipment is not required, so the keyboard is a sign of a fairly adv...anced device. Models with this function, usually, provide a network connection (via LAN and/or Wi-Fi), and also have additional tools for managing materials (sorting, sending by fax or e-mail, etc.).

— Built-in fax. Allows the MFP to receive and send faxes. Two devices are involved in such a transfer: the first scans the document and transmits information via the telephone network, and the second prints a copy of the document based on this information. Despite the popularity of Internet technologies, fax communication is still quite widely used in business. Therefore, the MFP with built-in fax can be recommended primarily for use in the office. Fax is often combined with a telephone.

— Disc label printing. This function allows you to arrange the recorded disc (Printable CD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW) as you wish. Special software can be included to the package of the MFP with such a feature to create layouts for label printing.

The amount of built-in memory provided in the MFP.

This parameter determines not only the amount of information that can be simultaneously stored in the device, but also the specifics of memory usage. With relatively small volumes of the built-in storage (up to 400 – 500 MB), it is mainly used to store print tasks and scan results — until the tasks are completed and digital copies of documents are transferred to their destination. Among high-end MFPs, there are modules, which volume is already calculated in gigabytes. Usually, the presence of this amount of internal memory means that the device has an extensive set of built-in tools, including the ability to use it as a temporary storage for document files.

The maximum noise level coming from the MFP during operation. The smaller this value, the more comfortable the use of the device. For office use, this parameter is not so important, but you should pay attention to it if you are going to use the device at home. It is easiest to evaluate a specific noise level using special comparative tables. For example, the quietest modern MFPs can operate with 34-35 dB noise level which is approximately corresponds to a muffled conversation, and the heaviest and most performant models give out up to 75 dB — this is comparable to a scream or a loud laugh at a distance of 1 m.