Output quality in my tests was below par overall. Text is only a touch below average, which makes it perfectly usable for most business needs, as long as you don't use smaller-than-usual font sizes. Even at 10 and 12 points, however, the text edges aren't quite as crisp as with most inkjet output, much less laser output. Paper Handling and Other BasicsAs you would expect, the MFC-J6520DW cuts some corners to get its low list price. That's particularly true for its paper handling, where it makes significant compromises compared with the Brother MFC-J6920DW.

Graphics and photos are both more definitively below par, with washed-out color in both. The graphics are good enough for internal business use. However, if you have a very critical eye, you may not consider them good enough for PowerPoint handouts or the like. Photos are best described as near photo quality, making them a bit below what you would expect from drugstore prints, or, for that matter, from most inkjets. Ledger, A3, Legal, Folio, A5, A6, Envelopes (C5, Com-10, DL, Monarch), Photo (4" × 6")/(10 × 15 cm), Photo L (3.5" × 5")/(89 × 127 mm), Photo 2L (5" × 7")/(13 × 18 cm) and Index card (5" × 8")/(127 × 203 mm)The cover to the raised left-hand section of the top folds over to become the feed to the 20-sheet ADF and, at the front, the control panel swings out to a convenient angle. It’s a touchscreen with a 68mm LCD and a series of touch buttons, including a number pad for fax dialling. It’s reasonably responsive, though the screen surface is quite flexible to the touch, which is a little disconcerting. As for mobile printing and scanning, the MFC-J6520DW will let you print through the cloud and print from, or scan to, a smartphone or tablet over a Wi-Fi connection. And because it also offers Wi-Fi Direct, you can connect to it directly from a smartphone or tablet to scan or print, even if you don't install it on a network. A4, Letter, Ledger, A3, A6, Photo (10 × 15 cm), Photo L (89 × 127 mm), Photo 2L (13 × 18 cm), Index Card (127 × 203 mm)

A3, Ledger, Legal, Folio, A5, A6, Envelopes (C5, Com-10, DL, Monarch), Photo (10 × 15 cm), Photo L (89 × 127 mm), Photo 2L (13 × 18 cm) and Index card (127 × 203 mm) Letter, A4, Ledger, A3, A6, Photo (4" × 6")/(10 × 15 cm), Photo L (3.5" × 5")/(89 × 127 mm), Photo 2L (5" × 7")/(13 × 18 cm), Index Card (5" × 8")/(127 × 203 mm) The front-panel, touch-screen menu also offers Web-connected options, giving you the ability to print from, and scan to, various online services, including Evernote, Dropbox, Box, and Facebook. It also lets you use Brother's own online apps, which, for example, let you scan to PowerPoint, Excel, and Word file formats. There are three ways of connecting to this printer: USB, 10/100 Ethernet network and wireless. We chose wireless, as we always do given the option, but had trouble getting the machine to recognise our Netgear router via WPS setup. In the end, we had to temporarily connect the machine via USB; after that, it worked fine.Auto Correct, Enhance Skin, Enhance Scenery, Cropping, Remove Red-eye, Night Scene, Fill Light, Whiteboard, Monochrome and Sepia

If the paper handling is suitable for your needs, the good news is that the MFC-J6520DW offers a long list of MFP features. It can print and fax from, as well as scan to, your PC, including over a network; it can work as a standalone fax machine and copier; it can print directly from a PictBridge camera; and it can print from and scan to a memory card or USB memory key. Setup, Speed, and Output QualityFor my tests I connected the printer to a wired network and installed the drivers on a Windows Vista system. Setup was typical for an inkjet. For scanning, the flatbed and 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) on the MFC-J6520DW can also handle up to tabloid (or A3) size. Here again, however, the printer offers less than the Brother MFC-J6920DW, with the ADF limited to simplex (one-sided) scanning, rather than being able to scan in duplex.