Summary: What a horrible machine ... !
Comment: In addition to all of the ink problems listed by the other reviewers, the print quality is not very good. It clogs constantly. If you aren't printing full color documents every day, the ink hardens in the nozzles and print quality gets worse and worse. The machine's cleaning function does nothing. Before my machine died, at the age of only 22 months, the yellow and red inks would not work at all.
But wait, the worst is yet to come! These machines are terribly unreliable. Mine died. My boss's died after 2 years. My wife manages at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, which bought these machines in mass for it's stores-- and they are constantly breaking down.
One day my 1800C decided to display a Machine Error 41 code. Customer support was no help. They directed me to the local Brother service center. The service tech was kind enough to warn me that Brother designed this error code to apply to half a dozen different things, ranging from the print head, to the motherboard. Technicians have to replace the parts one at a time, rolling the dice and hoping that they fix the right thing. If not, they move on to the next thing and so on. The first fix will cost 100 bucks, by the second fix, you could have bought a new machine.
This machine was designed to jerk the user around, ink-wise and repair-wise. If you buy one of these machines after reading the reviews here, you are a sucker for punishment.
I've moved on to a Canon MP390, which has MUCH bettr print quality and way more cool features.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this model!!
Comment: I have had this fax machine for a little over a year, and although it fax/receives properly, it frequently is disabled due to high consumption of color inks, even when not using any color faxes. In Brother's design, if any ink cartridge runs out, you cannot print anything. I had to replace one or more color cartridges 5 times since purchase. The black ink cartridge has a larger capacity than the color ink cartridges. Due to Brother's design and no ability to bypass disabling feature of these color cartridges, I would not recommend this model. I will be replacing it shortly with a black laser print model.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware -- Wastes ink for no good reason
Comment: Brother 1800C fax has color ink tanks beside black ink, but they are never used since I only receive b&w fax.
The color ink cartridges dry up on their own (about twice in the last 6 months) and the machine will stop printing fax entirely unless you replace the color cartridges.
This enables Brother to make a lot of money on ink replacement, but doesn't necessarily present good value for endusers.
Paper handling is subpar. The fax jams more frequently than other fax machines I've ever used.
In short, save your money and annoyance, buy something else.
Customer Rating:
Summary: eats ink!!!
Comment: I bought this item 6 months ago. I have had to replace the color ink cartridges over 3 times and I don't even use it to copy or fax color documents. The worst is when it "runs out" of ink you can not even send out a black fax until you replace the cartridges.....Urghhhhhhh. the ink is $30 per cartridge (total 3color + black). The funny thing is the black has only needing changing once while all the colors have had to be changes 3-4 times!!! I only use the fax (black only) 3-4 times a week. Do not buy this machine.
only plus: fast fax of documents, quality average from what I have seen in other ink jets