Brother DCP-195 / 197C Review

Brother DCP-195 / 197C is a compact color inkjet multifunction printer with a built-in media card center. This is the current entry-level Brother machine and usually sells for around £ 50- £ 60. 195 and 197 are the same engine, and the only thing that distinguishes the two is the additional OCR software included in the DCP-197C.

As a multifunction printer, this printer also has a scanner and copier, and a media card center allows you to print directly from SD, xD, Memory Stick or MMC cards. Unfortunately, the screen is a small calculator-style LCD and not a full-color LCD, as you might see on other models, so it’s a bit difficult to view and use. Fortunately, a front-facing USB port is also available so you can connect a digital camera using Pictbridge technology and use the screen on your camera to select the image you want to print.

It comes with everything you need to run and run (ink, software, power cables) except for a USB cable, so make sure you have a USB A-B cable from your old printer, or you bought it together with the printer. When it comes to setting the printer up, it’s easy because you plug in the power cable and run the USB cable through the channel located under the scanner bed. On most operating systems, the printer will take the printer automatically and configure it for you, but if you prefer to install software or guide you through the included installation software.

There is no fax, wireless, or other advanced features on this printer, so if you need something with a few bells and whistles, it’s a good idea to look at different models available today.

As correctly explained by Brother, this is a very compact machine because instead of paper that fed gravity popular in other inkjet printers, this paper takes the paper from the default paper tray. The wrong side is that paper must rotate 180 degrees inside the printer and can only handle paper with a maximum thickness of 220gsm.

Brother DCP-195 / 197C takes very reasonable sized cartridges with high capacity units containing 25ml for black and 12ml for each color. Because this cartridge is also not peeled off, you will face little / no resistance if you decide to use a compatible cartridge in your printer because the printer will not know. This makes this printer very cheap and troubles-free to run.

Printing a maximum of 33 pages per minute is an inkjet printer that is quite fast and relatively quiet when compared to some competitors. However, with a resolution of 1200 x 6000dpi, it does not provide the sharpest photo prints, and sharp photographers may be better off seeing 6+ colors of Epson / Canon machines. That said, the quality of printing photos with the naked eye is acceptable and should be suitable for occasional prints.

In short, DCP-195 / 197C is an excellent printer and highly recommended for small or home office users who are looking for an economical printer to run. It may not have many additional features, but not all of them promise reasonable standards. However, photographers might want to look elsewhere because they will almost certainly not be impressed with the print resolution that they provide.