Brother has kicked off a long-overdue revamp of its multifunction copier line last week with the introduction of three new models.
The DCP-7020, MFC-7420 and the MFC-7820N are geared toward the home or small office consumer who buys through retail, said Andy Schaeffer, Brother’s senior product manager. The new models replace the DCP-1000, MFC-6800 and MFC-9700, which have been on the market for more than 18 months.
The entry-level DCP-7020 is shipping this month with a $199 suggested retail price. At 20 pages per minute it has twice the printing speed of its predecessor, the DCP-1000, and costs $50 less. Other improvements include 2,400 by 600 print and copy resolution, 8MB of memory and 250-sheet paper capacity.
The MFC-7420 and MFC-7820N offer the same basic specifications as the DCP-7020. The primary difference is more memory, at 16MB and 32MB respectively. The MFC-7820N adds built-in network capability with that being an optional purchase on the MFC-7420.
The MFC-7420 will ship this month with the MFC-7820N following in March. Street pricing will be $299 and $349; however, a $50 mail-in rebate is being offered.
All three models will sell through the major office supply stores and online, and Schaeffer said multifunction copiers have recently found a good home at discount club stores.
Another trend is larger companies replacing their large multifunction devices with several smaller models. He said that instead of paying out in excess of $10,000 for a large system, a firm will buy four desktop units and scatter them throughout their offices.
