The Brother DCP-540CN is part of a new line-up of Brother MFDs (multi-function devices) that bear a passing resemblance to previous models such as the MF-C620, not least because the new models continue to use the Brother system where the ink cartridges remain stationary and feed ink through capillary tubes to the print heads.

Brother claims a print speed of 30ppm for mono and 20ppm for colour but we simply cannot understand where these figures come from. Regular text takes over three minutes to print ten pages which is more like 3ppm. This is significantly slower than regular inkjet printers and roughly on a par with dedicated photo printers.

When it came to color printing we found that the Brother matched other inkjets on the market and made us feel a bit happier. Photo printing caused us some issues, though, as the quality of the photos was surprisingly good but the speed was very slow indeed.

The conclusion is that the Brother DCP-540CN has a list of features that make it appealing both for the small office and for those of us who hate the idea of a separate printer and scanner at home. Print quality is good without being outstanding, but if you intend to do much photo printing this is unlikely to be the printer for you, mainly because of its lack of speed. Our other complaint is the price which seems rather high.