Printing The Brother MFC-J497DW prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. It prints text very well, nearly as good as a laser printer. Text printing speed is typical, about 10.7 pages per minute, costing 5.7 cents per page. It prints color graphics well enough for most purposes, such as school reports, at 3 pages per minute, costing 53.6 cents per page. It prints photos on glossy paper that are fine for casual users, but not as good as most inkjet printers. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, though there's a slight loss of quality. If any color ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining black ink. If the black ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining color ink. The capacity of the main paper tray is 100 sheets, a typical size.
Scanning and Copying Scanning was only Fair in performance, not as good as most all-in-ones. It can scan or copy an area up to 10.9 x 8.4 inches (letter size). Copying was only Fair in performance, not as good as most all-in-ones. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages.
Controls and Display The printer has a 2-inch (diagonal size) color display screen.
Connectivity and Networking You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router wirelessly with WiFi. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. You can also install an app on your smartphone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC.
Cost of Ownership and Ink When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $90, cheap for an all-in-one cartridge inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink and the costs add up over time. This printer uses 4 cartridges. The Brother ink cartridges used in testing were the LC3213 XL BK, LC3213 XL C, LC3213 XL M and LC3213 XL Y. At the time, their prices were $23 for black and $37.50 (each) for the other three. We estimate the ink cartridges to last a reasonable amount of time—13 months—following a typical printing schedule of 264 text and 96 color graphics pages per year. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total equivalent cost to be $278, low for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $94, which is generally typical—and also for this printer type, typical. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $560.
Printer Firmware Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Brother MFC-J497DW was B.
Software The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 3.0.0.0.
About the Ink cartridges, Software and Firmware Our test results are valid only for the Brother-brand ink cartridges, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Brother printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Brother's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
