Brother MFC-T780DW Review
An excellent-value tank all-in-one with standout ink economics and strong everyday output, held back mainly by basic controls.
At a Glance
This model is best suited to cost-conscious home offices that print color regularly and can live without fax. Its strongest buying points are extremely low measured ink cost, good text, graphics and photo output, and ADF and automatic duplex printing.
Technical Assessment
A compact refillable-ink model aimed at light home-office use, with automatic duplex printing, current dual-band Wi-Fi and a long three-year warranty. It lacks fax, Ethernet and duplex ADF scanning, so it is less suited to shared document-processing workflows.
Performance
Independent testing measured 12.4 ppm text, 12.8-second monochrome copies, 19.5-second color copies and 7.6 ppm ADF copying. Rated ink cost was 0.3 cents black and 0.94 cents color per page.
Features and Workflow
The feature set combines automatic duplex printing, an automatic document feeder rated for 20 sheets, paper handling of 150 sheets, and Interfaces: Hi-Speed USB 2.0. Together, these capabilities support more complete day-to-day workflows and reduce reliance on a single headline specification.
Reliability and Ownership
Brother supplies a current US support route and warranty. Bottle alignment and initial connectivity require care, but the 30-day professional test reported stable operation after setup.
Buyer Fit and Trade-Offs
Best For & Key Strengths
Best For
- Cost-conscious home offices that print color regularly and can live without fax.
Key Strengths
- Extremely low measured ink cost
- Good text, graphics and photo output
- ADF and automatic duplex printing
Not Ideal For & Key Trade-Offs
Not Ideal For
- Buyers wanting a large touchscreen, fax or heavy workgroup paper capacity.
Key Trade-Offs
- Small non-touch 1.8-inch display
- No fax
- Setup and connectivity can be finicky
Technical Specifications
| Print Speed Ppm | 12.4 text measured by Tom’s Guide |
| Adf | 20 sheets |
| Paper Input | 150 sheets |
| Fax | false |
| Duplex Print | true |
| Functions | Color print, copy and scan |
| Print System | Refillable four-color INKvestment Tank inkjet; 576 MHz processor and 128 MB memory |
| Print Speed | Up to 16 ppm |
| First Page Out | Up to 6.2 seconds black and 6.5 seconds color |
| Print Resolution | Up to 6000 x 1200 dpi |
| Duplex | Automatic duplex printing; ADF scanning and copying are simplex only |
| Scan Speed | Up to 17 ipm black and 7 ipm color, simplex |
| Automatic Document Feeder | 20 pages, single-sided |
| Paper Capacity | 150-sheet tray plus one-sheet manual feed |
| Display | 1.8-inch color display |
| Monthly Volume | Maximum duty cycle up to 2,500 pages; recommended 50 to 1,000 pages |
| Included Ink | Two starter black bottles totaling about 14,625 pages and starter color bottles totaling about 4,400 pages |