Sometimes you're the bird, sometimes you're the statue (new printer)

[Sooz]

Hello, everyone, or maybe I should say Oh H3ll  ha ha

It's an adventure!

Right out of the box, my new printer was having issues. I think it was a used one because it didn't have all the blue tape on it that holds the components tight so they don't get loose and flop around.  The hinge on the right side of the top (for if you have to scan a book or something with thickness) wasn't even connected to the printer.

It started right off making a horrible grinding noise! 
The printer's screen kept telling me it couldn't do anything because of some kind of "unable AF" message.  I followed the prompt to turn off, then turn on... I had to press really hard to turn it off--a gentle press didn't do it, a medium press didn't do it, I had to press hard and hold it for a couple of seconds! Same thing but not as bad for pressing on the Power button, but I still had to press hard, but not hold as long.  Yes, I tried the gentle press it on and off, and no go.

I called the 888 support number for Brother, described the issues, and the rep said it's broken and send it back. 

Then I did a Chat with Amazon and hooray!  They're mailing me a return label (since I cannot print it out) and the rep ordered me another printer, and I got a credit for my trouble.  New printer should arrive on Saturday.

Cross your fingers for me!
Smiles,
Sooz

[krissel]

Am avoiding Amazon if I can buy something from another source. Many of the reviews talk about getting items that were apparently sent back previously or were not exactly what was advertised (lots of counterfeit products). I think Amazon has gotten so big and taken on so many sellers that they can't really control quality. Fortunately they are quick to allow returns, but I think that is also part of the problem since those items are not tested or property repacked before being sent to the next purchaser.

Hope your next printer is really new. 

[Paddy]

I buy from Amazon all the time - but try to stick with things from Amazon itself, rather than third party sellers, if at all possible. So far, so good. You can look up the reputations/ratings of the third party sellers. If they joined yesterday...maybe not the best choice, unless you enjoy being a guinea pig. Of course, it's a nuisance to HAVE to think about this. But a number of the big retailers have gone this route - Newegg, Best Buy...so it's definitely buyer beware out there.

Sorry to hear about your "new" printer, Sooz - that's no fun. Let us know how it all turns out!

[Sooz]

Kissel & Paddy, I hope my new *new* printer is really new as well! 
I'm crossing my fingers!  I'll keep everyone posted....
Smiles and happy weekend!
Sooz

[Sooz]

UPDATE on my new new replacement printer/scanner/copier: 
I can get it to copy, I can get it to print from a "screen capture", I can get it to print from a webpage & an email, I can get it to print from a saved document... and it's a lot quieter than the 'new' defective one, but pressing the power button is still just as challenging.

...but I CANNOT get it to scan! 

I know iPrint&Scan is recommended if you're going wireless AND it has a lot of negative reviews, but I'm not going wireless, so that means I will use TWAIN, which I downloaded from the Brother website, and installed... but I cannot get it to scan.

I can't get the scanner bed to read what's on it, and that may just be user error... oh, and this is odd, I have to open my System Preferences, select Printers & Scanners, and work from there to select the area I want scanned, if it's text or photo or color or whatever.  Shouldn't this be more streamlined, like maybe when I press the Scan button on the printer, it will just... scan?

Another odd thing... for the defective new printer, I did the ink install and used them only once for printing the test page.  I removed the ink cartridges & repackaged them in their cardboard carrier for return shipping with the defective machine. When I was setting up the new printer that arrived today, I grabbed the just-used-once ink cartridges, realized I grabbed the other ones, but installed them anyway just for testing things.  I got a message that said something like there's not enough ink to print.  Huh?  I only used them once!  That was puzzling.  Anyway, I re-repackaged the "old" ones and put them in the printer box, and put in the new ones and everything was fine (except for scanning).

...and so continues my saga--but not today (got too much to do!).
Smiles,
Sooz

[Xairbusdriver]

I've never been able to scan from our Brother laser (All-in-One), it seems to be built for Windows. I just use our dedicated scanners (one for each of us) since they are much more user-friendly (my wife can use it!!!) and they just use the built-in Image Capture app that comes with the Mac OS. We do use the Brother's scanning system as a copier... just not via our computers.

As for ink carts, I re-fill my own as the manufacturers carts are so expensive. I've read that Brother is not as bad as Epson or Canon, but our Brother is only for black and uses toner which is more water proof than most inks. If you discover how little ink is in most carts you will understand why they cost more than the same amount of pure gold. That cost is the reason Paddy cautioned you not to buy an HP.

As for the "Empty" message, many manufacturers won't allow you to put a used cart back in the slot. None of them can actually tell you exactly how much ink is in the carts, either. Some, like Canon, use transparent carts and measure the amount of light that passes through the cart. It's fairly good at preventing you from running a cart dry. You should not depend on the machine, however. I would check them every couple of weeks, at least. Running them dry can often ruin the print head which can be expensive to replace! Be aware that you should probably print a color test page every week, if you don't print any pictures during that time. Some manufacturers have better printhead covers than others. Ink is mostly wet water and it will evaporate if the cart outlet is not well protected.

You can buy 'third-party' carts as well as bulk inks, but the only company I recommend is Precision Colors.com. I don't think they support Brother, however.

[daryl66]

...but I CANNOT get it to scan! 

Sooz: I just went thru a similar sounding scenario with my senior lady friend, she had just upgraded to Sierra. Could print but couldn't  scan. Canon all in one Printer /scanner.  You might try this:   Launch Preview>File>dropdown near the bottom of the was "import from (name of printer/scanner".  Select it and the scanner was then  there.
HTH

Daryl   

[Sooz]

Jim, thanks for clearing up that mystery about the ink cartridges, and for the recommendation to run a test print often!

Daryl, WOW, MAGIC!!!  What an odd way to scan...but it worked!!!!! I would have never ever known to do that!

Thanks again everyone!  I think I'm good to go... just have to learn a few more things on this printer/copier/scanner.

Smiles,
Sooz