Youll have to excuse the pun, but the MFC-9200c is far and away the big brother to the MFC-4600. There is no comparison in terms of size, and it efficiently uses that space to provide more features than its competition. Of the flatbed scanner models, the 9200c is the only one to feature fax capability, and does so in style with colour faxing, 50-page feed and a huge 550-page memory. The scanner features a 600 pixels per inch (ppi) optical resolution with 30-bit colour, giving credibility to its scanning repertoire. PC connectivity is handled through both USB and parallel ports, with an extra composite video input for video capture. It can handle standard photocopy functions printing at 1,200 x 1,200dpi with a zoom range of 25 to 400%. All these features make the MFC-9200c stand out from the crowd, though, unfortunately, the same cant be said for our print tests.

The PC Authority Printer Test Page examines colour, text and tone to give an overall impression of printing quality. Our results showed feathering around text, with poor detail and horizontal banding against solid areas. Colour was decidedly flat and washed out with poor contrast and tonal gradation showing banding and coarse dithering. Any lack in print quality was made for with scan results showing the MFC-9200c outperforming the others in the round-up. Where the others lacked true colour and contrast, the MFC-9200c produced realistic colour and fine resolution. Colour balance was slightly off, with pure white producing a hint of blue but, overall our print and photo scan results heavily favoured the MFC-9200cs rich and accurate reproduction. Unfortunately, we couldnt give an overall high performance rating as our composite score was weighted toward print speed and print quality.

Possibly the other downside is the $1,349 price tag. While the features and scan quality are well above its competition, the needs of the user will have to be stretched when others can provide similar functionality at half the price. For those who require a device with everything, the MFC-9200c fills that category.