TechRadar Verdict
Despite its billing as an all-in-one, the Brother's photo printing credentials are disappointing
Pros
- +
Cheap to buy and run
Cons
- -
Frustratingly slow
Average results
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Brother doesn't produce a dedicated photo printer, but the DCP-330C is a decent all-in-one that also includes a scanner and fax function.
Although the MFL-Pro Suite software handles scanning and copying duties, you are left to your own devices when it comes to printing, so you can expect to get rather familiar with the driver settings.
Selecting 6 x 4-inch borderless printing is more difficult than it should be, as you have to choose the correct paper from a long list of media and we have no idea how you're supposed to know the difference between Postcard 1 and Postcard L.
A4 is easier but, even so, A4 and A4 Borderless are listed as two different types of media, where other manufacturers treat them as one paper size and two modes of printing.
Loading 6 x 4 photo paper means you have to remove the input tray so you can load the paper into a caddy on the inner side of the tray. The finished 6 x 4 print ends up inside the depths of the printer.
Direct printing is more successful, as the printer has fewer options to confuse the issue and pretty much just gets on with the job. However, you can't perform any tasks within the printer such as fixing red-eye.
The Brother is cheap to buy and also cheap to run, with a set of four cartridges costing £32, which works out to about 8p per print, but that's the best we can say about this printer. It can be frustrating to use, the print speed is very slow and print quality is unimpressive. Basic 6 x 4 prints look so-so, but our bright, colourful A4 prints were transformed into streaky, blurred images that detracted severely from the original.
Overall, our score reflects the Brother DCP-330C as a photo printer, but it's worth bearing in mind: this is not a photo printer - it is a printer that just happens to also print photos.
