Expert Verdict
The Brother DCP 1612W is an exceptionally efficient monochrome laser printer that is aimed for both professional and personal use. Printing, scanning and copying, all are combined in one unit. As this is a mono printer, it only uses black Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridges for print and copies operations. This model is the black version of the printer - Brother DCP-1610W.
If you are in search of a printer that produces sharp-text pages, your search ends here, as this is the best product for achieving sharp and clear output. Also being a laser printer, the Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridges used in it are not wasted in the way some inkjets waste the ink. Hence, this printer is cost-effective and will not hit your wallet with high printing costs. Coming to the installation part, you might need the assistance of technical support in order to set up the printer and run it.
Print quality is a little mixed where black text prints look sharp and crisp. Also, the texts are produced quickly at a rate of 13.6 pages per minute. This is a pretty quick speed compared to the other average machines. The printed black and white chart spreadsheets and charts look alright, though a bit grainy. The monochrome graphics produced are also light which is quite disappointing. This printer lacks both a preview screen and the option to print from memory cards and/or cameras (via PictBridge) which are more popular if you want to print photos at home. Printers not labelled as 'suited to photo printing' here may still have the ability to print photos from a computer. Also, you are not allowed to refill the ink tanks. Every Time the Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridges run out of ink, you’ll have to replace all the Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridges. This printer is not aimed at photo printing, meaning it lacks a preview screen and option to print from memory cards and/or cameras (via PictBridge) which are more popular if you want to print photos at home.
Coming to copy and scanning functions, their output speed is good but it could have been better. Also, the quality of copied and scanned documents is quite disappointing. Scanned colour magazine pages are soft and smooth, but scanned are darker than the original images. The reason behind the poor quality scans is its fairly low scan resolution. The same applies to monochrome copies.
One thing you need to watch out for is that it lacks automatic double-sided printing. It also lacks OCR software, so if you need to edit the scanned text, you’ll need to do to download the OCR software separately. It comes with built-in wifi, though lacks AirPrint compatibility which would make it easier for you to print from an iPad and Google Cloud Print which lets you print via Google’s Cloud services. This printer is compatible with a number of operating systems such as Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, MAC OS and so on. This printer uses high-capacity TN1050 Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridges so you will not need to replace the cartridge every 2-3 months.
In conclusion, if you are in need of a printer that delivers quick text prints, the Brother DCP 1612W is a great option. However, if you need better outputs for copy and scan as well, or need a colour Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridge printer, we would recommend you go with other printer brands - HP, Canon etc. Also, you can find other advanced features like PictBridge, Memory card support and Google Cloud print in other printer models at this price range.
Review
The Brother DCP-1612W printer is an exceptionally efficient monochrome laser multifunction printer projected as the right printing device for not only office use but also for personal use at home. The printer effortlessly performs a range of functions that include printing, copying, and scanning at impressive speed; it manages fast print and copy speeds of up to 21ppm. Its performance is further boosted by the easy to set up Wireless networking feature, mobile device printing facility and the scan to email file and image option. It is also able to function with hi-speed USB 2.0 which provides you more printing options.
In addition to that, the Brother DCP-1612W printer also offers the colour scanning function with resolution up to 19200 x 19200 dpi, 16 characters x 2 line LCD display and even stand-alone copying function for which there’s no need for a PC. The resolution of this Brother printer is 34 x 38.5 x 25.5 cm and it weighs 7.2 kg. If you wish to change the overall scope of printing, it can be used for copy reduction and enlargement features ranging between 25% and 400%. Another highlight of the exclusively devised Brother DCP-1612W printer is the Toner Save Mode which can be opted for when a regular quality of printouts are acceptable. Also, it includes a 150 sheet capacity paper tray and offers easy replacement of Brother DCP-1612W toner cartridges to ensure that users spend less time on loading and more on printing.
Needless to add, this stylish and gifted printer is adept at printing high-quality documents from letter up to legal size paper at the resolution of 2400 x 600 dpi (HQ1200 technology).
Advantages:- Equipped to perform a wide range of functions at brisk speed
- Multifunctional printer ideal for use at work and home too
- Superior Wireless All-In-One feature
- Convenient mobile device printing
- Toner Save Mode
- Prints sharp documents from letter up to legal size paper
- Does not print colours
- Could have been compatible with more operating systems
The replacement Brother DCP-1612W toner cartridge are:
- Brother TN1030 toner cartridge (Black)
- Brother DR-1050 Drum Unit
Conclusion:
The Brother DCP-1612W printer is a resourceful, economical and efficient monochrome laser printer which is ideal for offices that need to print documents in bulk. It uses good-quality original and compatible Brother DCP-1612W toner cartridges for effortlessly printing of documents. Thus, proves to be a sensible choice for professionals as well as students who need to print texts in bulk for work and education.
Q. How can I solve the error messages displayed on my Brother DCP 1612W printer?
To solve the error messages, you need to take proper action for each case. Few of them listed below:
1. Cartridge Error
Cause: This may be caused when the Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridge is not installed correctly or you are using the low-quality brother cartridges.
Action: Put the toner cartridge firmly into the drum unit, and then slightly put them back in the machine. Verify that you are using only a Brother drum unit and Brother high-quality compatible toner cartridges
2. Drum End Soon
Cause: This message indicates the time to replace the drum unit.
Action: Follow the steps and carefully replace the unit or reset the drum unit counter when a new drum is installed.
3. Toner Low
Cause: If you get such error on your screen, the machine is indicating that the Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridge is near the end of its usual life
Action: If the LCD shows toner low, you can still print while you order for the new Brother toner cartridges. But replace the Brother DCP 1612W Toner Cartridges as soon as possible as you get very Low Toner message.
4. Size mismatch
Cause: The paper used in the paper tray is not of the correct size.
Action: We recommend you to load the correct size of paper in the tray and set the size of paper to the tray as per your requirement.
5. Out of Memory
Cause: Your machine memory is either full or all most full.
Action: Do one of the following when a copy operation is in the process:
- Press the Start to copy the scanned pages.
- Press Stop/Exit and wait until the other operations in progress finish, and then try again.
- Press the stop or exit and the machine will cancel the current print job and clear it from the memory.
- Lower your print quality settings.












