The Brother IntelliFax series of printers is perfect for any business, large or small. These printers can also be used in a home office setting. Many models in this series are specifically designed for use in offices with high-volume print and fax needs, and these models include features like network printing capability. Fax transmission speeds will vary across the series, with some models transmitting at speeds of up to two seconds per page. Some IntelliFax models will print in color, but many are monochrome printers that only print in black.
Brother IntelliFax printers use laser technology, meaning you’ll need to use toner cartridges in your device. However, early models used ribbon transfer technology and required thermal ribbon rolls like the PC402. The particular toner cartridge or ribbon roll you need will depend on the specific printer model you own. Some common toner requirements for the IntelliFax series include TN460 and TN336, though your particular model may require a different toner cartridge. Whatever toner your printer needs, 1ink.com offers high-quality, low-cost solutions. Our compatible toner cartridges are designed to produce original equipment manufacturer (OEM) levels of quality and performance with your Brother printer. Our compatible toner cartridges are guaranteed to be free from any manufacturer errors and are guaranteed to work with your compatible Brother IntelliFax printer model, making them an excellent option for any budget.
Brother laser printers come in all shapes and sizes. While it's easy to lump all modern printers in the same category under the "All-in-One" umbrella, some are specially designed to excel at a single feature. The Brother IntelliFax series is a line of printer/fax-machine hybrids that are aimed particularly at high-speed faxing and outputting moderate to large workloads.
"Fax" originated from the word Latin word 'facsimile', which means an exact copy, especially in regards to written material.
Brother developed their first fax machine in 1987, simply called the FAX-100. From there on out, Brother has improved on their telecommunication technology and continues to put out dedicated fax machines such as the IntelliFax series to this very day.
Who uses fax machines in the modern era? Despite the popular notion that fax machines are obsolete, they are still utilized heavily in the healthcare field as well as other written-communication centric fields.
The IntelliFax series has a few striking features that differentiate itself from the rest of Brother's laser printers. For starters, it's important to remember that this series is more akin to a fax machine rather than a printer, although it does print.
You can't miss the literal phone that's attached to every IntelliFax model. Although it may look like a relic from the past, this signature feature allows you actually to make and receive calls if needed. While older fax machines require you to be tethered to a landline, newer models of Intellifax can utilize an online fax service to host your number, essentially cutting out the need to be hardwired while on a Wi-Fi network.
What Brother Toner Cartridges Do the IntelliFax Series Use?
Brother fax machines have a very strange history when it comes to their consumables. As one of the oldest series of devices, they have frequently adapted and tried different consumables throughout its 20-year lifespan.
Some of the very first Brother fax machines utilized thermal ribbon roll technology that used heat to transfer over to the paper physically. While this is no longer used in the modern Intellifax series, there are still a handful of printers that still use these thermal ribbons rolls as their main consumable.
Some Brother fax printers in the early to mid-2000's used ink cartridges. Some of these Brother inkjet printers use LC41 ink cartridge sets, which were somewhat limited in page yield, and were only able to produce around 400 pages per cartridge. The LC41 is used across many Brother printer series such as the DCP and MF as well.
While some IntelliFax still use ink cartridges like the LC41, most modern iterations of the fax machine which utilize toner cartridges such as the TN420 and TN450. The TN450 is the high-yield version of the TN420 and can produce up to 2,600 pages before needing to be replaced.
Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all consumable for the Brother IntelliFax series, so knowing which ink cartridge, toner cartridge, or thermal roll is needed for your fax machine is imperative.
Brother Toner Pricing for IntelliFax Series
Toner cartridges are always pretty pricey in comparison to ink cartridges. The toner cartridges used by the Brother IntelliFax series are no different.
Some specific fax machines, such as the Brother IntelliFax 4100e use a somewhat universal toner cartridge called the TN430. The TN430 can be used with other Intellifax as well as other select models of series like the MFC, HL, DCP, and PPF line of Brother laser printers. The TN430 is a standard yield cartridge that prints up to 3,000 pages. There is a high-yield version of this exact cartridge called the TN460, which prints double the amount of pages and is generally the better purchase.
Let's take a look at some of the pricing of the TN430 and TN460.
As you can see, original Brother toner cartridges are a bit on the pricey side. While the TN430 toner is slightly cheaper than the TN460, it only produces around half the amount of pages.
You might have noticed that small yellow bar on the right-hand side of the graph. That is the price for a compatible Brother TN460 toner cartridge from 1ink.com. Our compatible toner cartridges are filled with the same high-quality ink you would expect from the name brands, except they're priced 70% cheaper than the original cartridge.
1ink.com delivers on both quality and price in every matchup. Let's take a look at another Brother toner cartridge that IntelliFax printers use.
The TN420 is one of the most popular toner cartridges for a multitude of Brother laser printers.
We can see the same kind of trend, even with the TN420 toner. 1ink.com's compatible Brother TN450 high yield black toner costs half the price of the original TN420, yet it produces over double the number of pages. The choice is clear if you want the same consistent and high-grade toner for half the price, make the switch to 1ink.com.
What is the Best Brother IntelliFax?
At the current moment, there's not a wide variety of Brother IntelliFax fax machines on the market. There are choices to be made between the current roster of models and some fantastic standouts from the past that are more than qualified candidates for the best Intellifax printer.
Let's start off with our favorite of the bunch, the Brother IntelliFax 4100e Business Class Laser Fax. Some really innovative features for a fax machine in the 2020s.There is some quality of life improvements, such as the ability to store up to 132 contacts within the machine to auto-dial at the tap of a button. It also boasts some pretty impressive modem speeds and can transmit fax messages at around 3 seconds per page.
The Brother IntelliFax 4100e has a battery-powered backup pack that will protect memory stored fax messages for up to four days, in case of an emergency or power outage. While a lot of features may not be particularly used, the ease of access is at an all-time high.
For those looking for a budget option that has fewer bells and whistles, we also like to recommend the Brother IntelliFax 2840. Priced around a hundred dollars less than its big brother (no pun intended) the Brother IntelliFax 4100e, it's a more than enticing deal for those small offices to take advantage of. Copying is not a problem either, as this is one of the fastest Brother fax machines available right now, as it boasts a copying speed of around 21 pages per minute. The Intellifax 2840 also has a 250-sheet paper capacity, which can be upgraded to 500 if needed.
The Brother Intellifax 4750e is the premier enterprise printer/fax machine for midsize to large office spaces. If speed and power are your number one concern, the IntelliFax 4750e is able to transmit documents in around 2.5 seconds per page and queue up to 600 pages at a time. The Brother IntelliFax 4750e may be a bit on the pricey side, but if you're willing to make an initial investment, this workhorse machine is sure to have you covered for the next five to ten years.
How to Replace a Toner Cartridge in a Brother Intellifax Machine?
As stated before, most Brother fax machines use a different consumable cartridge. This toner tutorial is specifically for the Brother Intellifax 4100e, as it is the most popular and well-known model on the market to date. Other Brother laser printers may follow similar steps with slight variations.
- Make sure your Brother laser printer is on.
- Open the front cover of your printer and pull out the drum unit
- Hold down on the lock lever and the toner cartridge out of the drum unit.
- Remove the new TN430/TN460 toner cartridge from its respective packaging. Make sure to remove any obstructive clips, plastic, or tape that may be blocking the cartridge from proper installation.
- Gently rock the toner cartridge back and forth to distribute the toner within evenly.
- Firmly insert the new toner cartridge into the drum unit until you hear a click. The lock lever will automatically lift when appropriately installed.
- Clean the corona wire inside of the drum unit by gently sliding the blue tab left to right. Return the tab to its original home position when finished.
- Reinstall the drum unit assembly into your printer
Where to Buy Cheap Intellifax Toner and Consumables?
Whether you're looking for toner or ink cartridges to fit your Brother fax machine, you're going to run into a few hurdles. Most notably, buying original Brother toner cartridges can really take a toll on your wallet. That's not even mentioning the issues about online or in-store availability. Good luck finding any thermal ribbons as most major retailers have stopped selling them altogether.
1ink.com supports our printers, new and old; even though your Brother fax machine is from the early 2000s, we still have the right thermal ribbons for you right here on our website. Legacy support is one of our strong suits as we carry thousands of ink and toner cartridges for a huge array of printers.