Skip to content   Skip to footer navigation 

Brother MFC-J6540DW review

Inkjet (colour) printer. Priced at $399.

  • Brother MFC-J6540DW carousel image
  • Brother MFC-J6540DW carousel image
  • Brother MFC-J6540DW carousel image
  • Brother MFC-J6540DW carousel image
Image thumbnail 0
Image thumbnail 1
Image thumbnail 2
Image thumbnail 3

CHOICE Expert Rating

Unlock rating

What is the CHOICE Expert Rating?

CHOICE Expert Rating

This is the product's overall performance score, based on key tests conducted by our industry experts in the CHOICE labs.

Sign in

Good points

The product's best features and benefits

Bad points

Drawbacks or issues you need to know about
locked content

Unlock our expert review and more

  • Reviews and ratings you can trust
  • Easy side-by-side comparison
  • Recommended products at a glance
Model type View more details.

MFP stands for multi-function printer, and standard refers to inkjet and laser (mono/colour) printers.

MFP
Printer type View more details.

Laser printers include mono and colour options.

Recommended View more details.

We recommend all printers with a CHOICE Expert rating of 70% or more, as long as the MFP or standard printer also delivers a performance score of 70% or more for print quality.

CHOICE Expert Rating View more details.

The CHOICE Expert Rating for standard and multifunction printers, the overall score that determines which models we recommend, is made up of performance (60%), ease of use (20%), brand reliability (10%), networking (5%) and ink wastage (5%). The performance assessment for standard printers is made up of print quality (80%) and print speed (20%), while the performance assessment for multifunction printers is made up of print quality (65%), print speed (15%), scanning performance (10%) and copying performance (10%).

Printing quality score View more details.

Inkjet and colour laser printing is assessed by a panel of experts looking at a typical black-and-white letter (25%), an 8x10-inch high quality photo (20%), a colour spreadsheet (25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (25%) and moisture resistance (5%). Black and white inkjet and laser printing looks at a typical black-and-white letter (31.25%), a colour spreadsheet (31.25%), a colour document with a mixture of graphics and text (31.25%) and moisture resistance (6.25%).

Printing speed score View more details.

Colour inkjet and laser printing speed is assessed by measuring the speed to print the same documents, made up of 25% for the photo, 25% for the colour document, and 25% each for the letter and the spreadsheet. Black-and-white inkjet or laser printing speed is assessed by splitting assessments into equal thirds, and measuring the speed to print a mixed graphics and text document (33.33%), a letter (33.33%) and a spreadsheet (33.33%).

Scanning score View more details.

Scanning and copying are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object.

Copying score View more details.

Scanning and copying are assessed by scanning and copying a magazine page, an 8x10-inch colour photo and scanning a 3D object.

Ease of use score View more details.

Ease of use is assessed by a team of experts running each product through everyday scenarios that replicate typical use.

Networking score View more details.

We set up wired and wireless connections, assessing the steps required and the adequacy of the instructions.

Ink wastage score View more details.

We consider the impact of the 'maintenance cycle' in inkjet models, which consumes ink when print-heads are automatically cleaned. Less ink used equals reduced expense. We use our 'average use scenario' – 1000 mono prints, 250 colour document prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year. This is not tested on continuous ink supply system (aka big ink) printers. The 5% contribution to each overall score is distributed evenly across the remaining parts of the test.

Power consumption score View more details.

Power consumption is a small factor in overall cost, so we don't add it to the total, but it's included in the reports.

Excess ink usage for cleaning (%) View more details.

Inkjet printers that are only used infrequently run a maintenance cycle to clean the print-heads before use. We calculate how much is used over a three-week period. The higher the figure, the worse the performance – 400 would mean that the printer uses four times as much ink to clean itself as it does to print. We can't accurately calculate how much ink tank type printers use for cleaning so they don't get a score in this test.

Time from power on to start printing (seconds) View more details.

The time it takes from powering on to starting printing the first page, measured in seconds.

Number of text pages from a set of cartridges
Number of graphics pages from a set of cartridges
Number of photos from a set of cartridges
Noise assessment
Shop Ethical rating View more details.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. The rating ranks from A (highest) to F (lowest); N/A means there is no rating for that company.

C
Reliability score View more details.

A high score means the brand (not the model) is less likely to have faults over time, according to CHOICE members.

Satisfaction score View more details.

A high score means CHOICE members are satisfied with the brand (not the model).

Service score View more details.

A high score means CHOICE members were happy with the support they received from this brand when they had a problem with their printer.

Can auto print both sides View more details.

This setting will reduce your paper consumption, without the need to manually feed paper back into the printer. Some models do support printing both sides manually, which is noted in the specifications.

Yes
Eco setting View more details.

This setting uses less ink. It lowers print quality but allows you to limit full quality printing to important documents.

No
Availability View more details.

'Tested model' refers to printers that are currently available in shops and online, while 'Discontinued model' refers to printers that are no longer available in shops, but may be available second-hand.

Tested model
Price View more details.

This is the recommended retail price, but you can usually find a more competitive price by shopping around.

$399
Toner cost per text page View more details.

Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year).

$0.09
Toner cost per graphics page View more details.

Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year).

Toner cost per photo page View more details.

Toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs (based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year).

Annual ink/toner cost View more details.

This is the cost of one year worth of ink when you need to refill based on our average use scenario of 1000 mono prints, 250 colour prints and 250 full-colour photo prints over the course of a year. You may use more or less ink over the course of a year. Some printers include free ink in the box which can cover usage for up to three years. Prices listed in our table refer to refill costs after the free ink is exhausted. Ink/toner life is determined by running the printers almost continuously to calculate cost per page and long-term running costs.

Scanner size (mm) View more details.

Physical size of the scanning plate in millimetres (WxH)

430 X 296
Dimensions (cm, H x W x D) View more details.

We measure the dimensions when the printer is set up and ready to go, with any trays or hoppers extended so you can see the space required for operation. Measured in cm.

30.5 x 57.6 x 78
Claimed printing speed colour (ppm) View more details.

The maximum print output speed of the printer's engine, in pages per minute (ppm). Note that there is no standard for measuring print speed so advertised and actual output can vary greatly. It can take four times as long to print a colour page as a black-only page.

28
Claimed printing speed mono (ppm) View more details.

The maximum print output speed of the printer's engine, in pages per minute (ppm). Note that there is no standard for measuring print speed so advertised and actual output can vary greatly. It can take four times as long to print a colour page as a black-only page.

28
Stated life of laser drum (pages) View more details.

The stated life of the laser drum is given in pages. Where there are two numbers, the first is when used for monochrome printing only, the second for colour.
N/A
Input paper capacity main tray/multipurpose tray (A4 sheets)
250 / 1
Maximum paper size View more details.

Most printers can print at sizes up to A4 (21cm x 29.7cm), but some of the larger printers support A3 (29.7cm x 42cm) printing.

A3
Minimum paper size View more details.

Some printers support smaller paper sizes which can be handy for cards or invites. An A5 sheet is half the size of an A4 sheet and an A6 is half the size of an A5 sheet.

A6
Max scan resolution View more details.

Maximum resolution supported by the scanner for multi-function colour printers.

1200 X 1200
Number of cartridges required to load printer
4
Cartridge format View more details.

There are two main types of ink cartridges. K = key (black), used for monochrome printing. C,M,Y,K = cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), used for colour printing. Some brands also have proprietary ink alternatives, such as Canon (GY = grey, LGY = light grey, PGBK aka PBK, PB or PK = page black and photo blue) and Epson (LC = light cyan, LM = light magenta).

K, C, M, Y
Memory card support
No
LCD type (colour/mono/touch)
Colour, touch
LCD size W x H (cm) View more details.

Refers to the size of the LCD screen where applicable.

5.4 x 4
Website
brother.com.au
4x6 photo tray
No
Borderless printing A4
Yes
Auto feeder for scan or copy
Yes
Feeder can auto-duplex for scan or copy View more details.

Printer can automatically feed paper in and out, to scan/copy on both sides. Models that don't support auto-duplex scanning may be able to scan/copy on both sides with a manual feed from the user. Not all models that support auto- duplex printing also support auto-duplex scanning.

No
Can scan A3
Yes
Scan for each copy View more details.

Scans each page from the automatic document feeder.

No
Fax without PC View more details.

Can the multifunction printer (MFP) send a fax without having to connect to a PC? The MFP must have a phone line input, and dial pad (which may be accessible via a menu on the touch screen).

Yes
Has separate cartridges for each colour View more details.

Colour cartridges can be replaced separately.

Yes
Cartridge has built-in printhead View more details.

Each cartridge has the capacity to inject ink onto the page rather than an integrated printhead, which has all of the colours in one cartridge.

No
Ethernet View more details.

Does the printer have an Ethernet port for joining a wired network?

Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
USB connection View more details.

Does the printer include a USB port?

Yes
Near field communication (NFC) View more details.

Enables wireless connectivity with nearby devices.

No
Print from mobile devices over Wi-Fi
Yes
Can print emailed items View more details.

Support for wireless printing by directly emailing the document to the printer from another device including laptops, tablets or smartphones.

Yes
AirPrint View more details.

Support for wireless printing by directly sending the document to the printer from Apple devices, including iMacs, iPads and iPhones, via the proprietary AirPrint connection.

Yes
Windows 11 compatible View more details.

Does it support Windows 11 without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

No
Linux View more details.

Does it support Linux without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Yes
Mac OS View more details.

Does it support Mac OS without download? Drivers may still be available from the manufacturer.

Yes
Preview screen
No
Member reviews

Average rating

Get full access to all our tests and reviews