The Brother MFC-J1205W is a budget all-in-one inkjet printer. Like other Brother INKvestment Tank printers, it utilizes ink cartridges in conjunction with an internal ink tank, resulting in a better yield than printers with traditional ink cartridges. It's compatible with LC404 cartridges. It has a basic flatbed scanner without an ADF. Connectivity options include USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, as well as support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. You can use this printer with the Brother Mobile Connect app, which allows you to perform tasks such as printing and scanning, monitor ink levels, and manage your ink subscription.
There are a couple of retailer-specific variants and bundle options. See the Differences Between Variants section below for more details.
Our Verdict
The Brother MFC-J1205W is good for home use. It produces high-quality black and color documents, and thanks to its high page yields, you shouldn't need to replace the cartridges often. It prints very detailed photos with reasonably accurate colors, but can't produce bright, saturated tones. It only has a flatbed scanner, so scanning multi-page documents can be very time-consuming. While the scan quality is great, some finer details don't come through, which isn't ideal for tasks like digitizing photos. Finally, with many connectivity options, it's convenient for the whole family.
- Produces high quality documents.
- Produces very detailed photos.
- High page yields.
- Low running costs.
- Prints slowly.
- No automatic document feeder.
The Brother MFC-J1205W is okay for small offices. Although it produces sharp-looking documents, it prints very slowly and doesn't support automatic duplex printing. It only has a flatbed scanner, making scanning multi-page documents extremely time-consuming. The lack of Ethernet connectivity might be an issue for offices that rely on a wired LAN connection. On the upside, the ink cartridges last a long time and are cheap.
- Produces high quality documents.
- High page yields.
- Low running costs.
- Prints slowly.
- No automatic document feeder.
- No automatic duplex printing.
The Brother MFC-J1205W is a subpar option if you need a printer that requires minimal maintenance and remains reliable. As an inkjet printer, it can clog when left idle for too long. It uses large ink cartridges, which are helpful when clearing stubborn clogs, but the printheads cannot be easily replaced if a blockage becomes severe. On the plus side, the printer delivers excellent page yields and does not require frequent cartridge replacements. It also offers a variety of connectivity options for easy printing from most devices. However, it prints slowly at about nine pages per minute and does not support automatic duplex printing.
- High page yields.
- Prints slowly.
- No automatic document feeder.
- No automatic duplex printing.
Can clog if it's left unused.
Printheads aren't user-replaceable.
The Brother MFC-J1205W is good for casual photo printing. It prints amazingly detailed photos with reasonably accurate colors, although it struggles slightly with bright, saturated tones, so printed pictures can appear slightly muted. As for its running costs, the ink cartridges yield a large number of prints and are relatively inexpensive, so maintenance costs are minimal. Unfortunately, it prints slowly and doesn't support 2" x 3" and 8" x 10" paper sizes.
- Produces very detailed photos.
- Low running costs.
- Prints slowly.
- Can't print on 2" x 3"–format glossy photo paper.
- Can't produce bright, saturated tones.
The Brother MFC-J1205W's page yields are great. You'll be able to print more than 1,000 black and white documents and 700 color documents before needing a refill.
- High page yields.
The Brother MFC-J1205W prints documents and photos quite slowly. It can only output nine black and six color pages per minute, and it takes around 70 seconds to complete a 4" x 6" print. On the bright side, getting the first page out doesn't take too long.
- Prints slowly.
The Brother MFC-J1205W produces outstanding black-and-white documents. Text and fine elements are clear and legible, resulting in sharp-looking prints. The one pain point is converting yellow to grayscale, resulting in a faint-looking final product.
- Produces high quality documents.
The Brother MFC-J1205W produces great-quality scans. Text looks sharp, and colors look vibrant without becoming oversaturated. However, some fine details get lost. As for scanning features, this model just has a basic flatbed scanner. The flatbed hinges are slightly adjustable to accommodate larger objects, such as textbooks or magazines. This isn't the best choice if you need to process long, multi-page, and double-sided documents.
Great scan quality.
- No automatic document feeder.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Jan 08, 2026:
We've updated text throughout the review after converting to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jan 05, 2026: We've updated the review to Test Bench 1.3, which adds a number of test boxes including Risk of Clogging and Ease of Unclogging. We also updated the Usage and Performance boxes at the top of the review to better integrate the new aspects covered. See the changelog.
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Updated Feb 12, 2025:
We've rewritten the Introduction, verdict boxes, and the 'Compared To Other Printers' box to bring them in line with our current standards for printer reviews.
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Updated Nov 21, 2024:
Added mention of the HP ENVY 6555e as an alternative with automatic duplex printing in the Printing Speed section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Brother MFC-J1205W. There's a variant called the Brother MFC-J1215W, which is a Walmart-exclusive version with identical features and performance. The Brother MFC-J1205W XL is also the same printer, but includes additional ink cartridges in the box.
See our unit's label.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Brother MFC-J1205W is a budget-friendly all-in-one inkjet printer and one of the best in its class. It stands out for its exceptional print quality, high page yields, and low cost per print. However, its printing speed is on the slower side, and it utilizes a basic flatbed scanner, so it's not ideal for those who need to process lengthy, multi-page, or double-sided documents.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best inkjet printers, the best printers for home use, and the best printers under $100.
The Brother MFC-J1010DW and the Brother MFC-J1205W are both all-in-one inkjet printers with similar features. If you print a lot, the MFC-J1205W is a better choice as its ink cartridges yield significantly more prints, which will help you save money in the long run. However, the MFC-J1010DW produces better quality color documents and prints black documents faster.
The Brother MFC-J4335DW and the Brother MFC-J1205W areboth all-in-one inkjet printers designed for home use. The J4335DW is better overall because it has better page yields, faster printing speed, and more scanner features like an automatic feeder and duplex scanning. It also has a better display console with more buttons to help navigate the settings menu. As for the print quality, the MFC-J4335DW is better for documents, but the MFC-J1205W has a slightly wider color range and better color accuracy.
The Brother MFC-J1205W is better than the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 for most uses. The Brother produces higher-quality documents and photos, and its ink cartridges yield significantly more prints, making it much cheaper to maintain. On the other hand, the Epson has a display that makes navigating the settings menu easier, and it supports automatic duplex printing.
The Brother MFC-J1205W is better than the Epson WorkForce WF-2850 for most uses. The Brother produces higher-quality documents, yields significantly more prints, and is much cheaper to maintain. However, the Epson has an automatic feeder and supports automatic duplex printing. It also has a better display, making it easier to navigate the settings menu. For photo printing, the Epson can produce a wider range of colors, but its color accuracy isn't as good as the Brother's.
Test Results
This printer feels very well-built. There's easy access to potential paper jams via a door on the rear and to the ink cartridges in the front. You also don't need to turn the printer on to access or replace the cartridges. You can push the output tray all the way in to make the printer more compact. The front cassette is removable, with sliders that adjust to different paper formats. The power cord can be detached, making it easy to replace if it becomes damaged. Unfortunately, the USB port is located on the left side of the printer, under the scan lid cover, and is very recessed. This will shorten the usable cable length by approximately six inches if you plan to plug it directly into your computer.
This printer doesn't have a display; it only has five physical buttons and a set of LED lights that indicate the current settings or when the corresponding function is in operation. The paper button sets the paper size and paper tray settings, and the Wi-Fi button adjusts the Wi-Fi connectivity. You can press the 'Mono' and 'Color' Copy buttons simultaneously to start scanning in either black and white or color, depending on the scan setting.
This printer utilizes Brother's proprietary INKvestment Tank ink system, which employs expanded-capacity ink cartridges in conjunction with internal ink storage tanks. It yields a large number of prints, meaning you won't need to replace the cartridges often unless you print a lot.
Like most inkjet printers, this printer's printheads can clog if not used for an extended period. There are several maintenance functions built in, should you experience clogging or other print quality issues, including printhead cleaning (with three levels: Normal, Strong, and Strongest) and an alignment check. The ink cartridges last a long time, so you won't need to replace them unless you print in high volumes. To replace the cartridges, you can easily access them on the front right side, and the printer doesn't need to be on for the process. For paper jams, you can access the sheet rollers through a panel on the back. The input tray holds 150 sheets of paper, so depending on your print load, you may need to refill it regularly.
You can see the user manual here.
This is an inkjet printer, which means it can clog if left unused for an extended period. Inkjet printers use liquid ink that flows through extremely fine printhead nozzles. During extended periods of inactivity, this ink can evaporate, thicken, or dry out, potentially blocking the ink flow. Environmental factors such as dry air, dust, temperature fluctuations, or direct sunlight can accelerate clog formation. Clogs may cause missing lines, faded colors, or complete print failures. To reduce the risk, we recommend printing periodically and storing the printer in a cool, stable environment. If clogs occur, most inkjet printers include built-in maintenance routines to help clear the printheads, which are detailed in the Expected Maintenance test box of this review.
If you don't want to deal with unclogging, laser printers use a different system with dry toner and a drum instead of ink and printheads, which avoids this issue.
This printer has non-replaceable printheads paired with a high ink volume, which helps resolve most clogging issues without needing a new cartridge. The large flushing volume partially compensates for the lack of replacement options for the printheads. However, if a clog exceeds what printhead cleaning tasks can handle, you will most likely need professional help to resolve the issue, which can be quite costly.
- Quick Setup Guide
- Product Safety Guide
- Power cord
- Brother LC404 starter ink cartridges:
- 1x Black
- 1x Cyan
- 1x Magenta
- 1x Yellow
The cost-per-print is exceptionally low. The INKvestment Tank system, which utilizes expanded-capacity ink cartridges in conjunction with internal ink tanks, yields a large number of prints, and replacement ink is relatively inexpensive. You can purchase the color cartridges individually or in a bundle to save money.
This printer has slow printing speeds. It doesn't take long to initialize and print a single page, but printing multi-page documents and photos can take a considerable amount of time. If you're printing a double-sided document, the printer will prompt you on your PC after printing one side to flip the pages so that it can finish printing the other side. Brother specifies that the output tray can hold up to 50 sheets. Consider the HP ENVY 6555e if you're looking for a similar printer that supports automatic duplex printing.
The print quality for black-and-white documents is outstanding. It reproduces text and fine elements clearly, with minimal banding and artifacts. It has trouble converting yellow to grayscale, although that's typical for most printers.
The print quality for color documents is great. Black-color text looks sharp, the colors look good, and most fine elements are present. However, white text on a colored background is harder to see, and colored areas look grainy.
This printer only features a flatbed scanner, making scanning multi-page documents extremely time-consuming. It has an optical character recognition feature that lets you save files as searchable PDFs, but it's software-based, meaning you need to install the Brother iPrint&Scan application to use it. The OCR works well, although it occasionally splits up a word with a blank space.
If you're looking for an INKvestment Tank printer with better scanning features, consider the Brother MFC-J4335DW.
The scan quality is great. Text looks clear, and colors look vibrant without being oversaturated. The only complaint is that it loses some finer details, which isn't ideal for digitizing graphics and photos.
This printer has an okay color gamut. It mainly struggles with bright, saturated tones, as well as lighter shades of blue and red. Color transitions look very smooth, with no banding and very little grain.
The color accuracy is okay. Most colors look different from the original, but not enough to make the photos look unnatural or bad. Browns and blues are the most inaccurate. If you're looking for a print-only model that produces nicer photos for home use, consider the Canon PIXMA TS702a.
This printer is outstanding at reproducing small details. Except for distant objects, most fine elements look fairly clear and are easily identifiable. The halftones (dot effect) are visible but not overwhelming; they simply make edges appear a little softer.
Consider the Epson WorkForce WF-2930 if you need a printer that can print a wider range of photo sizes.
We initially had issues connecting the printer via Wi-Fi. The printer could still generate its own Wi-Fi signal (Wi-Fi Direct), but couldn't connect to an existing Wi-Fi network. This issue has since been resolved through a firmware update. If you need a printer that can print directly from a USB flash drive, consider the HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e.
This printer is compatible with the Brother Mobile Connect app, which has a refreshed interface compared to the older iPrint&Scan app. You can use this app to print, scan, and copy from your mobile device. You can also check the ink levels, perform maintenance tasks like printhead cleaning, and order supplies. The maximum scan resolution on the app is only 300 DPI, which is significantly lower than the 1,200 DPI you can achieve on a PC, but still sufficient for text documents. Unlike the older Brother iPrint&Scan app, you can't print web pages from this app.
You need to install drivers on Windows to get full functionality, but not on macOS. For Chrome OS, it depends on the Chromebook; some are fully functional out of the box, while others require the Brother Mobile Connect app (Android version available on Google Play Store) to recognize the printer.