1. Overview & Positioning

The Brother MFC-J450DW is a compact 4-in-1 inkjet multifunction printer designed for small offices, home offices, or light-duty business use. It offers printing, scanning, copying, and faxing all in one device. Despite its small footprint, it's reasonably feature-rich, delivering wireless connectivity, duplex printing, and mobile printing support — making it a versatile choice for businesses that need a flexible, all-purpose office machine.

Brother markets it under their “WorkSmart” series, emphasizing a cost-effective total cost of ownership, high-yield cartridges, and space-saving design.

2. Key Specifications & Features

Here are the important specs and features to know when evaluating this model for business deployment:

Print

• Technology: Piezoelectric inkjet with 210 nozzles for each color.

• Max Print Resolution: Up to 6,000 × 1,200 dpi, offering sharp text and good-quality graphics.

• Speed: ISO speeds of 12 ppm (pages per minute) black and 10 ppm color.

• Fast Mode: Up to 33 ppm black and 27 ppm color, for draft or less critical prints.

• Duplex: Automatic 2-sided (duplex) printing supported, helping reduce paper usage.

• Ink System: 4 separate cartridges (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) — you replace only the color that runs out.

• Ink Options: Both standard yield (LC101) and “high-yield” (LC103) cartridges are available.

Copy

• Speed: Up to ~5 ppm per some specs, though real-world or “fast” modes may differ.

• Resolution: Up to 1,200 × 2,400 dpi for sharper copies.

• Copies per Job: 1–99 pages.

• Zoom / Scaling: 25% to 400% scaling is supported.

Scan

• Type: Flatbed scanner + 20-sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for multi-page scanning.

• Optical Resolution: 1,200 × 2,400 dpi on flatbed, ADF up to 1,200 × 600 dpi.

• Interpolated Resolution: Very high (spec sheet gives up to 19,200 × 19,200), useful for detailed scans.

• Color Depth: 30-bit input, 24-bit output for true-color scanning.

• Scan Destinations: Scan to PC, email, OCR, media, and more using Brother’s scanning software / TWAIN.

Fax

• Modem Speed: Up to 14.4 kbps.

• Memory: Stores up to 170 pages (incoming).

• Speed Dial / Dialing: 40-number address book, group dialing support.

Connectivity

• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, including Wi-Fi Direct for printing without a router. 

• Mobile Printing: Supports Brother iPrint&Scan, AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and Cortado Workplace.

• Web Connect: Print or scan to/from cloud services: Facebook, Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc.

• USB: High-speed USB 2.0 for direct connection to a PC.

Paper Handling

• Input Tray: Holds up to 100 sheets of plain paper.

• Supported Paper Sizes: Letter, Legal, A4, A5, A6, photo sizes, envelopes.

• Output Capacity: 50-sheet output (plain) per some spec sources.

Display & Controls

• LCD: 1.8″ color TFT screen for navigating the menu and functions.

• Controls: Buttons for scan, copy, fax, menu, navigation, number key pad, start, stop, etc.

Power & Environmental

• Power Consumption: ~19 W copying, ~3.5 W ready, ~1.1 W in standby, ~0.2 W off.

• Dimensions: Approx 410 mm × 374 mm × 180 mm (W × D × H).

• Weight: ~8.9 kg.

3. Performance & Real-World Use

Printing Experience

• The high 6000 × 1200 dpi resolution ensures very sharp text and nicely detailed graphics — useful for business documents, reports, brochures.

• In everyday use, ISO speeds (12 ppm black / 10 ppm color) are decent for small office workflows. For draft or less critical prints, the fast mode (33 ppm / 27 ppm) helps boost productivity.

• Automatic duplexing (two-sided printing) helps save paper and cost, a plus for business environments.

Scanning & Copying

• Thanks to the 20-sheet ADF, the MFC-J450DW handles multi-page scanning or copying quite well, making it suitable for document workflows.

• High scanning resolution and good color depth make scanned documents clear and useful for archiving or sharing.

Mobile & Cloud Integration

• With Wi-Fi, AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and Brother iPrint&Scan, users can print from their phones, tablets or laptops easily — very beneficial for modern hybrid office setups.

• The Web Connect feature supports direct cloud interaction from the printer (Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, etc.), enabling scan-to-cloud or print-from-cloud workflows.

Running Cost & Maintenance

• The 4-cartridge system (CMYK) means you only need to replace the color that’s empty — helping control cost.

• High-yield cartridges reduce page cost potentially for more frequent business printing.

• Power usage is relatively efficient when idle, helping with energy cost in a small business.

4. Business Use & Deployment Fit

Suitable Scenarios

• Home Office / Small Office: Ideal for small teams (2–5 people) or entrepreneurs who need to print documents, scan contracts or copy multi-page files.

• Shared Workgroup Printer: With wireless networking and ADF, it can be a shared device in a small branch or department.

• Document Workflows: Good for scanning contracts, invoices, or reports and sending them to email or the cloud.

• Cost-Saving Office: Duplex printing and individual ink cartridges help save paper and ink cost.

Less Suitable For

• High-volume Printing: If your office prints many hundreds or thousands of pages per month, a laser MFP may be more economical.

• Heavy Photo Printing: While the resolution is high, it's not a dedicated photo printer and may not match specialized photo output quality.

• Very Large Format or Specialty Media: The paper tray capacity (100 sheets) and paper handling might limit use in very high-demand environments.

5. Pros & Cons — Summary

Pros:

• Compact footprint — saves space.

• Good print resolution (6000 × 1200 dpi) for sharp output.

• Four separate ink cartridges (CMYK) — change only what’s needed.

• Automatic duplex printing saves paper.

• 20-sheet ADF enables multi-page scanning and copying.

• Strong connectivity: Wi-Fi, mobile printing, cloud integration.

• Reasonable power efficiency.

Cons:

• ISO print speed is moderate (12 ppm / 10 ppm).

• Input tray holds only 100 sheets — may require frequent refills.

• Running cost for ink might be higher than laser for very large print volumes.

• Memory is only 64 MB, which may slow large or complex print jobs.

• Not optimized for heavy photo print workflows.

6. Deployment Tips & Recommendations

1. Estimate monthly print volume: If printing ≤1,000 pages/month, this model can be very cost-effective.

2. Use high-yield cartridges: For business printing, high-yield (LC103) cartridges help reduce cost per page.

3. Enable duplex printing by default: Set print drivers to default to 2-sided to save paper.

4. Train users on ADF usage: Teach staff how to use the 20-sheet ADF for scanning or copying multi-page documents to boost productivity.

5. Take advantage of mobile printing: Setup Brother iPrint&Scan, AirPrint, and cloud printing to allow printing from mobile devices seamlessly.

6. Monitor ink usage: Since it's an inkjet, monitor for underutilization (ink drying) or overuse; schedule regular printing to keep heads healthy.

7. Service planning: Keep spare cartridges, and consider maintenance contracts if used in a business-critical environment.

7. Final Verdict

The Brother MFC-J450DW is a very balanced, business-friendly all-in-one that offers a solid mix of print quality, functionality, and features in a compact package. It’s especially well-suited to small offices or home offices that need printing, scanning, copying, and fax in one machine, without sacrificing connectivity or paper-saving capabilities.

Recommended if:

• You run a small business or remote office and need a reliable, versatile all-in-one.

• You value mobile printing, duplex, and multi-page scanning.

• You want to manage ink costs efficiently by replacing only the color cartridges that run out.

Consider alternatives if:

• Your print volume is very high (laser may be cheaper long-term).

• You need photo-quality printing or specialty media handling.

• You require very large input trays, or advanced finishing (e.g., stapling, booklet).