In our small creative agency, there’s a recurring frustration that always seems to strike right before a big client presentation. We’ve spent weeks perfecting a set of architectural plans, crafting a beautiful marketing broadsheet, or laying out a complex project timeline. The digital file looks perfect on screen, but it’s designed for A3 (11″ x 17″) paper. We hit “Print,” and the office’s standard A4 printer just stares back, helpless. The result? A last-minute, frantic dash to the local print shop, paying premium prices and crossing our fingers that they get the colours right and finish on time. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a bottleneck that stifles creativity, adds unnecessary costs, and injects stress into our workflow. We needed a professional, in-house solution that could handle our largest formats without requiring a commercial-sized budget or a dedicated print room. The search for a true office workhorse, one that could finally bring our big ideas to life on paper, led us directly to the doorstep of the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer.
- More uninterrupted printing. Up to 1 year of printing with the INKvestment Tank’s high-capacity in-box ink cartridges (approximately 300 pages/month) and 2-year limited warranty.
- More impact. Our patented MAXIDRIVE print chip redefines printing technology with ultra-fast, durable, precision printing.
What to Consider Before Buying an All-in-One Business Inkjet Printer
An All-in-One Inkjet Printer is more than just a device that puts ink on paper; it’s the central hub for a small business’s document management. It’s a key solution for digitizing records, producing professional marketing materials, printing large-format schematics, and handling day-to-day administrative tasks like copying and faxing. The main benefit is consolidation. Instead of buying, housing, and maintaining four separate machines, you get a single, integrated unit that streamlines workflow, saves space, and simplifies connectivity. For businesses that need to produce high-quality colour documents, from client proposals to full-bleed photos, a capable inkjet is often a more cost-effective and vibrant choice than a colour laser printer in the same price bracket.
The ideal customer for this type of product is a small business owner, a freelancer in a creative field (like architecture, design, or photography), or a demanding home office user who frequently needs to print, scan, or copy documents larger than the standard 8.5″ x 11″. They value efficiency, low running costs, and the flexibility to handle diverse media types. However, this type of machine might not be suitable for those who only print occasional black-and-white text documents; a simple monochrome laser printer would be more economical. Similarly, individuals in extremely tight spaces might find the physical footprint of a feature-rich A3 printer prohibitive and should consider more compact A4-only models or even portable printers if their needs are mobile.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: A3 printers are inherently larger than their A4 counterparts. You must measure your intended space carefully. Remember to account for extra clearance at the back for the manual feed tray and in the front for the paper tray when it’s extended to hold 11″ x 17″ paper. As one user noted, you’ll need an additional 4-5 inches of depth just for the extended tray, a crucial consideration for placement on a desk or credenza.
- Capacity/Performance: Look beyond just print speed (PPM). Consider the paper capacity—how many sheets can the trays hold? A larger capacity, like the 350-sheet total on the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer, means less time spent refilling paper. Also, check the capacity of the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for scanning and copying multi-page documents, and ensure it supports duplex (two-sided) scanning if that’s a feature you need.
- Ink System & Running Costs: This is paramount. Traditional cartridges can be expensive and run out quickly. Ink tank systems (like Brother’s INKvestment, Epson’s EcoTank, or HP’s Smart Tank) offer a much lower cost per page by using high-capacity cartridges or refillable bottles. While the initial printer cost may be higher, the long-term savings on ink can be substantial for any business that prints regularly.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: A complicated printer is a productivity killer. Look for an intuitive touchscreen interface, straightforward driver installation, and reliable wireless connectivity. Maintenance should be simple, with easy-to-access ink cartridges and clear instructions for routine tasks like print head cleaning. Reading user feedback about setup experiences can be very telling.
While the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- Print, Copy, Scan: The PIXMA TS3720 is a true colour printer scanner copier all in one that is compact, versatile and easy-to-use with a 60 sheet rear tray that reduces the need to refill paper as...
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The DeskJet 2855e is perfect for homes printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes. Print speeds up to 5.5 ppm colour, 7.5 ppm black.
First Impressions: A Purpose-Built Office Powerhouse
Unboxing the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer is an event in itself. This is not a lightweight, flimsy home printer; at nearly 53 pounds, it has a commanding presence and feels robustly built. Several users accurately described it as a “beast of a machine,” and we wholeheartedly agree. The design is functional and professional, prioritizing utility over aesthetics, which is exactly what you want in an office tool. Inside the box, the first thing that stands out is the set of four INKvestment Tank cartridges. They are noticeably larger than standard inkjet cartridges, immediately signaling the printer’s focus on longevity and low running costs. The initial setup was guided by the 3.5” LCD colour touchscreen. We opted for a wireless network connection, which the printer found and connected to in under a minute. The process involves installing the ink, letting the printer prime itself, and then running a print quality check. For our Windows and Mac machines, the driver installation was seamless. It’s clear from the outset that this printer is designed to handle serious workloads, and seeing the sheer volume of ink provided in the box is a welcome departure from the “starter” cartridges often included with competing models.
Key Benefits
- Full A3/Ledger (11″ x 17″) printing, scanning, copying, and faxing
- INKvestment Tank system provides extremely low long-term running costs
- Excellent print speeds (up to 30 ppm) for both black and colour
- Highly versatile paper handling with two main trays and a rear manual feed
- Robust connectivity options including dual-band Wi-Fi and Ethernet
Potential Drawbacks
- Very large and heavy, requires significant desk space
- Some users have reported difficult setup experiences or support issues
Performance Deep Dive: Putting the Brother MFC-J6955DW to the Test
A printer’s value is ultimately determined by its real-world performance. We pushed the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer through a gauntlet of tasks designed to simulate a demanding small office environment, from high-volume text printing to intricate, large-format colour graphics. Here’s how it performed across the board.
The Main Event: Flawless A3 Printing and Paper Handling
The primary reason to invest in this machine is its A3 capability, and in this area, it absolutely excels. We started by loading the expandable second paper tray with 11″ x 17″ ledger paper. As noted by users, this does extend the printer’s footprint by a significant 4-5 inches, so planning your space is essential. Our first test was a set of complex architectural drawings filled with fine lines and small text annotations. The printer, powered by Brother’s MAXIDRIVE print chip, rendered every detail with outstanding precision. Lines were crisp and sharp, with no bleeding or feathering, and text was perfectly legible even at tiny font sizes. One user, the owner of a precision machine shop, praised how it “delivers” for large format drawings, and our experience confirmed this entirely.
Next, we tested its prowess with marketing materials, printing a full-bleed A3 poster on glossy photo paper using the rear manual feed tray. The colour reproduction was vibrant and accurate, with deep blacks and smooth gradients. The ability to handle various media, from plain paper and card stock to envelopes and photo paper, makes it incredibly versatile. Having two separate 250-sheet trays is a massive workflow enhancement. We kept Tray 1 loaded with standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper for daily tasks and Tray 2 with 11″ x 17″ for our special projects. This simple feature eliminates the constant need to swap paper types, saving time and frustration. The 50-sheet ADF also handled A3 paper for scanning and copying, making it a true all-in-one solution for large-format documents.
INKvestment Tank System: The End of Ink Anxiety
For any business, the total cost of ownership is a critical factor. The Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer tackles this head-on with its innovative ink system. It’s not a traditional cartridge printer, nor is it a refillable bottle system like Epson’s EcoTank. Instead, it uses high-yield cartridges that feed an internal storage tank. This hybrid approach offers the convenience of clean, simple cartridge replacement while delivering the massive page yields and low cost-per-page of a tank system. Brother claims the in-box ink can last up to a year, and based on the visible ink levels and the page count monitor, this seems entirely plausible for a small business with moderate printing needs.
This was a major point of praise for one user who switched from a rival brand after years of frustration with “garbage, tons of ads, spyware & bloat, and crazy ink prices.” They found the Brother to be a workhorse with accurate page counts and no nonsense. Our experience aligns perfectly. The printer simply works, quietly and efficiently, without pushing subscriptions or harvesting data. The front-facing panel provides a clear, at-a-glance view of how much ink is in the internal tanks, eliminating the guesswork and “low ink” warnings that pop up unexpectedly with opaque cartridges. This system provides peace of mind, allowing us to focus on our work rather than worrying about the next exorbitant ink purchase. It’s a feature that truly sets it apart in the business printer category.
Blazing Speed and Professional Quality
Speed is often the trade-off for high-quality inkjet printing, but the MFC-J6955DW defies that convention. Its claimed print speed of up to 30 pages per minute (ppm) for both black and colour is impressive, and our tests showed it comes remarkably close to these figures, especially in draft mode. For a 20-page text document, the first page was out in about 5 seconds, and the entire job was completed in well under a minute. This is faster than many laser printers in its class. Even more impressively, the speed didn’t drop off dramatically when printing mixed text and graphics. A 10-page client proposal with charts and images printed quickly and looked sharp and professional.
Print quality is consistently excellent across all media types. Text documents are razor-sharp, approaching laser quality. Colour graphics are vibrant and punchy, making it ideal for presentations and marketing collateral. As one user stated, “Print quality is excellent, it doesn’t matter if I’m using plain paper, photo paper or card stock.” We found the automatic duplex (two-sided) printing to be a fantastic paper and time saver. It works seamlessly for both A4 and A3 sizes, and when combined with the duplex scanning capability of the ADF, creating two-sided copies of a two-sided original is a one-touch operation. This level of speed and quality, combined with its robust paper handling, makes the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer a genuine productivity engine.
Seamless Connectivity and Everyday Usability
A powerful printer is useless if it’s difficult to connect to or operate. Brother has equipped the MFC-J6955DW with a full suite of modern connectivity options. The built-in dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz / 5GHz) provides a stable and fast wireless connection, which we found to be rock-solid with no dropped connections during our entire testing period. This echoes the sentiment of a user who praised its reliability. For offices that prefer a hardwired connection for maximum stability, an Ethernet port is also available. Setting up mobile printing was also a breeze. Using the Brother Mobile Connect app, we were able to print documents and photos directly from our smartphones and tablets, and even scan documents directly to our devices.
The 3.5” colour touchscreen is the main command center. While not as large or responsive as a modern smartphone screen, it is bright, clear, and logically laid out. Navigating menus for copying, scanning to cloud services (like Google Drive or Dropbox), and faxing is intuitive. We particularly appreciated the ability to create custom shortcuts for frequently used workflows. The Triple Layer Security features are a welcome addition for any business handling sensitive client information, providing peace of mind that network connections and documents are protected. While one user reported a frustrating initial setup issue resulting in poor technical support, our own setup was flawless, and the majority of feedback suggests an easy, straightforward experience, especially for Windows and Mac users.
What Other Users Are Saying
Our positive experience with the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer is largely mirrored by the broader user community. The overwhelming sentiment is that this is a highly capable and versatile machine that delivers on its promises. Many users, like the one running a machine shop, specifically bought it for its 11″ x 17″ capabilities and were thrilled with the results, calling it “amazing in both quality and speed.” The value proposition of the INKvestment Tank system is another frequently praised feature, with one long-time HP user noting it “has worked like a horse with no lost wireless connections” and offers incredible value compared to competitor ink pricing.
However, the feedback isn’t universally perfect. The most common point of caution, which we also highlighted, is the printer’s immense size. Multiple reviewers warn prospective buyers to measure their space carefully, especially accounting for the extended A3 paper tray. A small number of users have encountered setup problems. One detailed a frustrating experience where the machine would only beep, followed by an unhelpful and costly technical support call. While this seems to be an outlier, it’s worth noting. Another user, who works with Linux, found the driver installation to be more complex than on Windows or Mac, though they still praised the printer’s hardware as being “solid.”
How Does the Brother MFC-J6955DW Compare to the Alternatives?
The Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer occupies a unique space, but it’s important to see how it stacks up against other popular models, even if they serve slightly different needs.
1. Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 7,500 pages black/6,000 color (3)
The Epson EcoTank ET-3850 is a formidable competitor in the low-cost-per-page arena. Its primary advantage is the EcoTank system, which uses large, refillable ink bottles that can offer even lower long-term ink costs than Brother’s INKvestment cartridges. It boasts excellent print quality and solid all-in-one features. However, the crucial difference is size capability. The ET-3850 is strictly an A4 (8.5″ x 11″) machine. If your work never requires printing or scanning larger formats, the Epson is a fantastic, economical choice for a busy home office or small business. For anyone in architecture, design, or marketing who needs to produce ledger-sized documents, the Brother MFC-J6955DW is the clear and only choice between the two.
2. HP Smart Tank 5102 Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank Printer
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The Smart Tank 5102 is perfect for families printing a variety of color documents in high volumes. Print up to 12 pages per minute black and 5 pages per...
- FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing—up to 2 years of Original HP Ink included; get up to 6,000 black or colour pages right out of the box
The HP Smart Tank 5102 is another strong A4-only competitor focused on ink savings. HP’s marketing emphasizes its smart features and the highly-regarded HP Smart App, which many find to be one of the most intuitive mobile printing applications available. Like the Epson, it uses refillable bottles for very low running costs. It’s often more compact and stylishly designed than the business-focused Brother. However, it falls short for the power user. Its paper capacity is smaller, its print speeds are slower, and it lacks the A3 format capability that is the Brother’s signature feature. The HP is a great fit for a home user or small office with moderate printing needs and a focus on mobile convenience, but the Brother is in a different league in terms of raw performance and versatility.
3. Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer
- Take your printing on the go with the PIXMA TR150 Wireless Mobile Printer.
- Print without wires - even on the go - thanks to multiple WIRELESS PRINTING options
This comparison highlights the importance of choosing a printer for the right job. The Canon PIXMA TR150 is not a direct competitor but an excellent alternative for a completely different user. It is a compact, lightweight, and battery-powered portable printer designed for professionals on the go. Its purpose is to print contracts, invoices, or presentations from a laptop in a hotel room, a client’s office, or a vehicle. It does this one job exceptionally well. It has none of the all-in-one features of the Brother (no scanner, copier, or fax), a very small paper capacity, and is limited to A4 paper. If you need to print anywhere and everywhere, the Canon is the answer. If you need a stationary, high-capacity, large-format hub for your office, the Brother is infinitely more capable.
Our Final Verdict: Is the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer Worth It?
After extensive testing, we can say with confidence that the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J6955DW A3 Business Inkjet Printer is a resounding success. It is a purpose-built machine that brilliantly solves the problem of affordable, in-house, large-format printing for small businesses and professional users. Its combination of full A3 printing and scanning, blazing-fast performance, excellent print quality, and the remarkably low running costs of the INKvestment Tank system creates an almost unbeatable value proposition. It liberates businesses from the cost and hassle of using external print shops for their most important documents.
The only significant caveat is its physical size; this is a large, heavy machine that demands a dedicated space. But for any user who can accommodate its footprint, the capabilities it unlocks are transformative. It’s a reliable, efficient, and versatile workhorse that streamlines workflow and boosts productivity. If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by the limitations of a standard A4 printer, we wholeheartedly recommend this model. It’s a smart investment that will pay dividends in convenience, quality, and long-term savings. To see the full specifications and check the current price for your office, we encourage you to take a closer look.
Last update on 2025-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API