Brother MFC 8420 User Manual

							1 - 15   INTRODUCTION
ECM (Error Correction Mode)
The Error Correction Mode (ECM) is a way for the MFC to check a 
fax transmission while it is in progress. If the MFC detects errors 
during fax transmission, if resends the pages of the fax that had an 
error. ECM transmissions are only possible between fax machines 
that both have this feature. If t hey do, you may send and receive fax 
messages that are continuously being checked by the MFC.
Your MFC must have enough memory for this feature to work.
Connecting the MFC
Connecting an external telephone
Although your MFC does not have a handset, you can connect a 
separate telephone (or telephone answering device) direct ly to your 
MFC as shown in the diagram below.
Connect  the modular plug on the telephone’s line cord to the jack 
labeled EXT.  in the back of t he MFC. 
Whenever this phone (or TAD) is in use,  the LCD shows 
Telephone.
 
						

							INTRODUCTION   1 - 16
Connecting an external telephone answering 
device (TAD)
Sequence
You may choose to connect an answering device. However, when 
you have an external TAD on the same telephone line as the MFC, 
the TAD answers all calls and the MFC “listens” for fax calling (CNG) 
tones. If it hears them, the MFC takes over the call and receives the 
fax.  If it doesn’t hear CNG tones, the MFC let s the TAD continue 
playing your outgoing message so your caller can leave you a voice 
message.
The TAD must answer within four rings (the recommended setting is 
two rings). The MFC cannot hear CNG tones until the TAD has 
answered the call, and with four rings there are only 8 to 10 seconds 
of CNG tones lef t for the fax “handshake”. Make sure you carefully 
follow t he instructions in t his guide for recording your outgoing 
message. We do not recommend using the toll saver feature on your 
external answering machine if it exceeds five rings.
I f you do not receive all your faxes, reduce t he Ring Delay 
setting on your external TAD.
I f You Subscribe to your Telephone Company’s Distinctive Ring 
Service: 
You may connect an external TAD to a separate wall jack only 
if you subscribe to your telephone company’s Distinctive Ring 
service, have registered the distinctive ring pattern on your 
MFC, and use that number as a fax number. The recommended 
setting is four rings on the external TAD when you have t he 
t elephone company’s Distinctive Ring Service.
If You Do Not Subscribe to Distinctive Ring Service:
You must plug your TAD into t he EXT. jack of your MFC. If your 
TAD is plugged into a wall jack, both your MFC and the TAD will 
t ry to control t he phone line. (See illustration on the next page.)
 
						

							1 - 17   INTRODUCTION
Do not connect a TAD elsewhere on the same phone l ine 
(unless you have the Distinctive Ring service).
TAD
TAD
 
						

							INTRODUCTION   1 - 18
Connections
The external TAD must be plugged into the back of the MFC,  int o t he 
jack labeled EXT. Your MFC cannot work properly if you plug the 
TAD into a wall jack (unless you are using Distinctive Ring).
1Plug the telephone line cord from the wall jack into the back of 
t he MFC, in the jack labeled LINE.
2Plug the telephone line cord from your external TAD into the 
back of the MFC, in the jack labeled EXT. (Make sure this cord 
is connected to the TAD at the TAD’s telephone line jack, and 
not its telephone jack.)
3Set your external TAD to four rings or less. (The MFC’s Ring 
Delay setting does not apply.)
4Record t he outgoing message on your external TAD.
5Set the TAD to answer calls.
6Set the Receive Mode to External TAD. 
(See Choosing the Receive Mode on page 5-1.)
Recording outgoing message (OGM) on an external TAD
Timing is important in recording this message. The message sets up 
the ways to handle both manual and automatic fax reception.
1Record 5 seconds of silence at the beginning of your message. 
(This allows your MFC time to listen for the fax CNG tones of 
automatic transmissions before they stop.)
2Limit your speaking to 20 seconds.
3End your 20-second message by giving your Fax Receive Code  
f or people sending manual faxes. For example:
“Af ter the beep, leave a message or send a fax by pressing 
51 and Start .”
We recommend beginning your OGM with an initial 5-second 
silence because the MFC cannot hear fax tones over a resonant 
or loud voice. You may try omitting this pause, but if your MFC has 
trouble receiving, then you must rerecord the OGM to include it.
 
						

							1 - 19   INTRODUCTION
Special line considerations
Roll-over phone lines
A roll-over phone system is a group of two or more separate 
telephone lines that pass incoming calls to each ot her if t hey are 
busy. The calls are usually passed down or “rolled over” to the next 
available phone line in a preset order.
Your MFC can work in a roll-over system as long as it is the last 
number in the sequence, so the call cannot roll away. Do not put the 
MFC on any of the other numbers; when the other lines are busy and 
a second fax call is received, the f ax call would be transferred to a 
line that does not have a fax machine. Your MFC will work best on 
a dedicated line.
Two-line phone system
A two-line phone system is nothing more than t wo separate phone 
numbers on the same wall out let. The two phone numbers can be on 
separate jacks (RJ11) or combined into one jack (RJ14). Your MFC 
must be plugged int o an RJ11 jack. RJ11 and RJ14 jacks may be 
equal in size and appearance and both may contain four wires 
(black, red, green, yellow). To test the type of  jack, plug in a two-line 
phone and see if it can access bot h lines. If it  can, you must separate 
the line for your MFC. (See Easy Receive on page 5-4.)
 
						

							INTRODUCTION   1 - 20
Converting telephone wall outlets
There are three ways to convert to an RJ11 jack. The first two ways 
may require assistance from the telephone company. You can 
change the wall outlets from one RJ14 jack to two RJ11 jacks. Or, 
you can have an RJ11 wall out let installed and slave or jump one of 
the phone numbers to it.
The third way is the easiest: Buy a triplex adapt er. You can plug a 
triplex adapter into an RJ14 outlet. It separates the wires into two 
separate RJ11 jacks (Line 1, Line 2) and a third RJ14 jack (Lines 1 
and 2).  If your MFC is on Line 1, plug the MFC into L1 of the triplex 
adapter. I f your MFC is on Line 2, plug it into L2 of the triple adapter.
RJ14
RJ11
Triplex Adapter
RJ14
 
						

							1 - 21   INTRODUCTION
Installing MFC, external two-line tad and two-line 
telephone
When you are installing an external two-line telephone answering 
device (TAD) and a two-line telephone,  your MFC must be isolated 
on one line at bot h the wall jack and at the TAD. The most common 
connection is to put the MFC on Line 2, which is explained in the 
following steps. The back of the two-line TAD must have two 
telephone jacks: one labeled L1 or L1/L2, and the other labeled L2. 
You will need at least three telephone line cords,  the one that came 
with your MFC and two for your ext ernal two-line TAD. You will need 
a fourth line cord if  you add a two-line telephone.
1Place the t wo-line TAD and the two-line telephone next  to your 
MFC.
2Plug one end of the telephone line cord for your MFC into the L2 
jack of the triplex adapter. Plug the other end into the LINE jack 
on the back of the MFC.
3Plug one end of the first telephone line cord for your TAD into 
the L1 jack of the triplex adapter. Plug the ot her end into the L1 
or L1/L2 jack of t he two-line TAD. 
4Plug one end of the second telephone line cord for your TAD 
into the L2 jack of the two-line TAD. Plug the other end into the 
EXT. jack on the left side of the MFC.
You can keep two-line telephones on ot her wall outlets as always. 
There are two ways to add a two-line telephone to the MFC’s wall 
outlet . You can plug the telephone line cord from the two-line 
telephone into t he L1+L2 jack of the triplex adapter. Or,  you can plug 
the t wo-line telephone into the TEL jack of the two-line TAD.
Triplex Adapter
Two Line Phone
External  Two Line TAD MFC
 
						

							INTRODUCTION   1 - 22
Multi-line connections (PBX)
Most offices use a central telephone system. While it is often 
relatively simple to connect the MFC to a key system or a PBX 
(Private Branch Exchange), we suggest that you contact the 
company that installed your telephone system and ask them to 
connect the MFC for you. It is advisable to have a separate line for 
the MFC. You can then leave the Receive Mode set to FAX Only to 
receive faxes any time of the day or night.
If the MFC is to be connected to a multi-line system, ask your installer 
to connect  the unit to the last line on the system. This prevents the 
unit  from being activated each time a telephone call is received.
If you are installing the MFC to work with a PBX
1I t is not guaranteed that t he unit  will operat e correctly under all 
circumstances with a PBX. Any cases of difficulty should be 
reported f irst to the company that handles your PBX.
2I f all incoming calls will be answered by a switchboard operator, 
it is recommended that the Receive Mode be set to Manual. All 
incoming calls should initially be regarded as telephone calls.
Custom features on your phone line
If you have Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Call Waiting/Caller ID, Caller ID, 
RingMaster, an answering service, an alarm system or other custom 
feature on one phone line it may create a problem with the operation 
of your MFC. (See Custom features on page 1-13 and Custom 
features on a single line. on page 22-14.)
As with all fax units, this MFC must be connected to a two wire 
system. If your line has more than two wires, proper connection 
of the MFC cannot be made.
 
						

							PAPER   2 - 1
2
About paper
Type and size of paper
The MFC loads paper from the installed paper tray, manual feed tray, 
multi-purpose tray or optional lower tray.
Recommended paper
Paper
Tray Type Model name
Paper tray (Tray #1) MFC-8420, MFC-8820D and 
MFC-8820DN
Manual feed tray  MFC-8420
Multi-purpose tray (MP tray) MFC-8820D and MFC-8820DN
Optional lower tray (Tray #2) Option for MFC-8420, MFC-8820D  and 
MFC-8820DN
Plain Paper: Xerox 4200DP 20 lb
Hammermill Laser Paper 24 lb
Transparency: 3M CG 3300
Labels: Avery laser label #
 5160
 
						

							2 - 2   PAPER
■Before you buy a large amount of paper, please test some t o 
make sure t hat the paper is suitable.
■Use paper that is made for plain-paper copying.
■Use paper that is 75 to 90 g/m
2 (20 to 24 lb).
■Use neutral paper.  Do not use acidic or alkaline paper.
■Use long-grain paper.
■Use paper with a moisture content of approximately 5%.
Caution
Do not use ink jet paper. I t may cause a paper jam and damage your 
MFC. 
Choosing acceptable paper
We recommend that  you test paper (especially special sizes and 
types of paper) on the MFC before purchasing large quantities.
■Avoid feeding label sheets t hat are partly used or your MFC will 
be damaged.
■Avoid using coated paper, such as vinyl coated paper.
■Avoid using preprint ed or highly text ured paper, or paper with an 
embossed lett erhead.
For optimum printing, use a recommended type of paper, especially 
for plain paper and transparencies.  For more information on paper 
specifications, call your nearest authorized sales representative or 
the place where you purchased your MFC.
■Use label or transparencies that are designed for use in laser 
print ers.
■For the best print qualit y,  we recommend using long-grained 
paper.
■If you are using special paper and the paper has problems 
feeding from the paper tray, try again using the manual feed tray 
or multi-purpose tray.
■You can use recycled paper in this MFC.
The output quality depends on the paper type and paper brand. 
Visit us at http://solutions.brother.com
 and check the latest 
recommendations for paper that  can be used with the 
MFC-8420, MFC-8820D and MFC-8820DN.