We set up the Brother 770 quickly using the included StartCard quick-setup guide. The fax uses thermal line printing, so we flipped the control panel forward, lifted the top cover back, and dropped in the ribbon cartridge. We found the control panel uncluttered and easy to navigate. The unit also worked well for quick copies.

The unit's 512 KB of internal memory enables it to handle up to 20 typical pages, 40 two-digit coded fax numbers, and eight one-touch numbers. You can put the 770 in fax-forwarding mode to redirect your faxes and control the unit remotely while on the road. Using a touch-tone phone, you can dial into the unit, check for new faxes, and reroute them to a nearby fax machine by using your remote-access code.

The paper cassette handles up to 100 sheets, and a Sort button lets you switch between stacked and sorted multiple-page copies. Four resolution and three contrast settings let you tweak the output as much as necessary.

A quick-reference card and a pocket-size remote-functions card are nice extras included with this unit. If you need a fax on a budget that is easy to use, the IntelliFAX 770 is a good choice.

Pros:

• Compact design
• Remote fax retrieval
• Quick setup

Cons:

• Moderate print quality