When most people shop for a printer, they look at the basics: print speed, resolution, and price. Those are important, sure, but they’re not the whole story. Brother’s 2025 lineup is full of features that rarely make the front page of a spec sheet but can have a huge impact on how smoothly your workday runs.

If you’ve ever had a printer that was technically “good” but somehow still frustrating, there’s a good chance it was missing one of these lesser-known but genuinely useful features.

1️⃣ NFC Tap-to-Print — The One-Touch Shortcut

It’s 2025, and while wireless printing is standard, not every printer makes it truly frictionless. Many Brother models now offer NFC (Near Field Communication) printing — meaning you can walk up to the printer, tap your phone, and send your job instantly.

Why it’s useful:

• Cuts out the need to open an app or search for a device on a network list.

• Perfect for offices where multiple people print from shared devices.

• Handy for quick, one-off prints from your phone without joining Wi-Fi.
  
  

Once you’ve used NFC printing, going back to manually connecting feels like stepping into the past.

2️⃣ Quiet Mode — For When the Printer Lives Next to You

Printers aren’t usually whisper-quiet, especially laser models. Brother’s Quiet Mode feature, available on several 2025 units, reduces print speed slightly to bring noise levels way down.

Why it’s useful:

• Ideal for home offices, libraries, or shared workspaces.

• Lets you take calls while printing without muting every few seconds.

• Makes overnight printing possible without waking the household.
  
  

We’ve used Quiet Mode in a small office, and the difference is night and day. It’s not just a comfort upgrade — it makes the printer feel more “invisible” in your space.

3️⃣ Multiple Paper Trays — Switching Media Without Stopping Work

If you’ve ever had to print a stack of letter-sized documents and then one quick envelope, you know the pain of unloading and reloading paper. Brother’s dual-tray and multi-tray options solve that.

Why it’s useful:

• Keep different paper sizes loaded at all times.

• Separate high-quality media (like letterhead) from everyday paper.

• Speed up workflows that need varied output (invoices, shipping labels, presentations).
  
  

For businesses, this is a quiet time-saver that can prevent constant interruptions.

4️⃣ Secure Print Release — Protecting Sensitive Documents

Not every office printer needs high-level security, but if you handle client contracts, payroll reports, or anything confidential, Secure Print Release is a must-have.

Why it’s useful:

• Holds your print job in memory until you enter a PIN or tap your ID badge.

• Prevents sensitive pages from sitting in the tray unattended.

• Works great in shared environments like co-working spaces.
  
  

This isn’t just about security — it’s also about professionalism and compliance, especially in industries with strict data handling rules.

5️⃣ High-Yield Cartridges — Fewer Interruptions, Lower Costs

Everyone knows toner costs money, but not everyone realizes how much time is lost swapping cartridges. Brother’s high-yield and super high-yield cartridges stretch that replacement cycle dramatically.

Why it’s useful:

• Reduces cost per page.

• Less downtime during busy periods.

• Eco-friendly — fewer cartridges used means less waste.
  
  

For heavy users, this is one of the most impactful hidden features on the list.

6️⃣ Cloud & Mobile Integration That Actually Works

Almost every printer claims cloud printing support, but in practice, it can be glitchy or clunky. Brother’s iPrint&Scan app and built-in integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive have gotten surprisingly smooth in 2025.

Why it’s useful:

• Send documents to print from anywhere with an internet connection.

• Scan directly to cloud folders without a computer.

• Easy sharing for remote teams.
  
  

For us, the ability to scan a signed document straight into a client’s shared drive — without even touching a PC — has been a game-changer.

7️⃣ Bypass Tray for Specialty Media

This is one of those features you don’t think about until you need it. Brother’s bypass tray lets you feed special media — like envelopes, labels, card stock, or glossy photo paper — without unloading your main tray.

Why it’s useful:

• Saves time when you need quick one-off prints.

• Prevents bending or jamming delicate paper.

• Ideal for small-batch custom prints (invitations, labels, certificates).
  
  

It’s a small design detail that pays off big in day-to-day convenience.

8️⃣ Fast First Page Out Time (FPOT)

Print speed in “pages per minute” is great for long jobs, but what about that single-page form you need now? Brother’s First Page Out Time improvements mean you can get that page in as little as 6–8 seconds on many models.

Why it’s useful:

• No more long warm-up delays.

• Saves time for frequent short jobs.

• Keeps the printer feeling responsive, not sluggish.
  
  

It’s one of those quality-of-life upgrades you notice instantly.

Final Thoughts

When you think about printer shopping, it’s easy to focus on the headline specs — speed, resolution, and price — and miss the smaller features that will affect your experience every single day.

Brother’s 2025 lineup quietly packs in a range of tools that don’t always make the marketing spotlight but make a real difference in practice:

• NFC tap-to-print

• Quiet mode

• Multiple paper trays

• Secure print release

• High-yield cartridges

• Reliable cloud/mobile integration

• Bypass tray for specialty media

• Fast first page out times
  
  

If you choose your next printer with these in mind, you’re far more likely to end up with a machine that feels like it’s working with you, not against you. In our experience, that’s what turns a decent printer into one you actually enjoy using.