Brother HL-L3280CDW
MSRP $299.99
“Brother’s HL-L3280CDW is a quick, low-cost shade laser printer with cheap toner, however after a deep dive into prices, we advocate one other Brother printer that has higher worth.”
Execs
- Wonderful shade doc print high quality
- Quick prints on lengthy paperwork
- Low toner value with tremendous high-yield cartridges
- Low noise
Cons
- Display is tough to see when seated
- Touchscreen use is awkward
- Paper curls
Brother’s HL-L3280CDW is a low-cost shade laser printer that tries to seek out the best steadiness between value and efficiency. As Brother is likely one of the greatest printer manufacturers, I knew the HL-L3280CDW could be dependable and work with all my gadgets.
Nonetheless, I wanted to analysis how sturdy and economical the Brother HL-L3280CDW is and take a look at its pace and high quality to seek out out if it’s the perfect shade laser printer for you. There’s rather a lot to love about it, however I’ve discovered that there’s the same Brother printer that could be a higher total worth that most individuals should purchase as an alternative.
Design
Brother’s HL-L3280CDW is kind of small for a shade laser printer, taking on 15.7 by 15.7 inches on my printer stand with a peak of 10.8 inches. It seems good and is a manageable 33.9 kilos.
The two.7-inch shade touchscreen works nicely, however seems a bit dim until I’m standing straight in entrance of the printer. It’s positioned at a set angle that’s 20 levels from horizontal, so that you’ll wish to stand to make use of it.
The primary paper tray holds 250 sheets of paper and there’s a handy media tray that may settle for a single sheet or envelope so that you don’t should take away your bulk paper from the primary tray.
The ability twine connects to the best rear of the HL-L3280CDW. Ethernet and USB cable connections are on the left rear. I take advantage of Wi-Fi since my printer stand is in a special room than my laptop.
Printing efficiency
The HL-L3280CDW is quick for a reasonable printer, rolling out monochrome and shade paperwork at as much as 27 pages per minute (ppm). The primary web page completes in about 14 seconds when the printer is warmed up. In the event you want extra pace and may afford a way more costly printer, HP’s Shade LaserJet Professional MFP 4301dw prints the primary web page in simply 9 seconds and has a sustained pace of 35 ppm.
Because it’s a duplex printer, it can save you paper by printing on either side of a sheet, slicing utilization in half. That’s necessary for a number of copies of lengthy paperwork.
For double-sided printing, paper is pulled again into the machine, decreasing the pace to 10 ppm for duplex. There are just a few printers that may print on either side directly, however single-pass duplex printers are uncommon.
Photograph high quality is appropriate, however can’t compete with that of dearer, high-performance shade laser printers just like the Canon imageClass MF753cdw. Like most shade laser printers, there’s no borderless choice, so footage print with a few quarter-inch margin, nevertheless it handles shade paperwork nicely.
The media tray works reliably for envelopes and labels, however solely accepts one sheet at a time.
Software program and compatibility
Brother ships the HL-L3280CDW with the toner cartridges contained in the printer, however they have to be eliminated to uncap the ends and changed earlier than use. That solely takes a second.
Connecting Wi-Fi was straightforward with the Brother Cell Join app and the HL-L3280CDW’s twin band Wi-Fi. I might have used the touchscreen to pick out Wi-Fi and enter my community password with no cellphone. It’s simply simpler with an iPhone or Android cellphone.
My Home windows PC and Mac recognized the printer and related rapidly. Brother makes drivers for Linux computer systems additionally.
All the things labored as anticipated from my computer systems, and I solely had one concern with the cell app. Printing envelopes continues to be an issue for a lot of printers and the HL-L3280CDW lower off the return deal with.
Value
At $300, the Brother HL-L3280CDW will catch your eye. It’s quick and dependable and may deal with a month-to-month obligation cycle of as much as 40,000 pages. Brother recommends printing a mean of three,000 pages, although. Meaning the HL-L3280CDW is hard sufficient for enterprise use.
With regards to toner value, Brother’s 3200-series presents tremendous high-yield cartridges that last more and make shade paperwork extra reasonably priced. In case your finances is tight, take a look at our information to the perfect cheap printers for extra choices.
Shade paperwork can common 10 cents per web page, which is kind of low for a shade laser printer. Black toner is at all times cheap, however drops to simply 2 cents per web page with Brother’s largest cartridges. The tremendous high-yield cartridges additionally final a very long time, offering as much as 4,500 black pages and three,000 shade pages.
Commonplace-yield cartridges common 5 cents per monochrome web page and 18 cents for shade. Brother additionally sells midsize toner cartridges in the event you don’t wish to put money into the dearer extra-high-capacity cartridges.
The HL-L3280CDW comes with starter cartridges that Brother says will print about 1,000 black pages and 1,000 shade pages. Whereas that may final some time, it’s lower than you get with standard-capacity cartridges.
Is that this the printer for you?
Brother’s HL-L3280CDW is a sturdy, low-cost shade laser printer. At about $300, it’s a very good value for a fast shade doc printer. That stated, you’ll get higher long-term worth from Brother’s HL-L3295CDW. It prices about $70 extra, nevertheless it’s sooner, has further options, and comes with a further $75 price of toner within the included cartridges.
For most individuals, I’d advocate the HL-L3295CDW over the HL-L3280CDW. Nonetheless, in the event you’re planning on utilizing Brother’s Refresh EZ Print toner subscription, the Brother HL-L3280CDW matches lots of the options of the dearer mannequin with a decrease upfront value.
If neither Brother shade laser printer meets your necessities, take a look at our information to the perfect shade laser printers, the place you’re positive to discover a nearer match.
