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Head to head

Brother HL-L3280CDW vs Brother MFC-L3780CDW

The Brother HL-L3280CDW is a color laser using toner; the Brother MFC-L3780CDW is a color laser using toner. A black page costs 3.2¢ on one and 3.2¢ on the other. Over 5,000 pages the Brother HL-L3280CDW works out about $225 cheaper to have owned.

Cost to own · 5,000 pages
  • Brother HL-L3280CDW~$666
    ~$344 printer + ~$322 supplies
  • Brother MFC-L3780CDW~$891
    ~$569 printer + ~$322 supplies

purchase priceink or toner. An estimate: purchase price plus 5,000 pages at each printer’s computed cost per page, assuming 4 mono pages for every colour page. Printers whose consumable price we could not source are left out.

Where the money goes
Brother HL-L3280CDW
~$344 to buy · ~$666 after 5,000 pages
Brother MFC-L3780CDW
~$569 to buy · ~$891 after 5,000 pages

Estimates computed from published ISO page yields and consumable list prices.

SpecBrotherBrother HL-L3280CDWBrotherBrother MFC-L3780CDW
Approx. price~$344~$569
Cost per mono page3.2¢3.2¢
Cost per colour page19¢19¢
Cost to own, 5,000 pages~$666~$891
TechnologyLEDLED
Ink systemTonerToner
Black consumableBrother TN229XL high-yield black toner · 3,000 pagesBrother TN229XL high-yield black toner · 3,000 pages
Colour consumableBrother TN229XL high-yield colour toners · 2,300 pagesBrother TN229XL high-yield colour toners · 2,300 pages
Third-party ink lockNoNo
Print speed, mono27 ISO ppm31 ISO ppm
Print speed, colour27 ISO ppm31 ISO ppm
FunctionsPrintPrint · Copy · Scan · Fax
Two-sided printingAutoAuto
Document feederNone50 sheets
Two-sided scanning—Single pass
Paper capacity250 sheets250 sheets
Max paper sizeLegalLegal
ConnectivityWi-Fi · EthernetWi-Fi · Ethernet
Display2.7" colour touchscreen3.5" colour touchscreen
Weight33.9 lb47.8 lb

Tinted rows are where these two differ.

Best for
Brother HL-L3280CDW

Colour decks and handouts that have to survive handling, printed in enough volume to want the speed.

Best for
Brother MFC-L3780CDW

A small office that prints and scans colour paperwork in volume and wants one machine to do all of it.