Brother MFC-L2820DW [DCP-L2640DW, HL-L2480DW] Printer Review

The Brother MFC-L2820DW feels well built. The whole body feels very sturdy, and unlike the older Brother MFC-L2750DW, the power cord is now detachable, making it easy to replace in case of damage.

There are pros and cons regarding the design. The scanner bed lifts and stays open to give you better access to the output tray, and there are handles on the sides so that you can get a good grip when moving the printer. However, the sheet rollers can be hard to access if you have big hands, as the back panel only opens partially. You can remove the paper tray and toner cartridge to reach them, but again, the opening is quite narrow. Also, while the display's visibility isn't a major issue, it would have been nice to have some tilt or swivel adjustment to accommodate different office layouts.

The Brother DCP-L2640DW, MFC-L2760DW, MFC-L2800DW, MFC-L2805DW, MFC-L2807DW, MFC-L2820DWXL, and MFC-L2885DW have the same measurements as the posted results.

Here are the advertised measurements for the Brother HL-L2464DW, HL-L2465DW, HL-L2605DW, HL-L2480DW, and DCP-L2680DW variants:

• Height: 10.7" (27.2 cm)
• Width: 16.1" (41.0 cm)
• Depth: 15.7" (39.9 cm)

Advertised measurements for the Brother MFC-L2880DW, MFC-L2880DWXL, MFC-L2920DW variants:

• Height: 12.5" (31.9 cm)
• Width: 16.1" (41.0 cm)
• Depth: 16.6" (42.1 cm)

This printer doesn't need much maintenance. Unlike inkjet printers, there's no risk of clogging if you don't use the printer for a long time. The toner cartridge yields a large number of prints, so you won't need to replace it often unless you print a lot. Replacing the toner cartridge is straightforward—you can access it through the front of the printer. The drum is a separate unit you'll have to replace, but again, it isn't something you'll have to do regularly, as it has a lifespan of around 15,000 prints. Having a separate drum is less wasteful and might cost less in the long run, as, unlike cartridges with an integrated drum, you don't have to throw out the whole cartridge if the drum gets damaged. Also, drums usually last much longer than the toner.

For paper jams, you can access the sheet rollers via a panel on the back of the printer or by removing the paper tray and toner cartridge. The back panel only opens to a 45° angle, and the front access (through the paper tray) is narrow, so you might have trouble reaching the sheet rollers if you have big hands. You can also remove the duplex feeder in case paper jams occur when printing double-sided documents. The input tray holds 250 sheets of paper, which is a decent amount, so you won't have to refill it regularly.

See the user guide here.

The Brother MFC-L2820DW has a good display. It's reasonably large, and its interface is user-friendly. Visibility is good for the most part, though it can be hard to see when seated. Unfortunately, there's no tilt or swivel adjustment to improve visibility.

The display changes depending on the variant. Some have a 2-line monochrome LCD, while others have a larger 3.5-inch color touchscreen. You can see which display each variant has in the Differences Between Variants section.

The regular TN830 toner cartridge yields a large number of prints, so you won't have to replace it unless you print a lot. Larger-capacity cartridges are available: the TN830XL has an estimated yield of 3,000 prints, while the TN830V (US only) has an estimated yield of 3,300 prints.

The printer warns you when the toner is low (estimated via internal page counter) and stops printing; however, you can change the settings to force the printer to continue printing, even when the printer deems the toner too low or depleted. This printer accepts toner cartridges that it had previously used but not cartridges used on another printer, even if they’re of the same model.

Scanner features change depending on the variant; some only have a flatbed, while others have a flatbed and an automatic feeder. There are also models with automatic duplex scanning capability. You can see each variant's features in the Differences Between Variants section.

This printer has a built-in OCR (optical character recognition) feature, so you can initiate an OCR scan from the printer. Doing so saves the scanned document as a .txt file by default (with no images or formatting). You can change the file type to HTML or RTF if you prefer. Initiating the scan from a computer gives you the option to save the document as a searchable PDF.

The scan quality is excellent. The only complaint is that the image processing is a little too aggressive and removes some of the finer elements, like the lines in the graph and the watermark. The posted scan resolution applies to the flatbed scanner; the resolution drops to 600 DPI when using the automatic feeder.

• Documentation
• Power cord
• Phone/modem cord
• Starter toner cartridge (est. yield of 700 prints)
• DR830 drum unit

The print quality of black-and-white documents is outstanding. Text looks sharp, and all the fine elements are present. Prints sometimes come out slightly crooked. It only happens occasionally; it's just something to be aware of.

This printer can only print in black.

The Brother MFC-L2820DW's cost-per-print is outstanding, as the toner cartridge is relatively inexpensive and yields a large number of prints. Also, there's only one cartridge to buy since this is a monochrome printer. You'll have to spend extra to replace the drum; however, it doesn't need regular replacement, as it has an estimated lifespan of 15,000 prints.

The variants in this printer series have slightly different advertised printing speeds; see the Differences Between Variants section. The manual feeder can only hold a single sheet of paper, while the output tray holds 100 sheets.

The posted max paper weight applies to the manual feeder only. The main paper tray's max paper weight is 163 g/m².

This printer can only print in black.

This printer can only print in black.

This printer is terrible at reproducing small details. The halftones and the printer's printing pattern obscure almost all of the fine elements.

There's no Ethernet port on the Brother HL-L2464DW, HL-L2465DW, and MFC-L2760DW variants.

The Brother MFC-L2885DW and MFC-L2920DW variants support NFC (Near-Field Communication), allowing you to connect an NFC-enabled device by tapping it against the printer.

Brother's Mobile Connect app is superb. It lets you print, order supplies, manage your toner/ink subscription, access the printer's support page, and perform maintenance tasks. You can print and scan even when you aren't home or close to the printer, though this function requires a Brother account. This app can't print webpages directly, so you'll have to print them from whichever app or browser you use to view them.

There's no need to install drivers or apps on Chrome OS and macOS devices. You don't necessarily need to do it on Windows devices to print, but we recommend doing so, as it'll ensure you get access to all the settings and functions. Get the drivers here.