The Brother MFC-L2820DW is an all-in-one monochrome laser printer. It uses Brother's TN830 toner cartridge and is compatible with the high-yield TN830XL and TN830V cartridges. It features a 2.5-inch touch-sensitive control panel and an ADF-equipped scanner with fax functionality and built-in optical character recognition. Connectivity options include USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. This printer is also compatible with the Brother Mobile Connect app, which lets you perform tasks like printing and scanning, monitor ink levels, and manage your ink subscription.
This printer has many variants with slightly different features and performance; see the Differences Between Variants section below for more information.
Our Verdict
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is okay for family use. This monochrome laser printer won't work for printing color photos or documents, but it's a great option if you only print black and white documents. It produces incredibly sharp documents, warms up quickly, and prints up to 33 pages per minute. The toner cartridge yields a large number of prints and is relatively cheap, so recurring costs are also low. The scanner has extendable lid hinges to accommodate thicker items like textbooks, and there's also an automatic feeder to process long, multi-page documents. Finally, with many connectivity options, it's convenient for the whole household to use.
- Produces sharp documents.
- Fast printing speed.
- High page yield, low cost-per-print.
Bad for photos due to low print resolution and printing pattern.
- Can't print on glossy photo paper.
- Lack of color printing may be limiting to some.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is good for small and home offices that only print in black-and-white. It produces incredibly sharp documents, warms up quickly, and prints up to 33 pages per minute. The toner cartridge yields a large number of prints, and you can get larger-capacity cartridges that'll last even longer. There's a scanner with an automatic feeder, though it's rather slow, as it can only process up to seven pages per minute. It doesn't support duplex scanning; however, you can get a variant that does. Its connectivity options include USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, making it easy for everyone in the office to access. The one limitation is color printing; as a monochrome laser printer, it isn't the right choice for offices that print color documents.
- Produces sharp documents.
- Fast printing speed.
- High page yield, low cost-per-print.
- ADF scanner.
- No duplex scanning.
- Lack of color printing may be limiting to some.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is good for student use. It produces incredibly sharp documents, warms up in under 15 seconds, and prints up to 33 pages per minute. The scanner has extendable hinges to accommodate thicker items like textbooks, and there's also an ADF that can digitize notes or handouts. Its cost-per-print is outstandingly low, as the toner cartridge yields a large number of prints and is relatively cheap. The lack of color printing is its main drawback. But with many connectivity options, you can easily print or scan from various devices.
- Produces sharp documents.
- Fast printing speed.
- High page yield, low cost-per-print.
- ADF scanner.
- No duplex scanning.
- Lack of color printing may be limiting to some.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is excellent for printing black-and-white documents. It produces incredibly detailed documents, warms up quickly, and prints up to 33 pages per minute. It supports automatic duplex printing, so you don't have to flip the pages manually when printing double-sided documents. The toner cartridge yields a large number of prints and is relatively cheap, so you won't have to do a lot of maintenance or spend much on replacement toner. You can also get XL cartridges that yield even more prints. As for the scanner, although it has an automatic feeder to process long, multi-page documents, it's on the slow side, as it can only process seven pages per minute.
- Produces sharp documents.
- Fast printing speed.
- ADF scanner.
- No duplex scanning.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW isn't designed for printing photos since it's a monochrome laser printer that can only print in black and white. It can't print on glossy photo paper and produces photos that look grainy with a visible printing pattern.
Bad for photos due to low print resolution and printing pattern.
- Can't print on glossy photo paper.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is a monochrome laser, so it can't perform color prints.
Can't perform color printing.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW produces outstanding black-and-white documents. Text looks sharp, and fine elements like lines on a graph are present and easy to see. However, it occasionally produces crooked prints, so be on the lookout for them.
- Produces sharp documents.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW produces excellent-quality scans. Text looks sharp, and most fine details are present and easy to see. The only complaint is that the image processing is a little too aggressive in attempting to remove artifacts and also removes some of the finer background elements. While the scanning features vary depending on the variant, the Brother MFC-L2820DW comes with an ADF-equipped scanner and has adjustable hinges on its flatbed scanner for accommodating larger items like magazines or textbooks. This model can't perform automatic duplex scanning, but other variants can.
- ADF scanner.
Excellent scan quality.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW prints very quickly. It can output 32 pages per minute. It also doesn't take very long to warm up relative to most laser printers, as the first page comes out in 13 seconds.
- Fast printing speed.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW has low recurring costs. Its toner cartridge yields many prints and isn't too expensive to replace, resulting in a low cost-per-print.
- High page yield, low cost-per-print.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Feb 12, 2025:
We've rewritten the Introduction, verdict boxes, and the 'Compared To Other Printers' box to bring them in line with our current standards for printer reviews.
- Updated Mar 20, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Mar 13, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 08, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Brother MFC-L2820DW all-in-one monochrome laser printer. It has many variants with different features and performance; see them in the table below.
| Model | Display | Scanner | Duplex Scanning | Advert. Print Speed | Ethernet | NFC | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HL-L2464DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed | N | Up to 30 PPM | N | N | - |
| HL-L2465DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed | N | Up to 30 PPM | N | N | - |
| DCP-L2605DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed | N | Up to 32 PPM | Y | N | - |
| DCP-L2640DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 36 PPM | Y | N | - |
| HL-L2480DW | 2.7-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed | N | Up to 36 PPM | Y | N | - |
| DCP-L2680DW | 2.7-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed | N | Up to 36 PPM | Y | N | - |
| MFC-L2760DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 30 PPM | N | N | - |
| MFC-L2800DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 34 PPM | Y | N | - |
| MFC-L2805DW | 2-line LCD | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 36 PPM | Y | N | - |
| MFC-L2807DW | 2.7-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 34 PPM | Y | N | - |
| MFC-L2820DW | 2.7-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 34 PPM | Y | N | - |
| MFC-L2820DWXL | 2.7-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | N | Up to 34 PPM | Y | N | MFC-L2820DW + additional toner (estimated yield of 4,200 pages) |
| MFC-L2880DW | 3.5-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | Y | Up to 36 PPM | Y | N | - |
| MFC-L2880DWXL | 3.5-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | Y | Up to 36 PPM | Y | N | MFC-L2880DW + additional toner (estimated yield of 5,000 pages) |
| MFC-L2885DW | 2.7-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | Y | Up to 36 PPM | Y | Y | - |
| MFC-L2920DW | 3.5-inch Color Touchscreen | Flatbed + ADF | Y | Up to 36 PPM | Y | Y | - |
See our unit's label here.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is an excellent all-in-one monochrome laser printer that's best suited for small office use. It stands out for its sturdy build, outstanding print quality, fast printing speed, and low cost-per-print. Its ADF-equipped scanner produces detailed scans, though it's on the slower side for processing documents. Also, the lack of duplex scanning might be limiting for some offices, though you can get a variant that supports it.
See our recommendations for the best laser printers, the best office printers, and the best black and white printers.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW and the Brother MFC-L2750DW are very similar overall. While the MFC-L2750DW has a few more features, like automatic duplex scanning and NFC support, you can find variants of the MFC-L2820DW that support them. The only differences are the control panel and page yield; the MFC-L2820DW has a nicer display with fewer physical buttons, while the MFC-L2750DW has a slightly higher page yield.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW and the Brother HL-L2390DW/HL-L2395DW are both all-in-one monochrome laser printers with similar print quality, print speed, and yield. The most notable difference is that the HL-L2390DW/HL-L2395DW only has a flatbed scanner, while the MFC-L2820DW has a flatbed and an automatic feeder.
Although the Brother MFC-L2820DW and the HP LaserJet Pro M15w are both monochrome laser printers, the Brother is an all-in-one, while the HP is a print-only unit. The Brother is better overall; it has a sturdier build, a better display, faster printing speed, and automatic duplex printing capability. However, the HP yields more prints, making its cost-per-print slightly lower. The HP's drum is integrated into the cartridge, which makes maintenance easier, but it can end up costing more because you would have to discard any remaining toner if the drum gets damaged.
The Brother MFC-L2820DW is better than the HP LaserJet M209dwe for most uses. The Brother has a sturdier build, a better display, superior print quality, and faster printing speed. It also has an ADF-equipped scanner with fax functionality and optical character recognition, whereas the HP doesn't have a scanner. The HP yields more prints, so it won't cost as much in replacement toner; however, its drum is integrated into the cartridge, which can be a hassle, as you would have to throw out the whole cartridge if the drum gets damaged, potentially wasting toner.
Test Results
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.
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 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.