HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw vs Brother HL-L3280CDW

Which Printer Is Better?

Products

HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
Brother HL-L3280CDW

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Jun 28, 2024 01:14 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Dec 02, 2025 07:04 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw

Brother HL-L3280CDW

The Brother HL-L3280CDW and the HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw are very similar print-only color laser printers. The Brother produces higher-quality documents and prints faster but doesn't yield as many prints as the HP. It's worth noting that the HP uses cartridges with an integrated drum, while the Brother has a separate drum unit. An integrated drum makes maintenance less of a hassle since you don't have to replace the drum separately; however, it's also more wasteful because drums typically last much longer than the toner, and you'd have to discard the entire cartridge if the drum gets damaged.

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Variants

  • Color LaserJet Pro M255dw (White)
  • HL-L3280CDW (White)
  • HL-L3220CDW (White)
  • HL-L3295CDW (White)
  • HL-L3240CDW (White)

Check Price

White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
HL-L3280CDW
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
HL-L3220CDW
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
White
HL-L3295CDW
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
B&H
White
HL-L3240CDW
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
HP
 
Read more

Main Differences for
Home

Threshold 

0.10

Home 
 

6.8
6.9

Black & White Documents 
 

7.0
9.5

Color Gamut 
 

6.0
4.0

Expected Maintenance 
 

8.5
7.5

Cartridge 
 

8.9
9.2

Full Comparison

Design

Build Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Build Quality Close Up 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Build Quality Close Up
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Build Quality Close Up

Type  

Printer Only
Printer Only
Show Text 

Dimensions 
 

0.0
6.5

ISO View Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw ISO View Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW ISO View Picture

Height  

9.8" (24.8 cm)
10.8" (27.4 cm)

Width  

15.3" (38.8 cm)
15.7" (39.9 cm)

Depth  

16.5" (41.9 cm)
15.8" (40.2 cm)

In Use Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw In Use Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW In Use Picture

Max Height 
 

11.6" (29.5 cm)
10.9" (27.7 cm)

Max Width 
 

15.3" (38.8 cm)
15.7" (39.9 cm)

Max Depth 
 

16.5" (41.9 cm)
19.6" (49.9 cm)

Weight 
 

32.2 lbs (14.6 kg)
34.0 lbs (15.4 kg)
Show Text 

Display Screen 
 

7.5
8.0

Display Screen Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Display Screen Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Display Screen Picture

Display Screen  

Yes
Yes

Display Screen Size 
 

2.7" (6.8 cm)
2.6" (6.7 cm)

Touchscreen  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Cartridge 
 

8.9
9.2

Cartridge Picture In The Printer 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Cartridge Picture In The Printer
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Cartridge Picture In The Printer

Technology  

Laser

SuperTank 
 

No
No

Photo Cartridge 
 

No
No

Color  

Yes
Yes

Number Of Color Cartridges 
 

3
3

Black Cartridge Model 
 

HP 206A Black
TN229BK

Tested Black Page Yield 
 

88.99 prints
78 prints

Estimated Black Page Yield 
 

1,691 prints
1,482 prints

Color Cartridge Model 
 

HP 206A C/M/Y
TN229C/M/Y

Tested Color Page Yield 
 

64 prints
57 prints

Estimated Color Page Yield 
 

1,361 prints
1,212 prints

Third-Party Cartridge 
 

Not Found At Time Of The Review
Not Found At Time Of The Review

Ink Type 
 

Toner
Toner

High Yield Cartridge 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Expected Maintenance 
 

8.5
7.5

Ink Related Maintenance 
 

Not Needed
Not Needed

Drum Unit 
 

In The Cartridge
A Separate Unit
Show Text 

Risk Of Clogging 
 

10

Print Technology 
 

Laser

Scanner Features 
 

0.0
0.0

Scanner Flatbed Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Scanner Flatbed Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Scanner Flatbed Picture

Scanner 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

ADF Capacity 
 

N/A
N/A

Scan Speed 
 

N/A
N/A

Duplex Scanning 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Max Flatbed Scan Size 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Max ADF Scan Size 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Flatbed Hinge Adjustability 
 

N/A
N/A

Fax 
 

No
No

Copy 
 

No
No

OCR Included 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner
Show Text 

Ease Of Unclogging 
 

Printhead Location 
 

No Printhead

Printhead Serviceability 
 

No Printhead

High Flushing Volume 
 

No

In The Box  

In the Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw In the Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW In the Box Picture
Show Text 

Scan Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Scan Quality Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Scan Quality Photo
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Scan Quality Photo

Max Scan Resolution 
 

N/A
N/A

Max Scan Color Depth 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery 
 

Advertised Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Tested Charging Time 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Efficiency

Cost-Per-Print 
 

8.3
8.3

Printer Total Cost 
 

See details
See details

Black Cartridge Price 
 

62.99 US$
64.46 US$

Color Cartridge Price 
 

221.97 US$
209.97 US$

Black-Only Printing Cost 
 

0.037 US$/print
0.043 US$/print

Color Printing Cost 
 

0.163 US$/print
0.173 US$/print

Photo Printing Cost 
 

0.433 US$/print
0.460 US$/print

Ink Subscription 
 

No
Optional
Show Text 

Printing Speed 
 

8.4
8.6

Printing Speed Video  

Black Only Text Document 
 

17 PPM
28 PPM

Color Document 
 

23 PPM
28 PPM

Photo Printing Time 
 

33.0 s
15.0 s

Single Page Out Time (Black Only) 
 

10.4 s
12.0 s

Duplex Printing 
 

Automatic
Automatic

Input Tray Capacity 
 

250 pages
250 pages
Show Text 
Document

Black & White Documents 
 

7.0
9.5

B&W Document Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw B&W Document Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW B&W Document Picture

Color Ink Needed For Black & White 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Color Documents 
 

9.0
9.5

Color Document Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Color Document Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Color Document Picture
Show Text 

Cost-Per-Print 
 

8.3
8.3

Printer Total Cost 
 

See details
See details

Black Cartridge Price 
 

62.99 US$
64.46 US$

Color Cartridge Price 
 

221.97 US$
209.97 US$

Black-Only Printing Cost 
 

0.037 US$/print
0.043 US$/print

Color Printing Cost 
 

0.163 US$/print
0.173 US$/print

Photo Printing Cost 
 

0.433 US$/print
0.460 US$/print

Ink Subscription 
 

No
Optional
Show Text 

Printing Speed 
 

8.4
8.6

Printing Speed Video  

Black Only Text Document 
 

17 PPM
28 PPM

Color Document 
 

23 PPM
28 PPM

Photo Printing Time 
 

33.0 s
15.0 s

Single Page Out Time (Black Only) 
 

10.4 s
12.0 s

Duplex Printing 
 

Automatic
Automatic

Input Tray Capacity 
 

250 pages
250 pages
Show Text 

Document Printing Sizes 
 

Letter (8.5" x 11")  

Yes
Yes

Legal (8.5" x 14")  

Yes
Yes

Tabloid (11" x 17")  

No
No

A6 (105mm x 148mm)  

Yes
Yes

A5 (148mm x 210mm)  

Yes
Yes

A4 (210mm x 297mm)  

Yes
Yes

Max Paper Weight 
 

220 g/m²
163 g/m²
Show Text 
Scanner

Scanner Features 
 

0.0
0.0

Scanner Flatbed Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Scanner Flatbed Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Scanner Flatbed Picture

Scanner 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

ADF Capacity 
 

N/A
N/A

Scan Speed 
 

N/A
N/A

Duplex Scanning 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Max Flatbed Scan Size 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Max ADF Scan Size 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner

Flatbed Hinge Adjustability 
 

N/A
N/A

Fax 
 

No
No

Copy 
 

No
No

OCR Included 
 

No Scanner
No Scanner
Show Text 

Scan Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Scan Quality Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Scan Quality Photo
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Scan Quality Photo

Max Scan Resolution 
 

N/A
N/A

Max Scan Color Depth 
 

N/A
N/A
Photo

Color Gamut 
 

6.0
4.0

Parrots Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Parrots Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Parrots Picture

Color Range Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Color Range Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Color Range Picture
Show Text 

Color Accuracy 
 

6.2
5.5

Friends Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Friends Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Friends Picture

Color dE Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Color dE Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Color dE Picture

Color dE Graph 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Color dE Graph
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Color dE Graph

Average Color dE 
 

7.80
9.16
Show Text 

Small Details 
 

4.0
4.5

Small Details Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Small Details Photo
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Small Details Photo

Max Print Resolution (DPI) 
 

600 x 600
600 x 2400
Show Text 

Photo Printing Sizes 
 

0.0
0.0

Glossy Paper (4" x 6")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (5" x 7")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (8" x 10")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11")  

No
No

Glossy Paper (13" x 19")  

No
No

Borderless Printing 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Mobile App And Connectivity

Connectivity 
 

9.0
8.5

Inputs Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw Inputs Picture
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW Inputs Picture

Wireless 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi via Router 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Direct 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Input To Computer 
 

Yes
Yes

External Storage Support 
 

Yes
No

Apple AirPrint 
 

Yes
Yes

Mopria Print Service 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Mobile App 
 

10
9.5

App Printscreen 
 

Compare High-Res
HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw App Printscreen
Compare High-Res
Brother HL-L3280CDW App Printscreen

Mobile App  

Yes
Yes

App Name  

HP Smart
Brother Mobile Connect

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

Photo (JPEG, PNG) 
 

Android and iOS
Android and iOS

PDF 
 

Android and iOS
Android and iOS

Microsoft Office Files 
 

iOS Only
Android and iOS

Text Files (TXT) 
 

iOS Only
Android and iOS

Webpages (HTML) 
 

iOS Only
No
Show Text 

OS Compatibility 
 

Windows  

Fully
Fully

macOS  

Fully
Fully

Chrome OS  

Fully
Fully
Show Text 

Check Price

White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
HL-L3280CDW
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
HL-L3220CDW
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
White
HL-L3295CDW
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
B&H
White
HL-L3240CDW
Amazon.com
White
Color LaserJet Pro M255dw
HP
 

HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw

Brother HL-L3280CDW

Comments

  1. Comparison

HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw vs Brother HL-L3280CDW: Main Discussion

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