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Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W vs HP DeskJet 4255e

Which Printer Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      Build QualityDimensionsDisplay ScreenCartridgeExpected MaintenanceRisk Of CloggingEase Of UncloggingIn The BoxBattery
    Efficiency
      Cost-Per-PrintPrinting Speed
    Document
      Black & White DocumentsColor DocumentsDocument Printing Sizes
    Scanner
      Scanner FeaturesScan Quality
    Photo
      Color GamutColor AccuracySmall DetailsPhoto Printing Sizes
    Mobile App And Connectivity
      ConnectivityMobile AppOS Compatibility
    Comments

Products

Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W
HP DeskJet 4255e

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Jan 12, 2026 04:23 PM

SEE PRICE
Walmart.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Jan 09, 2026 07:12 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Picture
HP DeskJet 4255e Picture
Print Technology
Inkjet
TypeAll-In-One
SuperTank
No
ColorYes
Duplex Printing
Manual
Print Technology
Inkjet
TypeAll-In-One
SuperTank
No
ColorYes
Duplex Printing
Manual
  1. Recommended in 7 articles:
  2. All-In-One
  3. Cheap And Budget
  4. Inkjet
  5. 4

Our Verdict

Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W

HP DeskJet 4255e

The Brother MFC-J1205W is vastly superior to the HP DeskJet 4255e. It yields more than ten times the number of prints, produces much nicer-looking documents and photos, and has better scan quality. While it's more expensive up front, the lower running costs make the Brother much more affordable over time if you have a high print load. But the HP has an ADF-equipped scanner, a feature that's missing on the Brother. You can load up to 35 pages at a time, making scanning multi-page documents much easier.

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Variants

  • MFC-J1205W (White)
  • MFC-J1205W XL (White)
  • DeskJet 4220e (Gray)
  • DeskJet 4255e (White)

Review

See Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Review
See HP DeskJet 4255e Review
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Check Price

White
MFC-J1205W
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
DeskJet 4255e
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
MFC-J1205W XL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
DeskJet 4210e
SEARCH
Amazon.com
White
MFC-J1215W
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Gray
DeskJet 4220e
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White/Dark Blue
DeskJet 4230e
SEARCH
Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Home

Threshold 

0.10

Home 
 

7.7
5.7

Cartridge 
 

8.1
2.9

Black & White Documents 
 

9.0
6.0

Full Comparison

Design

Build Quality 
 

8.0
5.0

Build Quality Close Up 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Build Quality Close Up
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Build Quality Close Up

Type  

All-In-One
All-In-One
Show Text 

Dimensions 
 

8.3
8.1

ISO View Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W ISO View Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e ISO View Picture

Height  

6.3" (16.0 cm)
7.8" (19.9 cm)

Width  

17.1" (43.5 cm)
18.1" (46.0 cm)

Depth  

14.0" (35.5 cm)
13.1" (33.2 cm)

In Use Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W In Use Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e In Use Picture

Max Height 
 

6.3" (16.0 cm)
10.3" (26.1 cm)

Max Width 
 

17.1" (43.5 cm)
16.9" (43.0 cm)

Max Depth 
 

18.7" (47.5 cm)
22.8" (57.9 cm)

Weight 
 

12.8 lbs (5.8 kg)
10.6 lbs (4.8 kg)

Display Screen 
 

0.0
3.0

Display Screen Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Display Screen Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Display Screen Picture

Display Screen  

No
Yes

Display Screen Size 
 

N/A
1.4" (3.6 cm)

Touchscreen  

No
No
Show Text 

Cartridge 
 

8.1
2.9

Cartridge Picture In The Printer 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Cartridge Picture In The Printer
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Cartridge Picture In The Printer

SuperTank 
 

No
No

Photo Cartridge 
 

No
No

Color  

Yes
Yes

Number Of Color Cartridges 
 

3
1

Black Cartridge Model 
 

LC404 BK
HP 67 Black

Tested Black Page Yield 
 

62 prints
4.75 prints

Estimated Black Page Yield 
 

1,178 prints
90 prints

Color Cartridge Model 
 

LC404 C/M/Y
HP 67 Tri-Color

Tested Color Page Yield 
 

36 prints
2.27 prints

Estimated Color Page Yield 
 

766 prints
52 prints

Third-Party Cartridge 
 

No Cartridges
Purchased One Worked

Ink Type 
 

Dye And Pigment
Dye And Pigment

High Yield Cartridge 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Expected Maintenance 
 

6.0
5.5

Ink Related Maintenance 
 

Expected
Expected

Drum Unit 
 

No Drum Unit
No Drum Unit
Show Text 

Risk Of Clogging 
 

4.0
4.0

Print Technology 
 

Inkjet
Inkjet
Show Text 

Ease Of Unclogging 
 

Printhead Location 
 

In The Printer
In The Cartridge

Printhead Serviceability 
 

Not User Replaceable
User Replaceable

High Flushing Volume 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

In The Box  

In the Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W In the Box Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e In the Box Picture
Show Text 

Battery 
 

Advertised Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Tested Charging Time 
 

N/A
N/A
Efficiency

Cost-Per-Print 
 

9.6
3.5

Printer Total Cost 
 

 Preview Graph
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Printer Total Cost
 Preview Graph
HP DeskJet 4255e Printer Total Cost
 Compare in Graph Tool

Black Cartridge Price 
 

24.99 US$
17.99 US$

Color Cartridge Price 
 

40.99 US$
18.99 US$

Black-Only Printing Cost 
 

0.021 US$/print
0.200 US$/print

Color Printing Cost 
 

0.054 US$/print
0.365 US$/print

Photo Printing Cost 
 

0.142 US$/print
0.863 US$/print

Ink Subscription 
 

No
Optional
Show Text 

Printing Speed 
 

5.7
4.7

Printing Speed Video  

Black Only Text Document 
 

9 PPM
8 PPM

Color Document 
 

6 PPM
3 PPM

Photo Printing Time 
 

70.0 s
59.4 s

Single Page Out Time (Black Only) 
 

10.4 s
14.2 s

Duplex Printing 
 

Manual
Manual

Input Tray Capacity 
 

150 pages
60 pages
Show Text 
Document

Black & White Documents 
 

9.0
6.0

B&W Document Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W B&W Document Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e B&W Document Picture

Color Ink Needed For Black & White 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Color Documents 
 

8.0
7.0

Color Document Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Color Document Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Color Document Picture
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 
 

300 g/m²
300 g/m²
Show Text 
Scanner

Scanner Features 
 

6.2
7.0

Scanner Flatbed Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Scanner Flatbed Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Scanner Flatbed Picture

Scanner 
 

Flatbed
ADF + Flatbed

ADF Capacity 
 

N/A
35 pages

Scan Speed 
 

2 PPM
3 PPM

Duplex Scanning 
 

No
No

Max Flatbed Scan Size 
 

8.5" x 11"
8.5" x 11"

Max ADF Scan Size 
 

No ADF
8.5" x 14"

Flatbed Hinge Adjustability 
 

0.43" (11 mm)
0.00" (0 mm)

Fax 
 

No
No

Copy 
 

Yes
Yes

OCR Included 
 

Software
Third Party Only
Show Text 

Scan Quality 
 

8.0
6.0

Scan Quality Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Scan Quality Photo
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Scan Quality Photo

Max Scan Resolution 
 

1,200 DPI
1,200 DPI

Max Scan Color Depth 
 

24Bit
24Bit
Show Text 
Photo

Color Gamut 
 

6.5
5.5

Parrots Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Parrots Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Parrots Picture

Color Range Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Color Range Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Color Range Picture
Show Text 

Color Accuracy 
 

6.6
4.1

Friends Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Friends Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Friends Picture

Color dE Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Color dE Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Color dE Picture

Color dE Graph 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Color dE Graph
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Color dE Graph

Average Color dE 
 

6.98
11.13
Show Text 

Small Details 
 

9.0
6.5

Small Details Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Small Details Photo
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Small Details Photo

Max Print Resolution (DPI) 
 

1200 x 6000
1200 x 1200
Show Text 

Photo Printing Sizes 
 

8.0
7.0

Glossy Paper (4" x 6")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (5" x 7")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (8" x 10")  

No
Yes

Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11")  

Yes
Yes

Glossy Paper (13" x 19")  

No
No

Borderless Printing 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Mobile App And Connectivity

Connectivity 
 

7.0
7.0

Inputs Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W Inputs Picture
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e Inputs Picture

Wireless 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi via Router 
 

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Direct 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

USB Input To Computer 
 

Yes
Yes

External Storage Support 
 

No
No

Apple AirPrint 
 

Yes
Yes

Mopria Print Service 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Mobile App 
 

9.5
10

App Printscreen 
 

Compare High-Res
Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W App Printscreen
Compare High-Res
HP DeskJet 4255e App Printscreen

Mobile App  

Yes
Yes

App Name  

Brother Mobile Connect
HP Smart

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 
 

Android and iOS
iOS Only

Text Files (TXT) 
 

Android and iOS
iOS Only

Webpages (HTML) 
 

No
iOS Only
Show Text 

OS Compatibility 
 

Windows  

Fully
Fully

macOS  

Fully
Fully

Chrome OS  

Fully
Fully
Show Text 

Check Price

White
MFC-J1205W
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
DeskJet 4255e
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
MFC-J1205W XL
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
DeskJet 4210e
SEARCH
Amazon.com
White
MFC-J1215W
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Gray
DeskJet 4220e
SEARCH
Amazon.com
 
White/Dark Blue
DeskJet 4230e
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Back to Top

Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W

HP DeskJet 4255e

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Brother MFC-J1205W/MFC-J1215W vs HP DeskJet 4255e: Main Discussion

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