Though the Brother MFC-L2900DW XL mono laser all-in-one (AIO) printer seems very like the Brother MFC-L2820DW XL and is simply a modest step up in value at $349.99, it is a huge step up in functionality. Its computerized doc feeder (ADF) affords single-pass duplexing (two-sided scanning), a necessity for anybody who must scan, copy, or fax duplex pages. Its road pricing is greater than that of some older fashions with comparable scan functionality plus quicker pace and better paper capability—together with the Canon imageClass MF455dw, one in every of our prime picks on this class. Nonetheless, the MFC-L2900DW affords these scanning capabilities in a smaller printer, making it a greater match if flat area is at a premium. This Editors’ Selection winner is good for micro-to-small-office or private use.
Design: No Have to Purchase Toner for a Lengthy Time
As with the MFC-L2820DW, Brother sells the MFC-L2900DW each by itself and in a model that provides an “XL” after the mannequin quantity, prices an additional $50, and packs an additional toner cartridge within the field. Provided that the cartridge lists for $84.99, it is laborious to see why anybody would select the $50 financial savings for the non-XL model. That stated, I will confer with each variations because the MFC-L2900DW from right here on.
Setup is easy. The printer weighs 28.1 kilos and measures 12.5 by 16.1 by 16.6 inches (HWD). Most individuals ought to discover it small and lightweight sufficient to unpack and transfer into place with out assist. It is also sufficiently small to not less than think about sharing a desk with. As with different Brother fashions we have examined just lately, the toner cartridge (which means the cartridge that you just begin with) comes individually within the field however is already mounted on the drum unit. The bodily setup consists of little greater than loading paper and inserting the mixture of cartridge and drum unit within the printer.
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Downloading and putting in the driving force and utilities can be simple, with the principally automated set up routine asking whether or not to make use of Wi-Fi or a wired connection. (I used Ethernet for our checks, however the setup possibility works for USB as properly.) It’s also possible to obtain an app to your iOS or Android gadget for cell printing and scanning.
Paper dealing with is appropriate for as much as moderate-duty printing in a small or house workplace or for private use, due to the 250-sheet drawer and single-sheet bypass tray. Each can deal with as much as legal-size paper, together with for auto duplexing. Brother’s beneficial month-to-month most is as much as 2,500 pages. Nonetheless, the corporate does not provide non-compulsory add-on trays for this mannequin, so in the event you do not wish to refill the printer greater than as soon as every week on common, the extra real looking month-to-month most could be 1,000 sheets, or rather less than 2,000 pages (with one web page on both sides of every sheet) in the event you print principally in duplex.
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For scanning, the 50-page ADF can deal with as much as legal-size paper, and the printer has a letter-size flatbed for scanning e book pages or delicate originals you do not wish to ship by way of the ADF. As well as, it is value noting that the single-pass duplexing works for scanning, copying, and faxing, which is not true for all duplexing AIOs.
It is unattainable to provide you with a definitive value per web page for a printer as a result of its operating value will range relying on how a lot you print. The 2 cartridges that include the XL mannequin are rated at a complete of 4,200 pages. As soon as you have run by way of each, the price for a two-pack of high-capacity cartridges works out to 2.5 cents per web page. Nonetheless, in the event you print sufficient to want a brand new drum, which is a separate unit rated at 15,000 pages, the price works out to a further 0.9 cent per web page. In brief, the precise value per web page over the printer’s lifetime will depend upon what number of drums, if any, you wind up needing and what number of pages you really print with the ultimate drum.
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Take into account the important thing value to contemplate is the overall value of possession, which implies the preliminary value plus the operating value, which we focus on intimately in Methods to Save Cash on Your Subsequent Printer. Complicating issues additional is that as a substitute of shopping for particular person toner cartridges, you’ll be able to select the non-compulsory EZ Refresh subscription plan. Brother says it may probably save 50% on toner prices, however that assumes your printing wants precisely match the variety of pages included within the plan. (For extra on EZ Refresh, see Methods to Save the Most Cash on Printer Ink.)
Testing the MFC-L2900DW: Strong Efficiency and Output High quality
To evaluate the MFC-L2900DW’s efficiency in context, I in contrast it with the MFC-L2820DW, the Canon MF455dw, and the HP LaserJet Professional MFP 3101sdw, which is carefully matched in rated pace and record value to the model of the MFC-L2900DW that lacks the additional cartridge. As anticipated from every printer’s pace score, the MF455dw was the quickest within the group in our checks, and the important thing variations in pace among the many different three have been as a result of their first-page-out (FPO) instances, somewhat than the pace beginning with web page 2.
For simplex (one-sided) printing of our 12-page Phrase file, the MF455dw took first place for each the FPO time and time for the remainder of the file. The opposite three confirmed solely a 2-second distinction for FPO time from quickest to slowest (placing them a number of seconds behind the Canon printer after the primary web page) and have been tied for the remainder of the file, which made them almost tied for the complete file.
For real-world use, this interprets to the Canon printer being the quickest on this group for any size textual content file, however not by various seconds for something a lot shorter than about 30 pages.
The FPO time had a a lot larger affect on outcomes for the complete enterprise functions suite, which provides 5 quick Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF information.
The Canon printer nonetheless took first place for every further file and the complete suite, however the different printers had notable variations. The HP printer delivered a quicker FPO time for the extra information than it did for the Phrase file, basically matching the Canon printer on every and incomes an in depth second place total. The Brother printers each maintained the identical FPO time we noticed for the Phrase file, with the MFC-L2900DW eking out a small benefit on every take a look at. So it was definitively slower than the second-place HP however solely barely quicker than the opposite Brother printer.
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We additionally noticed a bit of extra distinction among the many printers for duplex printing of the Phrase file. For the complete 12 pages, the MF455dw was once more in first place for the complete file by a strong 17 seconds, whereas the three others have been successfully tied.
Because the chart above exhibits, nonetheless, there have been important variations among the many three each for FPO instances (which on this case means pages 1 and a pair of on the primary sheet) and the pace beginning with web page 3. The Brother fashions have been basically tied on each scores. The HP printer was slower for its FPO time than both however notably quicker for the remainder of the pages. These variations got here near canceling one another out for the 12-page file. For a printer sitting on or close to your desk, nonetheless, the MFP 3101sdw could be noticeably slower than both Brother printer for a one- or two-page file and considerably quicker for information for much longer than 12 pages. Whether or not you may think about it quicker or slower for real-world use will depend upon the size of the paperwork you print most frequently.
For photograph printing, the MFC-L2900DW averaged 9 seconds for a 4-by-6-inch photograph.
Textual content high quality for MFC-L2900DW in our checks was greater than acceptable for many places of work however a transparent step under prime tier for a mono laser. One italic font was a bit of laborious to learn at something smaller than 8 factors, however the entire non-italic fonts we examined that may seemingly be utilized in enterprise paperwork have been well-formed and simply readable at 6 factors. Some have been simply readable 4 factors additionally, regardless of skinny and sometimes damaged strains when seen by way of a loupe. Two extremely stylized fonts with heavy strokes have been simply readable at 8 factors.
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Graphics have been at roughly the identical high quality stage for a mono laser because the textual content total, making them adequate for many functions. I noticed some banding and minor dithering in strong fills and gradients, in addition to minor posterization (shading altering in steps somewhat than regularly) in probably the most demanding gradients in our checks. Nonetheless, easy line graphics delivered crisp strains, and skinny strains usually held. Most essential, not one of the graphics misplaced any info, although a single-pixel-wide line on a black background in a single line graph changed into a dashed line in some parts, and a thicker line rendered in a darkish sufficient grey that you just would possibly miss it in the event you weren’t wanting fastidiously.
Images have been on the excessive finish of what you would possibly anticipate from black-and-white newspaper high quality. I noticed some banding and minor dithering, just like what I noticed with graphics, however shadow element held properly.
Verdict: The Finest Printer for Duplex Scanning in a Small Workplace
The MFC-L2900DW’s standout function is its capacity to scan in duplex. When you by no means cope with two-sided paperwork, think about the MFC-L2820DW, which limits its ADF to simplex scanning however is in any other case just like the MFC-L2900DW. Equally, if it is advisable scan in duplex solely often, make sure you think about the HP MFP 3101sdw. The HP mannequin’s guide duplexing helps you to place a stack of paper in its ADF to scan one facet, then reinsert it to scan the opposite, after which the printer routinely interfiles the pages in the best order. It isn’t as fast or simple as a single-pass duplexing ADF, nevertheless it works.
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When you scan sufficient to contemplate the single-pass strategy important, the one different printer talked about right here that gives it’s the MF455dw, which can be quicker in contrast with the MFC-L2900DW, has the next paper capability (plus the choice so as to add extra trays), and, at this writing not less than, is extensively obtainable for a lower cost.
Nonetheless, the Canon mannequin can be greater in all three dimensions, and it weighs simply wanting 36 kilos. The MFC-L2900DW delivers single-pass duplex scanning in a smaller, lighter printer that will probably be a literal higher match for places of work with restricted flat area. That is sufficient to make it our Editors’ Selection winner for a mono laser AIO for a micro-to-small workplace or for private use.
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The Brother MFC-L2900DW XL mono laser all-in-one printer delivers each function a small workplace wants, together with the comfort of single-pass duplexing for copying, scanning, and faxing.
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