Brother MFC-L5710DW review
The cheapest cost per page in this batch, attached to a scanner that is faster than it needs to be.
A monochrome business laser all-in-one with duplex printing, an 11,000-page super high-yield cartridge option, a 50-page single-pass two-sided document feeder and scan to cloud and email.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Monochrome business laser all-in-one |
| Toner | Brother Genuine TN920XXL super high-yield, 11,000 pages |
| Document feeder | 50-page capacity, single-pass two-sided scanning |
| Scan speed | Up to 60 images per minute |
| Scan destinations | Cloud services and email, direct from the touchscreen |
| Duplex | Two-sided printing |
| Connectivity | Wireless networking |
Specifications above come from Brother's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- An 11,000-page cartridge is what produces a genuinely low cost per page, and it is the single most important specification on this machine.
- Single-pass duplex scanning at 60ipm turns a stack of two-sided documents into a one-touch job.
- Scan to cloud and email directly from the touchscreen, without a computer in the loop, which is what makes people actually use the scanner.
- Duplex printing as standard, which halves paper consumption on any document set.
- Monochrome, which removes three cartridges and most of the running cost for an office that prints text.
Where it falls short
- No colour, and no way to add it. If you need a colour page occasionally, that goes to a print shop or a second machine.
- The toner supplied in the box is not the 11,000-page cartridge, so the cost per page you get on day one is not the one the specification implies. Price the TN920XXL before you buy.
- It has an office machine footprint and needs clearance for the feeder, which small offices consistently underestimate.
- Laser printers cannot produce photographs. Our inkjet versus laser test comparison shows what each technology does to an image.
- Heavy media handling is limited compared with a dedicated machine, so cardstock work needs the right tray and the right weight. Our cardstock versus standard paper comparison covers what fails and why.
What owners report
Owner reports are consistently about running cost. The super high-yield cartridge comes up repeatedly as the reason people chose Brother, and it is the most reliable route to a low cost per page in this price bracket. Scanner speed and scan-to-destination features are the other recurring praise.
The consistent complaint is the starter toner, which is lower yield than the headline cartridge. That is standard practice across the industry and it is worth planning for rather than being annoyed by.
Who it suits
- Offices printing documents and scanning paperwork, which is most offices.
- Anyone digitising files, where single-pass duplex scanning does the heavy lifting.
- Businesses that want the lowest realistic cost per page without Enterprise pricing.
Who should skip it
- Offices that genuinely print colour regularly, who should read our mono versus colour laser comparison and then buy colour.
- Photo printing, which needs an inkjet.
- Very high-volume operations that need Enterprise duty cycles and fleet management.
Alternatives worth considering
The equivalent HP machine with Wolf Pro Security, ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct and duplex. Choose on toner pricing and ecosystem, because the two are closely matched on features.
Check price on AmazonThe colour version of the same idea at up to 31ppm, with standard, high and super high-yield toner tiers. Only worth the extra three cartridges if you print colour routinely rather than occasionally.
Check price on AmazonAn Enterprise mono laser with 650-sheet input and over 200 embedded security features, for organisations whose IT policy reaches printers. No scanner, and it only makes financial sense at high volume.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
How much does an 11,000-page cartridge save?
Divide the cartridge price by 11,000 and compare against the standard cartridge price divided by its yield. The super high-yield is almost always substantially cheaper per page, which is why it is the number that matters rather than the printer price. Our toner yield estimator does the comparison for you.
Is the high-yield toner included with the printer?
No. Printers in this class ship with a starter or standard-yield cartridge, so the first replacement is where your real running cost begins. Price the TN920XXL alongside the printer to get an honest picture of ownership cost.
Do I need a colour printer at all?
Count your colour pages for a month. Most offices are surprised by how low the number is, and colour costs four cartridges instead of one both to buy and to replace. Where colour is genuinely occasional, a mono machine plus a print shop for the rare colour job is the cheaper arrangement.
What is scan to cloud?
The printer sends scanned documents straight to a cloud service or an email address from its own touchscreen, without a computer involved. It sounds minor and it is the difference between a scanner people use and one that gathers dust, because nobody has to be at a desk to file a document.
Can it handle envelopes and cardstock?
Through the correct tray and within Brother's stated media weight range, yes, and forcing heavy stock through the main cassette is how jams and fuser problems start. Check the specification for the maximum weight and use the manual feed route for anything heavy.
Keep reading
- Mono vs colour laser
- Duplex vs single-sided scanning
- Toner yield estimator
- Brother MFC-L3780CDW review
- HP LaserJet Enterprise M507dn review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.