¡Printing!. The Brother MFC-L3710CW prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It prints black-and-white text with excellent quality. It's on the slow side for text, 5 pages took 28 seconds, costing 3.2 cents per page. It prints color graphics such as charts and web pages beautifully, in presentation-quality, with no noticeable defects, costing 31.3 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page. Individual cartridges for each color let you change only the ones that are empty. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous amount. There's a second single-sheet input tray for full-size paper, in case you just need a printout on letterhead, for instance. ¶¡Scanning and Copying!. Scanning performance was OK, but had a few noticeable flaws. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages. ¶¡Controls and Display!. The printer has a color display screen, and touch-input capability. ¶¡Connectivity and Networking!. The printer can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, and can wirelessly connect via WiFi. We found it relatively easy to setup the WiFi connection on this printer. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC. ¶¡Cost of Ownership and Toner!. When this page was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $130, very low for a all-in-one color laser printer. Printing uses up toner and the costs add up over time. This printer uses four (4) cartridges. When the ink runs low, you replace the empty cartridge. The toners we used in testing were the Brother TN-247 BK, TN-247 C, TN-247 M, and TN-247 Y cartridges—at the time, the prices were $88, $101, $100.50 and $102 respectively. We estimate each cartridge of toner to last at least 7 years—a very long time—following a typical monthly printing amount of 35 text and 14 graphic pages. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate your total equivalent cost to be $262—very low for a color laser. The estimated yearly cost is $66, which is typical for a color laser type of printer. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $459. ¶¡Note!. The printer takes up a lot of space and might be more suitable for an office than a small desktop. ¶¡Printer Firmware! Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Brother MFC-L3710CW was G. ¶¡Software! The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual and scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a PC and the Windows operating system, using the latest version of printer software (driver) and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 1.2.0.0. ¶¡About the toner, software and firmware! Our test results are valid only for the Brother-brand toner, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Brother printer-update app on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Brother's website for further guidance.
Try searching online
