Brother DCP-L2640DW vs Brother MFC-L3720CDW
Two of our picks from Best Laser Printers, compared side by side on the specs and trade-offs that actually matter.
Short answer
Between the Brother MFC-L3720CDW and the Brother DCP-L2640DW, we recommend the Brother MFC-L3720CDW ($459.98 when we checked it on 2026-10-26) as the better laser printer for most people. A small office that needs color output, scanning, copying and fax all wireless from one printer. The Brother DCP-L2640DW ($209.99 when we checked it on 2026-10-26) still makes sense if a home office or small business that needs print, copy and scan in one machine.
Brother DCP-L2640DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Laser Printer with Copy and Scan, Duplex, Mobile, Black & White | Includes Refresh Subscription Trial(1), Works with Alexa | Copy function, Scan function
$209.99observed
Lowest we have recorded: $209.99 on (11 weekly checks)
Brother MFC-L3720CDW Wireless Color Laser Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax | Auto Duplex and 250-Sheet Capacity | Includes Refresh Subscription Trial(1). Amazon Dash Replenishment Ready | Scan function, Fax function, Automatic duplex printing
$459.98observed
Lowest we have recorded: $459.98 on (11 weekly checks)
Specs head to head
| Spec | Brother DCP-L2640DW | Brother MFC-L3720CDW |
|---|---|---|
| Print speed | Up to 36 ppm | Up to 19 ppm |
| Scan speed | Up to 23.6/7.9 ipm (black/color) | Up to 29/22 ipm (black/color) |
| Auto document feeder | 50 pages | 50 sheets |
| Duplex printing | Automatic | Automatic |
| Toner | TN830, TN830XL | TN229 series (black, cyan, magenta, yellow; standard, XL, XXL) |
| Weight | 25 lbs | 44 lbs |
Our take on each
Brother DCP-L2640DW
Best for: A home office or small business that needs print, copy and scan in one machine.
The Brother DCP-L2640DW takes the thread's advice one step further: still a Brother monochrome laser, but with the scanner and copier the HL-L2405W leaves out. It is the pick for anyone who occasionally needs to scan or copy a document and does not want a second device for it.
It prints at up to 36 pages per minute, faster than the budget pick, and the 50-page auto document feeder handles multi-page scan and copy jobs without babysitting the glass. Automatic duplex printing is built in, so two-sided documents happen without flipping pages by hand. Dual-band wireless plus Ethernet cover both a home network and a shared office one, and the 250-sheet tray matches the budget pick's capacity.
It is bigger and heavier for the extra functions, 25 pounds against 15.1, and that added footprint is the price of the scanner and copier. Scan quality is built for documents, not photos. And like the budget pick, it is monochrome only.
Brother MFC-L3720CDW
Best for: A small office that needs color output, scanning, copying and fax all wireless from one printer.
The Brother MFC-L3720CDW is the step the thread's Brother-only consensus does not usually take: color. It is a full all-in-one, adding a color laser engine, fax, and a touchscreen to everything the DCP-L2640DW already does, for anyone whose job actually needs color pages.
The 3.5 inch touchscreen handles up to 48 shortcuts and connects directly to Google Drive, Dropbox and OneNote, so scanning to the cloud does not require a computer. It prints at up to 19 pages per minute, scans up to 29/22 images per minute (black/color), and automatic duplex plus a 50-sheet auto document feeder carry over from the cheaper picks. It is ENERGY STAR compliant and EPEAT Silver rated.
Color is the expense here, in the printer's price and in toner going forward: color laser cartridges cost more than mono ones, and there are four of them, black, cyan, magenta and yellow, instead of one. Print speed drops to 19 ppm from 36 on the value pick, since color passes take longer than mono. And at 44 pounds, this is a printer you place once and do not move.
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