Industry Trends

The Brother HL-L2350DW vs. MFC-L3720CDW: Which Printer Actually Saves You Money?

If you're buying a printer for a small office, the Brother HL-L2350DW is the better choice for most people. It's a no-brainer for basic, high-volume black-and-white printing. The MFC-L3720CDW is a fantastic machine, but its color and scanning features are only worth the extra cost if you genuinely need them every week. I've seen too many teams pay for capabilities they never use.

I manage office supplies for a 75-person marketing agency. Our annual budget for this stuff is around $40,000 across maybe a dozen vendors. When I took over purchasing in 2020, we had a mishmash of old inkjets and a leased copier that was bleeding us dry. Consolidating to a few reliable workhorse printers was my first project. So, I've lived through the "cheap upfront, expensive later" printer trap more than once.

Why I Trust This Conclusion (And You Can Too)

This isn't just spec-sheet comparison. It's based on processing about 60-80 printer-related orders annually for the last five years—toner, drums, maintenance kits, the works. The math becomes pretty clear after a while.

One of my biggest regrets was a few years back. We needed a "just in case" color printer for a small satellite office. I found a great deal on a competitor's model—about $150 cheaper than a comparable Brother. The machine itself was fine, but the toner yields were awful. That $150 savings turned into a $500+ problem over the first year because we were buying replacement cartridges twice as often. The accounting team flagged the spike in consumables cost, and I had to explain why my "cost-saving" purchase backfired. Now, I always look at the cost-per-page, not the sticker price.

Breaking Down the "Real" Cost

Let's get into the details. On paper, the HL-L2350DW is a monochrome laser printer. That's it. Print, maybe duplex. The MFC-L3720CDW is a color laser All-in-One (print, copy, scan, fax). The price difference is significant. But the real gap is in how you'll use them.

The HL-L2350DW: The Workhorse

This thing is basically built for contracts, reports, and internal documents. Its TN-760 high-yield toner cartridge is rated for about 3,000 pages. Doing the math: the cartridge costs around $80-$90. That's a cost-per-page of roughly 2.7 to 3 cents. For black-and-white printing, that's really good, reliable, and predictable. The drum unit (the part that needs replacing less often) lasts about 12,000 pages.

The sweet spot? An office that prints 500-2000 black-and-white pages a month. If 95% of what comes out of the printer is text, you're golden. Needing to scan? A basic desktop scanner costs $100. For the price difference between these two Brothers, you could buy the HL-L2350DW and a dedicated scanner and still probably come out ahead.

The MFC-L3720CDW: The Multitasker

Here's where you need to be honest with yourself. The color printing is good—industry-standard color tolerance is Delta E < 2 for brand-critical colors. But color toner is expensive. The four color cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) for this model might cost $350-$400 for a full set. If you're printing full-color marketing sheets or client presentations regularly, that's a justifiable cost of doing business.

But if you're just printing the occasional logo or chart, it's a tough sell. The built-in flatbed scanner/copier is the real hidden value for some teams. If you're constantly digitizing contracts, receipts, or old documents, having it built into a device you already maintain is a huge time-saver. It eliminates a cable, a driver, and a point of failure.

"The value of a multifunction printer isn't the features list—it's the elimination of device clutter and the simplification of a common task. If scanning is a daily chore, build it into your core workflow."

The Hidden Factor: Your Time

This is the part most comparisons miss. As the person who manages this, my time has value. A printer that's constantly jamming, has confusing wireless setup, or needs frequent toner changes creates work for me.

The Brother HL-L2350DW is pretty legendary for just... working. Its paper path is simple (which reduces jams), and the INKvestment toner tanks on some models mean you can go months without thinking about it. The MFC-L3720CDW is more complex—more parts, more sensors. Still reliable, but complexity always introduces a bit more potential for hiccups.

When we consolidated orders for 400 employees across 3 locations a couple years back, we standardized on a mix of these two models based on department need. Using a centralized online ordering portal for toner (set up with auto-replenishment thresholds) cut our "printer admin" time from maybe 6 hours a month to 1. That's a real, soft cost saving.

When This Advice Doesn't Apply

Look, this worked for us, but we're a mid-size company with predictable, document-heavy printing patterns. Your mileage may vary.

• If you're a design firm or real estate agency: You probably do need that color and scanning capability daily. The MFC-L3720CDW might be your baseline.
• If you print under 200 pages a month: Honestly, a basic inkjet with Brother's INKvestment tanks (like the MFC-J1010DW) might be more cost-effective. The upfront cost of a laser only pays off with volume.
• If you need wide-format or specialty printing: This is a conversation about standard office printers. For posters or direct-to-garment, you're in a totally different product category.

Bottom line? Don't buy capabilities "just in case." Buy for the workload you have 90% of the time. For most offices drowning in black-and-white documents, the HL-L2350DW is the reliable, cost-effective champion. Paying extra for the MFC-L3720CDW's color and scanning is only worth it if those functions will earn their keep every single week. Otherwise, you're just leasing a more expensive paperweight.