Brother HL-3170CDW

Misleading statements on toner cartridge boxes – The box on Toner TN-251BK states "A4 2500 pages." I purchased the Brother Laser Printer on the 30th November 2017 and have used 5 cartridges of the black toner since the purchase date. I have only used approximately 7 reams of A4 paper including 4 reams of full colour prints and that should have used at the most 1 x 3 colour cartridges of toner (Yellow; Magenta; Cyan.)

According to the statement on the boxes (Black 2500 pages; colour 2200 pages = on average 2200 pages) I should have been able to print at least 2200 x 5 =11,000 Pages. I was only able to print 7 reams x 500 sheets = 3,500 pages. That is 7,500 pages less than your stated fact on the cartridge boxes. (See photograph below.)

When I discussed the above toner problem with a spokesperson (no name supplied) of the Technical service dept in Sydney today (19/11/2018) he stated "that the toner box and information inside the box explained that the, for example, 2500 A4 pages were based on the industry standard of about 4% coverage per page. If you, for example, print a full size colour photo you greatly reduce the number of pages you can print." I again checked the installation pamphlet inside the box and the printing on the outside of the box and there is no such information provided. I believe that the printing on the outside of the box "A4 2500 pages" is therefore grossly misleading and perhaps in contravention of the Fair Trading Legislation. I have referred the matter to the Queensland Office of Fair Trading and hope that they can resolve this issue.

No complaints! – My Epson inkjet died after 2 years and after shelling hundreds of dollars on replacement cartridges after very few pages, I decided to look into laser printers. This one was the pick of the bunch given its reviews, features and my budget. I was shocked how incredibly fast it was to setup. The quality of the printing is great and on par for photos compared to my inkjet.

No complaints whatsoever after months of use. Pleased with my purchase.

Does a great job – Needed a new colour laser in a hurry - my existing Xerox packed it in. Bought it from Office works about 3 months ago, took it home and had it going in no time at all. Completed the urgent job. What I like best: It is so simple to use, and fast. (My old Xerox CM-305 took forever to print the simplest job.) It is much cheaper to run, too. Excellent machine at a good price. This is my third Brother machine.

Outstanding printer. Economical to use – I have had my laser coloured printer for a little over one year now. And I admit, I am not a heavy user as far as printing is concerned, so laser suits me. These days ink jet cartridges are very expensive, and you cannot leave them sitting for extended periods of time ( like months) as I do between runs. So laser fits the bill for me as far as economy and running costs are concerned. My printer is connected to an iMac using USB, and I have never had any issues with software. This model also has wireless capabilities, and setting it up to run off my iPad was a breeze. It is a large unit, so it will consume some of your desk space. But if you have a large desk as I do, it isn't a problem. One little tiny downside is it isn't an "all-in-one" system, so no scanner. I have a seperate scanner when required. Overall, simple to setup, easy to use, no software or wireless hassles, and I would recommend one if this is the type of printer you are interested in.

Early Days but Working Well! – Purchased this product yesterday from Officeworks. Upgraded from a B&W FujiXerox printer and happy to say that I found it easy to setup and is working well. The User Manual is overly complex, very text heavy, very detailed. The printer display is single line LCD so you'll need the book if you're not a tech user. I initially connected the printer to my UPS but it was drawing a lot of power and was overloading the UPS so switched it over to a surge protected power board instead. I have one tip for Brother, but all manufacturers could use this suggestion. Please place the Serial Number on the front of the machine, it's so annoying to have to look at the back of the unit when completing the device registration after you've installed it. At the very least you could place a sticker on the inside cover of the User Manual. I always register the device after it's all setup and functioning correctly, I'm sure others do the same.