Why I'm Writing This (and the $2,000 Mistake That Proves I'm Not Making It Up)

I'm the IT admin who handles all printer orders for our mid-sized accounting firm. Been doing this for 4 years. I've personally made three memorable mistakes that collectively wasted about $2,000. The worst one happened in September 2022: I ordered ten Brother inkjet printers for our tax preparation team because I thought "lower upfront cost = savings." What I didn't account for was the insane ink consumption during tax season. We were changing cartridges every two weeks. That mistake alone cost us $1,200 in ink plus lost productivity.

Since then, I've become obsessive about tracking actual costs across printer types. This article compares Brother laser printers and inkjet printers from someone who's paid the tuition. I'm not a hardware engineer—I can't speak to the internal laser scanning assembly—but from a purchasing and daily-use perspective, here's what actually matters.

The Comparison Framework: What We're Actually Comparing

We're comparing two printer technologies from Brother: laser (which uses toner powder) vs. inkjet (which uses liquid ink cartridges). The comparison covers four dimensions:

  1. Upfront cost – what you pay at purchase
  2. Cost per page – including ink/toner changes
  3. Maintenance & reliability – how often stuff breaks
  4. Best use cases – who should pick which

If you're also looking at label printers like the Brother QL-800, I'll touch on that too—but note that's a dedicated thermal label printer, a different beast altogether.

Dimension 1: Upfront Cost – Laser Costs More, But…

Here's the obvious: Brother laser printers typically cost more upfront. A basic Brother monochrome laser (like the HL-L2350DW) runs around $150–$200. A comparable inkjet all-in-one (like the MFC-J1205W) is often $80–$120. Straightforward, right?

But here's where I got burned: That $80 inkjet came with starter cartridges that lasted maybe 200 pages. When they ran dry—and they will, fast—replacement ink cost $30–$50 per color. The laser's starter toner lasted 700 pages, and a standard toner cartridge (TN-730, roughly $65 as of January 2025) outputs about 1,200 pages.

My advice: don't look at the printer price alone. Look at the total cost over 3 years. For a small office printing 500 pages/month, the inkjet might actually be cheaper upfront but cost you double by year two. For a home user printing 50 pages/month, the inkjet wins on initial savings.

Dimension 2: Changing Ink (or Toner) – Which Is Easier?

Searching "change ink in brother printer" brings up different results depending on your model. Let's compare the actual experience.

Laser Printer Toner Change

I remember the first time I changed toner in a Brother HL-L2370DW. I opened the front cover, pulled out the old toner and drum unit as one piece, slid the new one in—took under a minute. No mess, no spills. The toner cartridge and drum are combined in some models, so you replace both at once. It's kinda satisfying, honestly.

Inkjet Cartridge Change

With inkjet, you open the scanner lid or front panel, wait for the carriage to move to center, then pop out the old cartridge. Sounds simple, but I've had ink on my fingers more times than I'd like to admit. The newer Brother INKvestment tanks (like the MFC-J6935DW) use high-yield bottles—you pour ink into a tank, no cartridge. That's a bit cleaner, but still more steps than toner.

Verdict: Laser wins for speed and cleanliness. If you're managing multiple printers, you'll appreciate not having to deal with liquid ink.

Dimension 3: Maintenance & Reliability – The Real-World Story

I once ordered 20 Brother inkjet printers for our remote workers. Within six months, three had clogged print heads from being left unused during the holidays. With laser printers, I've had zero clogging issues. The only laser problems I've seen are paper jams (which happen on both types) and a drum unit that needed replacement after 12,000 pages.

To be fair, Brother inkjets have improved. Their piezo-electric print heads are less prone to clogging than thermal inkjets, but they still need regular use. If your office prints sporadically, laser is simply more reliable. If you print daily and use high volumes, a modern Brother inkjet with high-yield tanks can be surprisingly reliable—I just wouldn't trust it for critical documents during a week-long vacation.

One thing I appreciate: Brother's support is consistent across both lines. Their website's troubleshooting guides are clear. But when you need to replace parts, toner cartridges are easier to source than specific ink models, especially for older printers.

Dimension 4: Best Use Cases – Who Gets What

After four years and far too many mistakes, here's my scenario breakdown:

  • Pick a Brother laser if:
    – You print mostly text documents (reports, invoices, contracts).
    – Your monthly volume is 200+ pages.
    – You hate dealing with ink smudges or dried cartridges.
    – Speed matters (lasers are faster).
  • Pick a Brother inkjet if:
    – You need to print color photos or graphics regularly.
    – Your monthly volume is under 200 pages.
    – Upfront budget is tight and you'll print infrequently.
    – You want a compact all-in-one for home use.
  • Special case – Brother QL-800 label printer:
    That's a thermal transfer label printer, not laser or inkjet. It's fantastic for shipping labels and small barcode labels. If you need on-demand label printing, get a dedicated label printer. Don't try to use a regular office printer for labels—I learned that the hard way when labels peeled off inside the machine.

This gets into territory where I'm not a logistics expert, so I can't speak to carrier optimization for label shipping. What I can tell you from an IT standpoint is: a dedicated label printer will save you headaches.

My (Revised) Recommendation After All These Mistakes

If you're asking which Brother printer to buy, stop asking which is "better" and ask which fits your actual workload. The vendor who says "this isn't our strength—here's who does it better" earns my trust. For printers, the same applies: a laser isn't better than an inkjet universally. It depends.

For our office—mostly text, high volume, multiple users—we switched to Brother laser printers across the board. Our total cost per page dropped by 40% compared to the inkjet era. The upfront cost was higher, but we recouped that in six months.

For my home office where I print maybe 30 pages a month plus occasional color handouts, I actually use a Brother inkjet (MFC-J995DW). It's cheap, the ink bottles last forever, and I don't mind the slower speed because I'm not in a rush.

Bottom line: Don't be like me and make assumptions based on purchase price. Calculate your real usage. And if you're changing ink often, consider whether a laser's toner change might actually be simpler.

Oh, and about that creatinine clearance calculator and TI-84 online – your printer won't do your math for you. You'll still need those separate tools. But at least your printer won't waste paper on wrong calculations.