Brother MFC-L8900CDW Business Color Laser All-in-One Printer

When it comes to reliable office printers, the Brother MFC-L8900CDW is a workhorse that gets the job done without much fuss. It’s packed with all the features a small to mid-sized business needs, offering fast printing speeds, advanced security, and options to reduce your printing costs. Whether you’re managing invoices, contracts, or scanning legal documents, this printer can handle it. Let’s walk through its key features and why it’s such a solid choice for businesses aiming to streamline their workflows.

Design and Build Quality

Let’s get this out of the way: this printer is big. The Brother MFC-L8900CDW tips the scales at around 63 pounds, so it’s not the kind of printer you’ll casually shuffle around the office. But that bulk comes with a purpose. It’s designed to tackle heavy workloads, and its solid build means it’s not likely to wear out under pressure. The 300-sheet capacity is split between a 250-sheet main tray and a 50-sheet multipurpose tray, giving you flexibility with different media types like labels or letterheads. If you’re handling even bigger print jobs, you can expand the capacity to a whopping 1,300 sheets with additional trays.

The 5-inch touchscreen control panel on this printer is sleek and responsive, offering a range of customizable shortcuts. It’s intuitive enough that even the least tech-savvy person in your office won’t need to wrestle with it. And if you’ve got regular, repetitive print tasks, setting up shortcuts on the touchscreen will save a ton of time. Not bad for a machine that looks like it’s doing taxes in its free time.

Performance and Speed

This printer doesn’t just look like it means business—it performs like it too. Brother rates the MFC-L8900CDW at 33 pages per minute for both color and monochrome prints. In real-world terms, that’s fast enough to keep even the busiest offices running smoothly. If you’ve ever stood by a printer tapping your foot, waiting for it to spit out a report or a set of contracts, you’ll appreciate the efficiency here.

What sets it apart is the 70-page automatic document feeder (ADF) that supports single-pass, double-sided scanning. This means it scans both sides of a document simultaneously, cutting down on wait times. It’s a small feature, but in an office where every second counts, it’s a game-changer. You can scan, print, and copy without worrying about bottlenecks.

Print Quality

The Brother MFC-L8900CDW excels at text printing. If you’re looking for sharp, clear documents that look professional, this printer delivers. The print quality is precise, even for small fonts, so it’s great for legal documents or detailed reports. However, while the text output is top-tier, the color quality doesn’t quite hit the same high mark. It’s perfectly acceptable for general office use—think charts, presentations, and light marketing materials—but if you need vibrant, punchy colors for photo-heavy documents, you might feel a bit underwhelmed.

Photos and high-graphic images tend to look muted and less detailed than what you’d get from a photo-specific printer. But let’s be real—this printer is for businesses that are printing contracts, spreadsheets, and memos, not art galleries. So unless your business is cranking out full-color catalogs, this slight shortcoming won’t likely bother you much.

Features and Connectivity

Here’s where things get even better. The Brother MFC-L8900CDW is designed with connectivity in mind. You’ve got your standard options like Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB, but also support for AirPrint, Mopria, Wi-Fi Direct, and NFC. Translation: printing from mobile devices is a breeze, and you won’t have to jump through hoops to get your devices connected. Whether you’re printing from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, this printer has you covered.

The MFC-L8900CDW also connects with popular cloud services like Google Drive, OneNote, and Dropbox. You can print from or scan directly to these platforms, which adds an extra layer of convenience for teams working remotely or across multiple locations. In a business world that’s moving faster than ever, these features ensure your documents are accessible and ready when you need them.

Paper Handling and Duplexing

Paper handling is another strong point. With automatic two-sided printing, you’ll save on paper costs while reducing your office’s environmental footprint. The duplex scanning feature means double-sided documents are scanned quickly and accurately, without needing to flip the pages manually.

Handling envelopes and thicker media, however, is where the MFC-L8900CDW stumbles a bit. Some users have reported that envelopes come out wrinkled or curled, which can be a hassle if you’re regularly mailing out professional documents. For most users, this won’t be a dealbreaker, but it’s something to keep in mind if envelopes are a key part of your printing needs.

Security Features

Security is crucial for any business, and Brother has baked some excellent protection into this printer. With features like Secure Function Lock, you can restrict access to color printing or specific functions for up to 200 users. This is great for offices where not everyone needs to be running color prints or using the scanner. You’ve also got network security covered, with advanced encryption to protect your sensitive documents while they’re in transit.

Additionally, the NFC card reader allows for easy badge authentication. This means that only authorized personnel can use the printer’s more advanced functions, keeping confidential documents safe. For businesses dealing with sensitive information—like law firms, healthcare providers, or financial institutions—this level of security is a must.

Running Costs and Consumables

Nobody likes the hidden costs of running a printer, but the Brother MFC-L8900CDW manages to keep them relatively low. The super high-yield toner cartridges are the real heroes here, lasting up to 6,500 pages per cartridge. That’s a lot of contracts, reports, and invoices before you need to think about replacements.

Compared to inkjet printers, the cost-per-page is significantly lower. If you’re running a business where you need to print in bulk, the savings can add up quickly. And since the toner cartridges are easy to replace, downtime is minimal, which is another plus for busy offices.

Setup and Ease of Use

Setting up the Brother MFC-L8900CDW is a straightforward process. The packaging is well-designed, and even though the printer is heavy, it comes with durable handles that make lifting and positioning easier than expected. Once you’ve got it in place, the installation process is quick. Drivers install smoothly across both Windows and Mac, and the ControlCenter software offers easy document management and scanning options.

This is one of those rare printers where you won’t be constantly fiddling with the settings to get it to work. It does what it’s supposed to, without drama or complications, which is exactly what most businesses need from their office equipment.

Conclusion

If you’re running a small to medium-sized business and need a printer that delivers consistent performance, the Brother MFC-L8900CDW is a solid choice. It might not be the flashiest option out there, but it’s dependable, fast, and built to handle whatever you throw at it. From text-heavy reports to complex scanning jobs, this all-in-one device will keep your office running smoothly without breaking the bank on toner or repairs.

Sure, the color print quality might not be perfect, and the handling of envelopes isn’t ideal. But for most businesses, those are minor drawbacks in the grand scheme of things. If you need a workhorse printer that’s easy to use, cost-effective, and reliable, the Brother MFC-L8900CDW checks all the boxes.