Sections
- Page 1 Brother HL-3140CW Review
- Page 2 Performance and Verdict Review
- Page 3 Print Speeds and Costs Table Review
Verdict
Pros
- Low maintenance LED mechanism
- Lower power than a laser
- Comparatively quiet
Cons
- No duplex print
- Still has to wait for fuser warm-up
- Only single-sheet special purpose tray
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £119.00
- Wireless connection as standard
- High print speed for class
- Very low price for colour printer
- Low cost black print
- Compact design
What is the Brother HL-3140CW?
Colour laser printers have traditionally been overpriced and under specced, compared with their mono-only counterparts. Brother’s HL-3140CW isn’t a colour laser printer, though, but a colour LED printer. This is part of the reason it’s neither overpriced, nor under specced.
SEE ALSO: Best printers round-up
Brother HL-3140CW – Design and Features
Aimed at the small, or possibly home office, it’s surprisingly compact, and its mid-grey and white colour scheme helps it to look discreet. Paper outputs to its top surface and there’s a flip-up paper stop to prevent it over-running.
Also set into the top surface is a simple control panel with eight buttons including a power button which is surprisingly small and easy to overlook. The printer has a two-line LCD panel set quite deep into the control panel and without a backlight, though we didn’t have any trouble reading messages on it.
At the bottom of the panel a large recessed handle makes it easy to open the 250-sheet main paper tray, a much more sensible capacity than many colour lasers offer. Above this there’s a flip-down panel offering a single feed for envelopes or special media.
Brother HL-3140CW – Connections and Installation
The Brother HL-3140CW has a single USB socket at the rear, but is also wireless compatible and using WPS setup can be linked to a wireless network without a temporary USB link.
Lifting the top panel reveals the consumables. Each drum cartridge has a clip-in toner cartridge and you can use between 7 and 10 toners before needing to change the drum. There’s a transfer belt and waste toner unit, too, though fortunately, these only have to be replaced after 50,000 pages.
Software installation is straightforward as the main application is the driver, though you do get Web access to the Brother CreativeCenter and to a trial version of its OmniJoin videoconferencing; Brother is heavily into videoconferencing.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
