Brother HL-L3215CW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother HL-L3215CW right for you?

The HL-L3215CW is the cheapest color printer in Brother's current UK and European range, a wireless LED model without automatic duplex. It uses the TN-248 cartridge set, whose chips are known for rejecting many early compatibles, so buyers planning on cheap toner should research first. At 18 ppm it is slow by laser standards but fine for a family that prints school projects and the occasional color letter. The in-box starter cartridges are low yield.

Best for: UK and EU homes wanting the cheapest color laser-style printer

Setting up the Brother HL-L3215CW

Use Brother Mobile Connect or the LCD WLAN menu to join a 2.4 GHz network; there is no Ethernet socket. Install the Full Driver & Software Package for Windows color management; Macs and iPads print through AirPrint. Run Colour Correction from the Printer menu after fitting new cartridges.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Brother's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Brother HL-L3215CW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• TN-248BK/C/M/Y toner (1,000 pages)
• TN-248XL BK toner (3,000 pages)
• TN-248XL C/M/Y toner (2,300 pages each)
• DR-248CL drum unit
• BU-229CL belt unit
• WT-229CL waste toner box

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications