Brother HL-L3290CDW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother HL-L3290CDW right for you?

The HL-L3290CDW is a color LED printer with a flatbed copier on top, for homes that want color copying but not a fax or ADF. It uses the same 25 ppm duplex engine and TN-227 supplies as the HL-L3270CDW, with a touchscreen for copy and scan jobs. Scans go to a phone, USB stick, PC or cloud service. Because it has no ADF, it is meant for single-page copies rather than multi-page documents.

Best for: Homes wanting a color laser-style copier without an ADF

Setting up the Brother HL-L3290CDW

Set up Wi-Fi from the touchscreen or Brother Mobile Connect; this model has no Ethernet port. Install the Full Driver & Software Package on Windows for the scanner driver and ControlCenter. Phone scanning works through Brother Mobile Connect once the printer is on the same 2.4 GHz network.

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-L3290CDW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• TN-227BK high-yield toner (3,000 pages)
• TN-227C/M/Y high-yield toner (2,300 pages each)
• DR-223CL drum unit
• BU-223CL belt unit
• WT-223CL 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