Brother MFC-L3780CDW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother MFC-L3780CDW right for you?

The MFC-L3780CDW is the 2023 flagship of the compact color LED all-in-ones, faster at 31 ppm and keeping the duplex ADF, NFC and Ethernet of the MFC-L3770CDW it replaced. It adopts the TN-229 cartridge platform with stricter chip validation, so compatible toner is more of a gamble than on the old model. The touchscreen supports Web Connect and custom scan shortcuts. It is the pick for a small business that prints color daily and scans double-sided.

Best for: Small businesses wanting the fastest compact color all-in-one

Setting up the Brother MFC-L3780CDW

Connect Ethernet or use the touchscreen wireless wizard. Install the Full Driver & Software Package on Windows for ControlCenter scanning and PC-Fax; Macs and Chromebooks print driverless. Set a device password and create scan-to-email or SMB profiles in the web interface.

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 MFC-L3780CDW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• TN-229XL BK high-yield toner (3,000 pages)
• TN-229XL C/M/Y high-yield toner (2,300 pages each)
• DR-229CL 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