Searching for a Brother LaserJet finds nothing, because LaserJet is HP's name for its own lasers. The two ranges are genuinely different, and the difference is about who controls the toner.
#ad — buy links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no cost to you. How this site is funded. Prices as shown on Amazon as of October 17, 2026; Amazon’s own page is the price of record. Cost-per-page figures are arithmetic on supply prices we read on 27 September 2026 — here is the method.
There is no Brother LaserJet. LaserJet is HP’s brand name for its own laser printers, and Brother calls its lasers HL, DCP and MFC instead. If you are comparing the two ranges rather than hunting a model name, the difference that matters is not speed or price — it is whose rules govern the toner you buy for the next five years.
Why “Brother LaserJet” returns nothing
LaserJet has been HP’s trademark for its laser printers since the 1980s, and it became the generic word for the category the way Hoover did for vacuum cleaners. So “Brother LaserJet” is a reasonable thing to type and a thing that does not exist. Brother uses three prefixes instead, and once you know them the whole range reads clearly:
HL — print only, no scanner. The HL-L2460DW and HL-L5210DW above.
DCP — Digital Copier Printer: print, scan and copy, no fax. The DCP-L2640DW.
MFC — Multi-Function Centre: print, scan, copy and fax. The MFC-L2820DW.
CDW in the model number means color; a plain DW is mono. HL-L3220CDW is the color one.
HP’s equivalents are LaserJet, LaserJet MFP and Color LaserJet. Same shelf, same job, different letters.
The difference that actually matters
Both companies make competent lasers. What separates them, for the buyer this site is written for, is supply policy — and here the two have very different track records.
HP has a documented history of firmware that blocks cartridges it does not recognise, under the name Dynamic Security, to the point that PCWorld reported on a firmware route to allow third-party ink again on some models. HP also sells subscription supply plans and pushes them at the point of purchase and during setup. Brother, on the pages we have read across its range, sells cartridges outright with no plan attached and no equivalent programme. PCWorld
The two ranges, side by side
How the ranges line up on naming and policy
Brother
HP
Laser brand name
HL / DCP / MFC
LaserJet / LaserJet MFP / Color LaserJet
Print-only naming
HL-xxxx
LaserJet
All-in-one naming
DCP (no fax) / MFC (with fax)
LaserJet MFP
Color naming
CDW suffix
Color LaserJet
Supplies
Cartridges bought outright, no plan on the pages we read
Cartridges plus subscription supply plans
Third-party supply history
No firmware blocking programme we could document
Dynamic Security has blocked unrecognised cartridges
Separate drum unit
Yes on the models we cover - DR830, DR920
Varies by model
Brother column from Brother USA product pages recorded in our registry on 27 September 2026. HP column limited to documented supply policy; see the source at the foot of this page.
What Brother toner costs, with the numbers shown
Brother cartridges we have priced, and the page cost that follows
Our arithmetic: cartridge price divided by the manufacturer's rated ISO/IEC 19752 yield, using prices read on 27 September 2026. Rated yields assume 5% page coverage, so your real cost will be higher.
At 200 pages a month over three years that is $236 of toner on the household machines and $134 on the business one — which is why the dearer printer is the cheaper printer once the volume is there. For broader context, Toner Buzz puts mono laser printing generally at around 5 to 8 cents a page; those are their figures, not ours.
Which should you buy?
If you want to buy toner off a shelf forever, buy the Brother. That is the whole reason this site keeps recommending them: cartridges sold outright, no plan, no account, and a separate drum you replace on its own schedule.
If you are replacing a LaserJet and want the same shape, match the prefix: HL for print-only, DCP for print-scan-copy, MFC if you still need fax.
If a deal on an HP laser is genuinely good, check the supply situation first — cartridge price, rated yield, whether a plan is being attached at checkout, and whether the model has a firmware history. What to look for.
If you print color occasionally, a color laser of either brand beats an inkjet because toner does not dry out between jobs. Mono versus color laser.
Specifications and running costs side by side, for the printers discussed on this page.
#ad — the price buttons are affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no cost to you. How this site is funded. Prices as shown on Amazon as of October 17, 2026; Amazon’s own page is the price of record.
Cost-per-page figures are our own arithmetic: supply price divided by the manufacturer’s rated page yield, using prices read on 27 September 2026 and yields rated at the ISO 5% coverage standard. They are not measured by us and they are not current prices. Every input, and the working · run the numbers for your own printing
The picks in detail
The Brother answer to a home LaserJet
Brother HL-L2460DW
If you print black text and nothing else, this is the printer to buy. It cannot dry out, it duplexes, and Brother does not block third-party toner.
Product photograph supplied by Amazon for this listing. We do not have this model in hand and have not photographed it ourselves.
#ad — we may earn a commission. How this site is funded. Prices as shown on Amazon as of October 17, 2026; Amazon’s own page is the price of record.
~3.3¢ per mono page
Based on a Brother TN830XL high-yield toner cartridge rated at 3,000 pages at $98.29, priced on 27 September 2026.
Brother TN830XL high-yield toner cartridge — rated 3,000 pages (ISO/IEC 19752), $98.29 at Brother USA, checked 27 September 2026
Yields are manufacturer-rated at the ISO 5% page-coverage standard, not measured by us, and real-world cost runs higher. Prices are not live: this is arithmetic on a price we read on the date shown, not a current price. How we calculate cost per page.
Dual-band wireless (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz), Ethernet or USB
Subscription
None required
What we like
Toner does not dry out, so it is ideal if you print in occasional bursts
Automatic two-sided printing at 36 pages per minute
Brother has publicly denied blocking third-party toner with firmware
What you give up
Black only - no color at all
Cost per page is roughly ten times a tank printer's
The 700-page starter cartridge runs out fast; budget for a TN830XL
If you went looking for a small mono LaserJet for a home desk, this is the Brother machine that sits in the same place: up to 36 pages a minute, automatic two-sided printing, dual-band wireless, Ethernet and USB, at a $179.99 list price.
The TN830XL cartridge is rated at 3,000 pages at $98.29, which is about 3.3 cents a page on our arithmetic, and the DR830 drum is a separate part rated at approximately 15,000 pages. Cartridges are bought outright off a shelf with no account and no plan. Our Brother laser picks.
#ad — we may earn a commission. How this site is funded. Prices as shown on Amazon as of October 17, 2026; Amazon’s own page is the price of record.
~3.3¢ per mono page
Based on a Brother TN830XL high-yield toner cartridge rated at 3,000 pages at $98.29, priced on 27 September 2026.
Brother TN830XL high-yield toner cartridge — rated 3,000 pages (ISO/IEC 19752), $98.29 at Brother USA, checked 27 September 2026
Yields are manufacturer-rated at the ISO 5% page-coverage standard, not measured by us, and real-world cost runs higher. Prices are not live: this is arithmetic on a price we read on the date shown, not a current price. How we calculate cost per page.
50-page document feeder, so scanning a stack is one action
Auto duplex printing at 36 pages per minute
Same TN830 toner family as the HL-L2460DW, with the same cost per page
What you give up
Mono only
Thirty dollars more than the print-only model for hardware you may not need
Toner is far dearer per page than bottle ink
HP calls its all-in-one lasers LaserJet MFP; Brother calls the same thing DCP, for Digital Copier Printer. This one is $209.99 at list with a flatbed scanner, a 50-page automatic document feeder, automatic duplex printing, Ethernet and dual-band wireless.
Same 36-page-a-minute engine and same TN830 cartridge family as the print-only model above, so the same roughly 3.3 cents a page. Our all-in-one laser picks.
A color laser that will not dry out between jobs. Buy it for occasional color that has to be crisp, not for cheap color - a tank printer wins on cost by a wide margin.
Product photograph supplied by Amazon for this listing. We do not have this model in hand and have not photographed it ourselves.
#ad — we may earn a commission. How this site is funded. Prices as shown on Amazon as of October 17, 2026; Amazon’s own page is the price of record.
~3.2¢ per mono page
Based on a Brother TN229XL black high-yield toner cartridge rated at 3,000 pages at $96.29, priced on 27 September 2026.
Brother TN229XL black high-yield toner cartridge — rated 3,000 pages (ISO/IEC 19798), $96.29 at Brother USA, checked 27 September 2026
Yields are manufacturer-rated at the ISO 5% page-coverage standard, not measured by us, and real-world cost runs higher. Prices are not live: this is arithmetic on a price we read on the date shown, not a current price. How we calculate cost per page.
Color laser output does not dry out during long idle spells
Auto duplex printing
Four separate cartridges, so one exhausted color does not mean replacing the set
What you give up
Color toner is expensive per page next to any ink tank printer
Four cartridges to replace instead of one
Slower than the mono lasers at 19 pages per minute
HP’s Color LaserJet range has a direct Brother counterpart here: 19 pages a minute in black and in color, automatic duplexing, and the TN229 cartridge family at about 3.2 cents a black page, with color pages several times that.
Four separate cartridges rather than a combined unit, so one exhausted color does not retire the set — which is the detail that quietly decides what a color laser costs to keep. Our color laser picks.
The cheapest way onto Brother's business toner family, which is the real reason to buy it: the cartridge is roughly half the cost per page of the household models.
Product photograph supplied by Amazon for this listing. We do not have this model in hand and have not photographed it ourselves.
#ad — we may earn a commission. How this site is funded. Prices as shown on Amazon as of October 17, 2026; Amazon’s own page is the price of record.
~1.9¢ per mono page
Based on a Brother TN920XXL super high-yield toner cartridge rated at 11,000 pages at $204.29, priced on 29 September 2026.
Brother TN920XXL super high-yield toner cartridge — rated 11,000 pages (ISO/IEC 19752), $204.29 at Brother USA, checked 29 September 2026
Yields are manufacturer-rated at the ISO 5% page-coverage standard, not measured by us, and real-world cost runs higher. Prices are not live: this is arithmetic on a price we read on the date shown, not a current price. How we calculate cost per page.
Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band wireless (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz) and Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Subscription
None required
What we like
TN920XXL toner works out at roughly half the cost per page of the household TN830XL
A genuine second paper source - a 100-sheet multi-purpose tray, not a one-sheet slot
48 pages a minute with auto duplex and Gigabit Ethernet
What you give up
Print only - no scanner, no copier, no fax
$150 more than the HL-L2460DW before you buy any toner
A replacement cartridge is a $200-plus purchase, even though each page is cheaper
The business-range machine, and where Brother’s cartridge policy pays off hardest: the TN920XXL is rated at 11,000 pages at $204.29, about 1.9 cents a page.
$329.99 at list, up to 48 pages a minute, a 250-sheet tray plus a 100-sheet multi-purpose tray, expandable to 1,390 sheets, Gigabit Ethernet, and a DR920 drum rated at approximately 45,000 pages. Our high-volume picks.
No. LaserJet is HP’s brand name for its laser printers. Brother’s lasers are called HL (print only), DCP (print, scan, copy) and MFC (with fax), with a CDW suffix for color models.
+−Is Brother or HP better for laser printing?
Both build competent lasers. For a buyer who wants to own their supplies, Brother is the safer choice: cartridges sold outright with no plan, against HP’s documented history of firmware blocking unrecognised cartridges and its subscription supply plans.
+−What is the Brother equivalent of an HP LaserJet?
For a home mono LaserJet, the Brother HL-L2460DW at $179.99. For a LaserJet MFP, the DCP-L2640DW at $209.99. For a Color LaserJet, the HL-L3220CDW at $284.99.
+−Does Brother block third-party toner?
We found no firmware blocking programme on the Brother pages we read, and Brother sells its cartridges outright. We keep the detail on our Brother third-party toner page.
+−What do HL, DCP and MFC mean on a Brother printer?
HL is print-only. DCP is Digital Copier Printer: print, scan and copy. MFC is Multi-Function Centre: print, scan, copy and fax. A CDW in the model number means color.
+−How much does Brother toner cost per page?
On our arithmetic, about 3.3 cents on the TN830XL, 1.9 cents on the TN920XXL and 1.3 cents on the 18,000-page TN920UXXL — genuine cartridge prices divided by manufacturer-rated ISO yields.
