Brother MFC-L8970CDW color laser printer review: A downsized, upgraded spin
on the company's best enterprise printer

Date:
Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:40:07 +0000

Description:
A smaller, but better flagship for Brothers Workhorse laser line.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Specs Type: color multifunction laser printer Functions: Print, scan, copy, fax,
ADF Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, NFC Data storage slots: USB Host
Print speed: 33ppm Max paper size: Letter/A4 Print quality: 600x600 dpi Memory: 1GB Apple AirPrint: yes Consumables included: 4 x toner cartridges (7,500 black, 6,500 color pages) Dimensions/Weight: 454 x 505 x 460 mm (WxDxH)/58.8lbs/26.7kg The Brother MFC-L8970CDW and MFC-L8930CDW are
high-spec laser all-in-ones aimed at enterprise and theyre a subtle but significant step up from the outgoing MFC-L8395CDW , despite being 25% smaller.

The top model in the updated L8000 series comes with a blistering print rate of 33ppm (pages per minute) and an equally impressive duplex scan speed. With high capacity cartridges in the box, features aplenty, and a compact, but expandable design, it looks to me like the ideal office printer for a growing business. I tested it with the extra paper cassette option to find out.
Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Brother MFC-L8930CDW at Amazon for 952.80 Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Design and build Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) The Brother
MFC-L8970CDW pictured here comes in two-tone gray, while the otherwise identical MFC-L8930CDW variant is gray and black. Its the same machine targeting different territories and shipping with different amounts of inbox toner.

The MFC-L8970CDW is available with Brothers MPS (managed print service) and its a multifunction device with a large ADF (automatic document feeder) and
A4 scanner on top of a color laser printer with a large 7-inch touchscreen interface. It looks a bit top heavy, but Brothers designers have done well to shrink the model it replaces by 25%, while increasing its capacity and
display size. The 7-inch touchscreen is now twice as big.

This desktop printers footprint is relatively compact, especially when you start to add paper cassettes like the LT350CL as I did. Its as simple as stacking the printer on top and letting the two units couple automatically. This US$226 upgrade doubles the 250-sheet paper capacity and allows you to load different paper stock in the second drawer. A 500-sheet cassette is available for $229, which makes a maximum paper capacity of 1,340 possible. Theres also a wheeled cabinet stand for $294.

Another design improvement is the increased use of user replaceable parts. Components such as drum unit, belt drive, paper feed kit etc can all be swapped out to prolong the printers life. Much of the material used in this printer's production is recycled and its packaging is cardboard rather than polystyrene. Office printers are never things of beauty, but I think its an aesthetic improvement on the old L8000 series and the whole thing feels like its built to last from pretty rugged plastic. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Features & specifications Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) As the flagship of Brothers L8000 line-up, the Brother MFC-L8970CDW comes with all the features. Theres duplex printing and single pass duplex scanning, an 80-page ADF, USB Host ports front and rear and the biggest touchscreen youll find on any printer. Dual-band Wi-Fi is built in, as is a gigabit Ethernet port and NFC for
private printing using an NFC-enable staff card.

The print speed is very fast at 33ppm for letter-size pages, or 31ppm for fractionally larger A4 pages, and the copy speed is the fastest Ive clocked
so far at up to 20 sides per minute. It can print on envelopes, labels or any kind of uncoated paper up to Letter or A4 in size and up to 163gsm in weight. In other words, it cannot print on thick paper stock, card or inkjet photo paper. Thats a little disappointing, but it proved competent with all other kinds of media, including labels and envelopes during the test.

The ADF can hold more pages than most rivals at 80 sheets and the scan rate
is 100ipm for two-sided mono pages is the fastest Ive tested. This makes it a great photocopier in a shared office. It also comes with plenty of toner in the box, enough for 5,500 black, or 4,500 color pages, and compatibility with even higher yield cartridges that make this a very economical printer to run. The only thing missing is Bluetooth, which HP uses in its to make setup even easier. Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Setup and operation Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) The setup procedure is simplified by the expansive 7-inch touchscreen display. The GUI is logical,
if a little long-winded, so you probably wont need the printed quick start guide, which fits on a single sheet of paper. With the four toner cartridges already installed, you simply need to remove the transport packaging, load some paper and follow the on-screen prompts until youre ready to print.

The large display is intended to reduce congestion at the machine because you can see the printers status and menu at a glance. Brothers free companion app called Mobile Connect makes it just as convenient to print and scan from your smartphone. Other factors that increase this printers ease-of-use are the not one, but two available USB Host ports for walk-up printing from a USB device.

And the choice of paper inputs between the multi-purpose and main trays
allows you to load different various stock, so theres no need to reload when switching from plain to headed paper for example. In short, I found this a very easy printer to set up and operate. Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Performance Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) The Brother MFC-L8970CDW printed promptly and without any jams or misprints throughout
the tests and yielding consistently crisp and colourful documents. It can
pump out professional-looking pages of black and white text in duplex mode with characters that are always clearly legible right down to the smallest point sizes. Youll need a magnifying glass to fully appreciate the neat delineation.

And it can turn out color documents that are just as crisp at the same rate. Brothers toner looks slightly less vivid than that of the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw for example, but its also more natural, which makes the overall effect closer to the original source document.

This strong color balance works well when printing photos too. The test
photos I printed on laser photo paper look sharp and colourful enough, although, as with most lasers, you can still see the dots that make up the 600dpi image.

Scanning and copying is a strong point for this multifunction device, thanks to its single-pass duplex scanner and fast scan speed. You can load 80 double-sided sheets into the ADF and have them duplicated in minutes and the duplicates are often hard to tell apart from the originals. Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Consumables (Image credit: Future) Brother is generous with the toner in the bundled setup cartridges. The MFC-L8970CDW ships with enough to print 5,500 black, or 4,500 color pages, while the otherwise identical MFC-L8930CDW ships with enough for 3,000 black and 1,800 color pages.

Ultra high yield cartridges are also available that will give you up to
10,000 black and color pages and these expensive but economical carts bring the cost per page down to a highly competitive level. Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Maintenance With more user-serviceable parts readily available for this
model, than for the previous one and most rivals, it should have a longer lifespan. And if you purchase the MFC-L8970CDW through Brothers MPS (managed print service), your machine will be serviced for you as well as being topped up with discounted toner. Brother MFC-L8970CDW: Final verdict Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) The Brother MFC-L8970CDW proved a pleasure to print with and performed very well in all of my tests.

Its a pretty high-spec multifunction device with all of the features I would want to see in a premium office printer aimed at a large or growing business. With such speedy duplex printing and duplex scanning, a huge touchscreen and scope to expand the already generous paper and toner capacity, this hardworking machine could serve a busy workgroup very well.

I found it easy to set up and operate and I appreciated the seven-inch touchscreen and prompt first time out speeds. The print quality proved crisp and consistent with both monochrome and color documents, while my test photographs looked surprisingly realistic for a laser printer.

Brothers reasonably priced cartridges dont contain the brightest toner
around, and Ive made slightly sharper prints with the Xerox C325 , but overall, this well-equipped and future-proofed all-rounder will be hard to beat. For more top-performing models, I've tested out the best home printers and the best laser printers . Brother MFC-L8930CDW: Price Comparison 952.80 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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