Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
Can native Ethernet output meet color Legal duplex, four-digit release, 250 included sheets and 1,500 monthly pages?
Qualifies with a compatible native Windows driver and suitable paper. The exact original positively documents automatic Legal duplex for HL-3170CDW, overriding the conflicting generic cell. Letter output is separately rated up to 23 one-sided ppm.
Explore this need in the finder →Does the 30,000-page duty figure qualify a recurring 5,000-page month?
Fails: the recommended monthly maximum is 1,500 pages. Maximum duty is a separate durability comparison, not the recurring recommendation.
Explore this need in the finder →Can the network printer scan color originals?
Fails: this is a print-only machine. The single-pass description concerns the LED print engine, not an automatic document scanner.
Explore this need in the finder →The original establishes automatic duplex
The Brother HL-3170CDW is a discontinued color LED printer with USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Its exact original brochure and USA/Canada operating guide positively document automatic two-sided printing. The surviving product page contains a generic “No” cell that conflicts with its own description and these precise sources; that cell does not define the machine used in this assessment.
This distinction changes the practical choice. A compatible small office can use automatic duplex for supported US paper sizes instead of refeeding every second face manually. It remains a dedicated printer, with no scanner, copier or fax. The original's single-pass wording describes its LED print engine rather than a two-sided original feeder.
Paper handling has a regional boundary
The main cassette holds up to 250 plain sheets on the stated 20 lb / 80 g/m² basis. A single-sheet manual path handles suitable envelopes and other listed media, with rear-output and lever instructions where required. The slot is useful for occasional special stock but is not another loaded paper cassette.
Ordinary Letter, Legal and A4 input is documented. Automatic duplex in the exact US operation lists Letter, Legal and Folio with appropriate plain, recycled or thin paper; it excludes bond paper from that routine. An A4 duplex-speed heading elsewhere does not broaden the regional media list. Select the correct source, binding and stock instead of assuming every accepted material can enter automatic duplex.
Native release is a documented operation
A compatible native Windows driver can send a password-protected document that waits in memory. At the printer, the operator presses Secure, chooses the user and job, enters the four-digit password and releases the required copies. Secure data is removed after printing and when power is turned off. This is a held-document routine, not simply a generic security setting.
The included network connections are 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, alongside Hi-Speed USB. AirPrint, Mopria and Wi-Fi Direct are documented as additional printing arrangements. A mobile application is not automatically credited with every native protected-release control. Check usable software for the intended computer, since a historical driver list does not guarantee later operating-system support.
Output and recurring workload
The exact HL-3170CDW branch rates both black and color output up to 23 one-sided Letter or 22 A4 pages per minute. Automatic Letter duplex is separately up to seven printed sides, or 3.5 physical sheets, per minute. The lower HL-3140CW speed and its manual-only duplex branch are not transferred to this model, and these source specifications are not personal timing results.
The recommended monthly range is 300–1,500 pages. The separate maximum duty figure is 30,000 pages, which does not establish that several thousand pages every month are within the recurring recommendation. The 250-sheet tray can be refilled, but that does not change the manufacturer's workload guidance.
Four toner cartridges and room to maintain them
The inbox declaration is approximately 1,000 pages in each toner. TN-221 black replacement toner is approximately 2,500 pages and each standard color 1,400; TN-225 color replacements are approximately 2,200 each under ISO/IEC 19798. Drum, belt and waste-toner components are separate maintenance items, with their own usage conditions rather than cartridge yields or current running-cost promises.
The original body measures 16.1 × 18.3 × 9.45 inches and weighs 39.0 lb with consumables; the product record rounds the height to 9.4 inches. The US original specifies 110–120 VAC, 50/60 Hz. Allow manual-feed, rear-output, cable and service access beyond those closed dimensions, and check the actual unit's supplies and condition before depending on it for continued office use.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | Yes |
|---|---|
| Scanner | No |
| Copying | No |
| Fax | No |
| Flatbed scanner | No |
| Automatic document feeder | No |
| Automatic two-sided printing | Yes |
| Automatic two-sided scanning | No |
| Single-pass two-sided scanning | No |
| Instructed envelope handling | Yes |
| Apple AirPrint | Yes |
| Mopria printing | Yes |
| Supported PIN-release printing | Yes |
| Recommended monthly minimum | 300 pages |
| Recommended monthly maximum | 1500 pages |
| Maximum monthly duty | 30000 pages |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 250 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 23 pages/min |
| Declared one-sided color Letter rate | 23 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 16.1 in |
| Unit-body depth | 18.3 in |
| Unit-body height | 9.45 in |
| Unit weight | 39 lb |
| Imaging engine | led |
Use the exact model’s instructions for operating limits, supplied equipment and version differences.
Paper, software and setup details
Print-rate conditions
Exact HL-3170CDW branch rates up to 23 one-sided Letter or 22 A4 ppm in both colors. Letter automatic duplex separately up to 7 sides / 3.5 sheets per minute. Recommended monthly 300–1,500 pages is distinct from 30,000 maximum duty.
Paper handling
250-sheet cassette on stated 20 lb / 80 g/m² plain-paper basis, plus single-sheet manual feed for suitable envelopes and other listed stock. Ordinary Letter, Legal and A4 accepted. Exact US automatic duplex operation lists Letter, Legal and Folio with plain/recycled/thin paper, not bond. A4 input or generic A4 duplex speed does not override that regional list.
Computer and mobile connections
Included Hi-Speed USB, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct with 128 MB. AirPrint and Mopria documented in exact current product record. Actual native Windows protected print and four-digit panel release are separate from general security or mobile protocols. No original-capture hardware.
Supplies and declared yields
Approximately 1,000 inbox pages in each toner. TN-221BK approximately 2,500; TN-221 cyan/magenta/yellow approximately 1,400 each, and TN-225 colors approximately 2,200 each under ISO/IEC 19798. Separate DR-221CL drum approximately 15,000 pages at one page per job; BU-220CL belt and WT-220CL waste box approximately 50,000 A4/Letter pages under stated conditions.
Electrical edition and setup
Original body 16.1 × 18.3 × 9.45 in. and 39.0 lb with consumables; surviving product rounds height to 9.4 in. USA/CAN original 110–120 VAC, 50/60 Hz. Leave manual-feed, rear-output, cable and service access. Verify usable native drivers for the intended computer.
Sources for this assessment
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