Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
Can this earlier Wi-Fi all-in-one scan both sides of Letter originals in color and duplex-print Legal with 300 included input sheets?
Qualifies with the documented compatible native Windows wireless setup. Legal printing uses its own supported duplex path; automatic scanner originals remain Letter/A4.
Explore this need in the finder →Can I automatically scan a two-sided Legal original through its feeder?
Fails: the original duplex scanner document limit is 11.7 in. The 14 in. simplex feeder and Legal glass are separate supported routes.
Explore this need in the finder →Can I insist that its automatic duplex scanner captures both sides in one pass?
Fails the selected essential because the read exact sources establish automatic duplex but not a single-pass mechanism. No physical method is guessed.
Explore this need in the finder →Wireless sharing for a deliberately compatible office
The Brother MFC-8870DW combines monochrome laser printing, standalone copying, color scanning and conventional fax with an included wireless interface. It can fit an established office that has compatible software and a suitable network. The deciding question is broader than whether the printer says wireless: its documented radio is 802.11b/g, and the actual computers must support the required print and scan arrangement.
Brother identifies the exact model as discontinued. Use the original capabilities to understand an existing machine or an earlier candidate, not as a claim of current availability or effortless operation with every present system. The DW wireless configuration is specifically named in the shared guide; the other models covered by that guide do not automatically receive the same radio.
Automatic duplex scanning has a shorter size limit
The 50-page feeder handles suitable loose originals on the stated 20 lb paper basis. Single-sided originals can be up to 8.5 × 14 in., while automatic two-sided originals stop at 8.5 × 11.7 in. Letter and A4 therefore fit the documented automatic duplex scan route, but a full Legal original does not. The guide’s duplex-copy instructions repeat that two-sided Legal originals cannot use that ADF operation.
The glass accepts up to 8.5 × 14 in. originals and is useful when a Legal page should not travel through the feeder. It is a separate manual placement routine rather than an automatic reverse-side scan. Color scanning is positively supported. The read exact documents establish automatic duplex capture but do not identify the physical method well enough to claim single-pass scanning. Keep that requirement separate if it matters to your work.
Printing on both sides follows a different paper list
The USA software guide positively permits automatic duplex printing on A4, Letter and Legal regular paper. It explains selecting Use Duplex Unit and separately describes Manual Duplex, which prints even pages first and asks the user to reinstall paper. The automatic print size list should not be restricted to the scanner’s shorter duplex-original list, or used to extend that scanner list.
Normal included input is 300 sheets: the 250-sheet cassette plus 50-sheet multipurpose tray on the specified 20 lb basis. Both cover Letter, Legal and A4 dimensions. An optional LT-5300 adds another 250-sheet tray, but it is not part of the standard capacity. Envelopes use the appropriate multipurpose routine. The US guide rates one-sided Letter printing at up to 30 ppm and duplex printing separately at 13 sides per minute; neither is a measured result here.
Actual network support and held Windows jobs
The original wireless section explicitly supports network printing and scanning with listed compatible software. It also contains important exceptions: Mac OS 9.1–9.2 has no wireless support, and network scanning is not supported on Windows NT 4 or those original Mac OS 9 versions. The later named Mac OS X 10.2.4 arrangement is different. An office should confirm its actual driver and scanner application rather than treating basic network printing as proof of both functions.
Infrastructure wireless and ad-hoc operation are documented, but ad-hoc is not Wi-Fi Direct. USB, parallel and 10/100 Ethernet are also available. No AirPrint or Mopria promise is inferred from a generic modern app-manual link. For compatible native Windows driver jobs, the Secure key releases stored print data using a four-digit password; the software guide excludes this setting in BR-Script. Conventional fax still requires suitable telephone service rather than a network cable alone.
Supplies, body size and a sensible alternative
The original replacement toner declarations are approximately 3500 pages for TN-550 and 7000 for TN-580 at 5% Letter/A4 coverage. The DR-520 drum is separate, with an approximate 25000-page declaration affected by use. These are older manufacturer conditions, not ISO toner yields, remaining life or a current cost estimate. A numeric recommended monthly volume is not established in the read exact material.
The US edition uses 100–120 V AC, and the body measures 20.9 in. wide, 17.7 in. deep and 18.7 in. high. Allow document, cover and tray access. The published 36.9 lb weight excludes drum and toner, so a loaded operating weight is not asserted. Choose this model for a compatible shared monochrome routine. For automatic Legal duplex scanning, a verified single-pass scanner or a different wireless environment, choose an exact model that documents those requirements.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | No |
|---|---|
| Scanner | Yes |
| Copying | Yes |
| Fax | Yes |
| Flatbed scanner | Yes |
| Automatic document feeder | Yes |
| Automatic two-sided printing | Yes |
| Automatic two-sided scanning | Yes |
| Color scanning | Yes |
| Instructed envelope handling | Yes |
| Supported PIN-release printing | Yes |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 300 sheets |
| Document-feeder capacity | 50 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 30 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 20.9 in |
| Unit-body depth | 17.7 in |
| Unit-body height | 18.7 in |
| Imaging engine | laser |
Use the exact model’s instructions for operating limits, supplied equipment and version differences.
Paper, software and setup details
Print-rate conditions
USA guide gives up to 30 one-sided Letter ppm and separately 13 duplex sides/minute. The exact standard and MP input paths are documented; print speed is not a scanner rate.
Paper handling
Included 250-sheet cassette and 50-sheet MP tray total 300 at 20 lb, with Letter/Legal/A4 supported. Optional LT-5300 expansion is excluded. USA software guide explicitly supports automatic A4/Letter/Legal printing on regular paper.
Scanning arrangement
50-page ADF supports simplex originals up to 8.5 × 14 in. Automatic two-sided originals stop at 8.5 × 11.7 in, while glass accepts 8.5 × 14 in. Physical duplex-scan method is unestablished; single-pass is not claimed.
Computer and mobile connections
Included USB, IEEE 1284 parallel,10/100 Ethernet and 802.11b/g wireless. Original guide supports infrastructure/ad-hoc; ad-hoc is not Wi-Fi Direct. No AirPrint or Mopria assertion from generic newer app links.
Supplies and declared yields
Original TN-550/TN-580 replacement declarations are approximately 3500/7000 pages at 5% Letter/A4 coverage; DR-520 is a separate approximately 25000-page drum. No unverified inbox yield or remaining-life assumption.
Electrical edition and setup
USA 100–120 V AC 50/60 Hz; body 20.9 in width, 17.7 depth, 18.7 height. 36.9 lb excludes drum/toner, so loaded weight is unknown. Network and driver compatibility must be checked for the actual computers; numeric monthly guidance unestablished.
Sources for this assessment
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