Brother MFC-L5800DW: Legal glass and a 70-sheet simplex feeder review

A large glass and a feeder for one-sided batches

The Brother MFC-L5800DW fits an office that needs monochrome printing and copying alongside color document capture. Its two useful scanning routes are a 70-sheet automatic document feeder and full Legal-size glass. The latter matters when a Legal original cannot safely pass through a feeder, rather than merely needing a printer that accepts Legal paper.

The important tradeoff is the simplex feeder. Brother explicitly lists no duplex scanning for this exact model. It can automatically print on both sides, and can make two-sided output from one-sided originals, but it does not automatically capture both sides of an input stack. That distinction should settle the choice before comparing print speed.

Choose the original’s route deliberately

The original USA guide permits suitable ADF documents up to 8.5 × 14 in., with a 70-sheet capacity on the stated 20 lb basis. Its loading instructions require appropriate unstapled, undamaged paper within the specified weight range. Use the glass for originals whose construction or condition makes feeder use unsuitable.

The glass also accepts up to 8.5 × 14 in. on MFC-L5800DW. A shorter glass dimension elsewhere in the shared manual belongs to different models. Empty the ADF when using the glass and leave enough overhead room to open the cover. This is a real Legal flatbed, rather than a Legal feeder paired with a Letter-only platform.

Color scanning is supported, while prints and paper copies are monochrome. The 3.7-inch color touchscreen helps control the workflow, but its color display is a third independent feature. Neither color capture nor a color screen supplies a color toner engine.

Use a supported computer arrangement

USB, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi support the documented desktop printing and scanning software. The actual computer-requirements table separates those desktop functions from narrower Server network-printing support. Check the intended operating-system version and scanner driver before relying on an older all-in-one with a new computer.

The exact model supports wireless-network AirPrint and Mopria, and separately lists Wi-Fi Direct. A USB desktop scan path cannot borrow a mobile network protocol, and a documented print connection does not establish every scan feature in every phone app. Named historical cloud services likewise do not guarantee their continued operation.

The original Windows Secure Print instructions provide a concrete PIN-release routine: set a four-digit password separately for each document in the Brother driver, select the held job on the machine, and enter the password. The job is cleared after printing and when power is turned off. This is temporary job release, not permanent secure document storage.

Count the 300-sheet package

The included arrangement has a 250-sheet cassette and 50-sheet multipurpose tray, using the 20 lb plain-paper basis. Both support Letter, Legal and A4 ordinary sizes. Suitable envelopes use the multipurpose path under its own handling limits. The advertised 1340-sheet maximum needs optional lower trays and is not the base package.

The USA automatic-print-duplex table supports Letter and Legal among its named sizes, but does not list A4. An A4 input size or a separate speed comparison does not replace that actual regional restriction. Printing, scanning and tray capacity are separate requirements that must all fit the intended routine.

Workload, supplies and earlier hardware

The exact USA specification declares up to 42 one-sided Letter pages per minute; duplex is separately 20 sides per minute, or 10 sheets per minute. Brother recommends up to 3500 pages monthly, while the 50000-page duty cycle is a different durability comparison. These are maker declarations rather than our measured performance.

The original package lists roughly 3000-page toner and a separate DR820 drum whose declared life varies with pages per job. Check actual remaining supplies, the required phone-line arrangement for analog fax, and software support. The 37.9 lb body is 19.5 × 16.8 × 19.1 in. with USA 110–120 V operation. Brother marks it discontinued. Choose this earlier reference for its actual Legal scanning routes; choose a documented duplex-scanning model when both sides must be captured automatically.