Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer Review: The Office Workhorse We Put to the Test

For years, my small office ran on a series of increasingly frustrating inkjet all-in-one printers. The cycle was always the same: we’d be impressed by the low initial purchase price, only to be bled dry by the exorbitant cost of ink cartridges that seemed to run out after printing a handful of colour reports. Worse was the unreliability. Clogged nozzles, paper jams during crucial print runs, and agonizingly slow speeds for multi-page documents became the bane of our daily workflow. We needed a central hub—a machine that could print, scan, and copy with speed and consistency without demanding constant, expensive attention. The shift from a consumer-grade mindset to a professional one was long overdue. This search led us directly to the world of colour laser multifunction printers (MFPs), and specifically, to a machine promising office-grade performance without an enterprise-level price tag: the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer.

What to Demand from Your Next Multifunction Laser Printer

A multifunction laser printer is more than just a device that puts toner on paper; it’s a key solution for streamlining document management, reducing long-term operational costs, and boosting productivity. Unlike their inkjet counterparts, laser printers use toner, which doesn’t dry out, and offer a significantly lower cost-per-page, especially for text-heavy documents. Their speed and robust paper handling, including features like Automatic Document Feeders (ADFs), are designed for volume, turning mountains of paperwork into manageable digital files or crisp hard copies in minutes, not hours. For any environment where time is money and document quality is non-negotiable, a laser MFP is a foundational investment.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone running a small business, a busy home office, or a workgroup within a larger company. They face a constant flow of documents—invoices, reports, contracts, marketing materials—that need to be printed, scanned, and shared efficiently. They value speed, reliability, and network connectivity. Conversely, this machine might not be suitable for those who primarily print high-resolution photographs, as dedicated photo inkjets still excel in that specific niche. It’s also overkill for individuals who print only a few pages per month. For them, a more basic, compact laser printer would be a more sensible choice.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: A workhorse printer is rarely small. The Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer comes in at nearly half a meter wide and deep and weighs a substantial 19 kilograms. This is not a device you can perch on the edge of a small desk. You must measure your intended space carefully, ensuring there’s enough room for ventilation and for accessing the paper trays and scanner lid comfortably.
• Capacity/Performance: Look beyond just print speed. Key performance indicators for an MFP include the capacity of the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), single-pass duplex (two-sided) scanning capability, and the standard paper tray capacity. A larger ADF means you can scan bigger stacks of documents unattended, while duplex scanning saves an incredible amount of time. The performance of this machine, which we’ll explore in detail, is one of the main reasons it commands attention; you can see its full feature set and user reviews to understand its capabilities.
• Materials & Durability: Office equipment needs to withstand daily use. While many printers in this category use plastic casings to manage weight and cost, the internal mechanics are what truly matter. Pay attention to the feel of the paper trays, the hinges on the scanner lid, and the overall sturdiness of the unit. A solid internal frame is crucial for long-term reliability and consistent paper feeding.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A powerful machine is useless if it’s too complicated to operate. A clear touchscreen interface, intuitive mobile apps, and straightforward network setup are essential. For maintenance, consider the cost and page yield of replacement toner cartridges and drum units. Understanding these long-term running costs is vital to calculating the total cost of ownership.

Choosing the right laser printer is a significant decision for any office setup. It’s an investment in efficiency that should pay for itself over time.

While the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions and Key Features of the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer

The arrival of the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer was an event. The box is substantial, and as some users noted, it’s a heavy and somewhat cumbersome package to handle alone. Inside, the printer is securely encased in styrofoam, and there’s a significant amount of protective plastic and tape to remove from every conceivable door, tray, and moving part. While this process is a bit tedious, it’s a clear sign that the machine is well-protected during transit.

Once freed from its packaging, the printer’s design makes an immediate impression. One user rightly pointed out its “imposing rounded corners,” which give this large, functional box a surprisingly modern and slightly less aggressive look than some of its boxier competitors. It feels every bit the high-end office machine it’s marketed as. Setting it up involved installing the four initial toner cartridges, which slide into a convenient front-loading tray. We connected it directly to our office network via an Ethernet cable for maximum stability. As one reviewer mentioned, it’s worth noting that some units may ship with a default European language like Spanish or Italian, but a quick firmware update via Brother’s website easily resolves this, a process that took us only a few minutes.

Putting the Brother MFCL8690CDW Through Its Paces

A printer’s true worth is revealed not on its spec sheet, but in the heat of a busy workday. We integrated the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer into our daily workflow for several weeks, throwing everything from single-page invoices to 50-page, double-sided reports at it. Our goal was to push its limits and see if its real-world performance lived up to its promising features. This is where the machine truly began to shine, distinguishing itself as a genuine productivity tool rather than just another piece of office hardware.

A Masterclass in Document Handling: Duplex Scanning & the ADF

If there is one standout feature that defines this printer, it is the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and its single-pass duplex scanning capability. This is, without exaggeration, a game-changer for any office that deals with paper documents. We tested this by taking a 40-page, double-sided contract that needed to be digitized and emailed. On our old inkjet MFP, this would have been a soul-crushing manual process of scanning one side, flipping the stack, scanning the other, and then collating the pages digitally. With the Brother MFCL8690CDW, we simply placed the entire stack in the ADF, selected “Scan to PC” on the touchscreen, and watched it work. The machine pulls each sheet through once, scanning both sides simultaneously, and finishes the entire job in just a couple of minutes. One user confirmed our experience, noting it “scans to your network very, very fast… and to both sides simultaneously.” This feature alone can reclaim hours of administrative time each month.

The network functionality extends this power beautifully. We configured a “Scan to Network Folder” shortcut, allowing anyone in the office to digitize documents and save them directly to a shared server drive with a single button press. This seamless integration into the existing network infrastructure is what elevates the device from a personal printer to a true workgroup hub. The process was reliable, fast, and completely intuitive after the initial setup. The speed and efficiency of the scanning system are so impressive that they justify the investment for many businesses before even considering its printing capabilities. For those looking to go paperless, this document-handling prowess is a feature that really sets it apart.

Print Speed and Quality: The Core Performance

As a laser printer, crisp text quality is a given, and the Brother MFCL8690CDW delivers exactly that. At its 2400 x 600 dpi resolution, black text is razor-sharp and perfectly legible, even at small font sizes. Documents look professional and clean every time. Where this machine impressed us was with its speed. Rated at up to 31 pages per minute (ppm) for both monochrome and colour, it churns out documents at a blistering pace. Printing a 20-page report felt almost instantaneous compared to the sluggish output of our previous inkjets. The first page is out in seconds, and the subsequent pages follow in rapid succession without hesitation.

Colour performance is strong for a business-oriented machine. Charts, graphs, and logos in presentations and reports are rendered with vibrant, accurate colour. It’s perfect for internal documents and professional-looking client-facing materials. However, it’s not a photo printer, and it doesn’t pretend to be. While it can produce a decent colour image on plain paper, it lacks the subtlety and gamut of a dedicated photo inkjet. One user made an insightful comment about the toner-save mode, stating that it makes colours “not as vivid as they should be.” We confirmed this in our testing. The toner-save function is fantastic for draft documents and internal memos, significantly extending the life of your cartridges, but for final, important prints, we recommend leaving it on the standard setting to get the best colour saturation. This trade-off between economy and quality is a practical feature that gives users direct control over their running costs, a capability we greatly appreciate and which you can explore further by checking its specifications.

Connectivity and Usability: From Network Hub to Mobile App

The Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer is built for a connected office. While it offers a USB 2.0 port for direct connection to a PC, its true potential is unlocked via its Ethernet port. Connecting it to our office router was plug-and-play. Once on the network, every computer could immediately see and install it with minimal fuss. The built-in LED touchscreen is responsive and provides a clear, logical menu for accessing core functions like copying and scanning directly from the device.

Beyond the physical interface, the mobile integration is excellent. Using the Brother iPrint&Scan app on both Android and iOS devices, we were able to print documents directly from our phones and initiate scans from the printer back to our mobile devices. This is incredibly useful for printing an email attachment quickly without needing to go to a computer or for scanning a receipt directly to your phone’s storage. The control method is versatile, catering to users who prefer to work from the machine itself, their desktop computer, or their mobile device. This flexibility ensures that the printer adapts to your workflow, not the other way around. The ease of getting this powerful machine up and running makes it an even more attractive option, and it’s worth taking a moment to check the latest price and availability.

Build Quality and Long-Term Considerations

One of the recurring themes in user feedback is the printer’s build quality, with one person noting, “the plastics don’t seem very solid.” This is a fair assessment of the exterior. The casing is made of a fairly standard matte plastic that doesn’t feel particularly premium. The paper tray and various access panels feel functional rather than luxurious. However, our expert assessment is that this is a deliberate design choice. Brother appears to have invested the budget in the core mechanics—the engine, the scanner, the paper-feeding mechanism—which feel robust and reliable. Throughout our testing, we experienced zero paper jams, and every mechanical function was smooth and consistent.

This is a workhorse, not a showpiece. It’s designed to sit in a copy room or office corner and perform reliably day in and day out. The long-term costs are also a critical factor. The initial starter toner cartridges will get you up and running, but planning for replacement high-yield cartridges is essential. While the upfront cost of toner is higher than ink, the vastly greater page yield results in a much lower cost per page, which is the primary economic advantage of laser printing. The drum unit is also a consumable item but has a very long lifespan, typically tens of thousands of pages, so it’s not something you’ll need to replace often. The overall construction points to a machine built for endurance, and this focus on internal durability over external aesthetics is a smart trade-off for its target market.

What Other Users Are Saying

To provide a well-rounded view, we analyzed feedback from other owners of the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer. The consensus largely aligns with our own findings, painting a picture of a highly capable but occasionally imperfect machine. Positively, users consistently praise its immense functionality and speed. One person celebrated its “exceptional” burst scanning function, while another highlighted its value, calling it an “attractive price for a high-end machine.” The seamless and rapid network scanning is a frequently mentioned highlight, confirming its status as a top-tier document management tool.

On the other hand, there are some valid criticisms. The most significant concern appears to be quality control upon delivery. Several users, including one in our provided sample, reported receiving units with issues right out of the box, such as a “damaged drum” causing print defects. This suggests that while the design is solid, manufacturing inconsistencies can occur. Another common point is the observation about the plastic build quality feeling somewhat flimsy. Finally, logistical issues like difficulty registering for warranty extensions or receiving units defaulted to a foreign language can add a layer of initial frustration, though these are typically resolvable.

How Does the Brother MFCL8690CDW Compare to the Competition?

While the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer is a powerful contender, it’s important to understand the alternatives, especially if your needs are different. The market offers a wide range of printers, from simple monochrome units to other MFPs with different feature sets. Here’s how it stacks up against three popular models.

1. PANTUM BP2309W Wireless Laser Printer

The PANTUM BP2309W is an entirely different class of machine. This is a compact, wireless, monochrome-only printer. It doesn’t scan, copy, or print in colour. Someone would choose this over the Brother if their needs are strictly limited to black-and-white document printing and space is at a premium. It’s an ideal choice for a student, a home user with minimal printing needs, or a professional who just needs to print invoices and letters. Its strengths are its small footprint and low initial cost, but it lacks the versatility and raw power of the Brother MFP entirely.

2. PANTUM P2502W Wireless Laser Printer

Similar to its sibling, the PANTUM P2502W is a wireless monochrome laser printer focused on a single task: printing. It offers a slightly faster print speed than the BP2309W but shares the same core identity. It is for the user who values simplicity and a small form factor above all else. If you have a separate scanner or have no need for copying and colour printing, this PANTUM offers a cost-effective way to get crisp laser text. It stands in direct contrast to the Brother’s all-in-one, do-everything philosophy.

3. HP LaserJet MFP M140w Wireless Multifunction Printer

The HP LaserJet MFP M140w is a much closer competitor, as it is also a multifunction printer. However, the key differences are critical. The HP is also monochrome-only and is marketed as the “smallest multifunction laser in its class.” This is the perfect alternative for someone who needs to scan and copy but does not require colour and is extremely constrained by space. It provides the core MFP functionality in a tiny package. The Brother MFCL8690CDW, in contrast, is the choice for users who need colour printing and, most importantly, high-volume document handling via its superior ADF and faster duplex scanning. The Brother is a full-scale office hub; the HP is a compact personal productivity station.

The Final Verdict: Is the Brother MFCL8690CDW the Right MFP for You?

After extensive testing, we can confidently say that the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer is a productivity powerhouse that delivers exceptional performance for its price point. Its true strength lies in its superb document handling capabilities; the fast, single-pass duplex scanner is a feature typically found on far more expensive enterprise machines and is a massive time-saver. Combined with its rapid print speeds, robust network features, and the versatility of being a true all-in-one device, it’s an incredibly effective central hub for any small office or demanding home user.

While the external plastic construction could be more robust and there are occasional quality control concerns reported by users, these are outweighed by the sheer power and efficiency of its internal mechanics. This is a machine built for work. If your priority is digitizing and managing documents, printing professional reports with speed, and having a reliable, connected machine that can handle high volumes, this printer is a phenomenal choice. If you’re ready to make a meaningful upgrade to your office’s efficiency, the Brother MFCL8690CDW Colour MFP Laser Printer is a formidable contender that earns our strong recommendation. You can find out more details and check the current price online.

Last update on 2025-10-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API