There are many color laser printers out there. But those that are affordable and deliver are not that many. The Brother HL 3170CDW is among them. It is an entry-level device that prints fast and well. Plus, it supports both wired and wireless connectivity options, too.
In this post, we review the HL 3170CDW’s design and features, performance, as well as pros & cons. We also listed Windows and Mac operating systems that are compatible with the Brother HL 3170CDW driver.
Contents
1. Brother HL 3170CDW Design and Features
Design
Design-wise, the HL 3170CDW is not too different from typical entry-level laser printers. It is boxy, beefy, and large. The device is on the larger side in its class. It has a large footprint with dimensions of 16.1 x 18.3 x 9.45 inches and a weight of 39 pounds.
The device comes has two trays: a 250-sheet input tray and a 100-sheet output tray. Interestingly, the input tray is mounted at the bottom while the output one is integrated into the top of the device. It also has a single-sheet manual feed meant for glossy photo paper and envelopes.
As for the control panel, it consists of a single-line monochrome LCD and some controls. It is easy to navigate. Overall and WiFi setup is easy, too.
Features
The HL 3170CDW offers multiple connectivity options. You can connect it to a computer via a USB cable or a network via Ethernet or WiFi. It also supports wireless printing via Brother’s iPrint&Scan, WiFi Direct, Google Cloud Print, and Apple AirPrint, among others.
The HL 3170CDW comes with an automatic duplexing feature. So if you have double-sided printing needs, you can meet them with ease using the device.
There is also the Amazon Dash Replenishment service. It measures the level of toner and when it is low, orders a replacement from Amazon automatically. With it, you won’t have to worry about it running out.
Keep in mind that the HL 3170CDW doesn’t support borderless printing. At best, it can only get close and leave an area of 0.16 inch around all the edges.
Quick specifications
- Product name: HL 3170CDW
- Printing technology: Laser
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, WiFi, WiFi Direct
- Tray capacity: 250 sheets
- Dimensions: 16.1 x 18.3 x 9.45 inches (WDH)
- Weight: 39 pounds
- Price (at release): USD 249
- Toner: TN221BK, TN221M, TN221C, TN221Y, TN225Y
2. Brother HL 3170CDW Performance
Just because it is an entry-level device doesn’t mean it has bad performance. On the contrary, the performance of the HL 3170CDW is solid for an entry-level device.
For one-sided printing, it can print as fast as 23 pages per minute for Letter size paper and 22 pages per minute for A4 size paper. For two-sided or duplex printing, up to 3.5 sheets per minute for both Letter and A4 size paper. These speeds are the same whether it is monochrome or color printing.
Text quality is great. It is more than enough for virtually any business use. Graphics and photo quality is decent at best. Still acceptable for internal business use, but not more.
3. Brother HL 3170CDW Pros & Cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Fast
- Good overall output quality
- Supports wired and wireless connectivity
- Auto duplexing
Cons
- Graphics and photo quality is decent at best
4. Compatible Operating System
Compatibility is unlikely to be an issue for the Brother HL 3170CDW driver. Why? Because it is compatible with various operating systems, including that of Windows and Mac. Here’s a list of Windows and Mac operating systems that are compatible with it.
Windows OS
- Windows 11
- Windows 10
- Windows 8.1
- Windows 8
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2016
- Windows Server 2012 R2
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2008
Mac OS
- macOS 12
- macOS 11
- macOS 10.15
- macOS 10.14
- macOS 10.13
- macOS 10.12
- OS X 10.11
- OS X 10.10
- OS X 10.9
- OS X 10.8
The device comes with an installation disc, which you can use to install the Brother HL 3170CDW driver. Alternatively, you can get the installer on the HL 3170CDW’s support page on Brother’s official website.
On the page, you can also find other supporting software, the user manual, and other related information about the device.If you need an affordable printer that packs a punch, look no further than the HL 3170CDW. It is reliably fast and produces good overall output quality. Not to mention the Brother HL 3170CDW driver supports various connectivity options, too.
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