Brother DCP-L2640DW: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
Brother's model codes do a lot of work, and the three letters at the front of this one tell you most of what it is. DCP means print, copy and scan with no fax, which puts the DCP-L2640DW one step below Brother's MFC models, which add a fax, and one step above the HL printers, which cannot scan at all. For a home office that has not sent a fax in years, that is the right place to stop.
It is a monochrome laser with an automatic document feeder on top, automatic two-sided printing and three ways onto a network: dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB. Dual-band support lets it join a 5 GHz network, which keeps one more device off a crowded older band. AirPrint and Mopria mean phones and laptops find it without a driver hunt.
Where it sits in the market is the useful question. Brother's compact lasers are the usual recommendation for anyone who prints mostly text, because toner does not dry out between jobs the way inkjet nozzles can, and the toner and drum are separate parts, so each is replaced on its own schedule. This model adds the scanner and feeder to that formula in a footprint that still fits on a shelf.
The limits are easy to miss in a list of Yes rows. The feeder scans one side at a time, so double-sided originals need a second pass by hand. There is no touchscreen either: setup and scanning run through a small text display and a row of buttons, or through Brother's app. And it prints in black only, which is the point of the machine and a dealbreaker for anyone who needs the occasional color page.
Category strengths
Where the Brother DCP-L2640DW beats the median
- A much higher print speed (black) ?36 ppm vs 16 ppm (median)
- A much higher monthly duty cycle ?35,000 pages vs 10,000 pages (median)
- A much higher input tray capacity ?250 sheets vs 150 sheets (median)
- A higher ADF capacity ?50 sheets vs 35 sheets (median)
- A much higher output tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 67.5 sheets (median)
Where the Brother DCP-L2640DW trails the median
- No color printing ?
- A much lower print resolution ?1,200 dpi vs 4,800 dpi (median)
- A heavier build ?11.3 kg vs 7.98 kg (median)
How this VS Score was computed
Score 61: each known spec is measured against the median of all printers (65 products), then weighted; 50 means level with that median. In classes of six or more, a value beyond the class’s 10th–90th percentile range counts as that limit, so one extreme product cannot set the scale. 70% of the scoreable weight could be used; unknown values, features not applicable to this class and proxies (battery capacity where a rated life exists) add or remove nothing.
| Specification | This product | Cohort median | Score weight | Points moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print speed (black) | 36 — capped at the class’s upper range (32) | 16 | 2 | +100.0 |
| Color printing | No | 88% of the class have it | 1.5 | −72.0 |
| Automatic duplex printing | Yes | 73% of the class have it | 1 | +50.0 |
| Automatic document feeder | Yes | 55% of the class have it | 1 | +50.0 |
| Input tray capacity | 250 | 150 | 1 | +33.0 |
| Ethernet | Yes | 54% of the class have it | 0.5 | +25.0 |
| Supertank / refillable ink | No | 30% of the class have it | 0.5 | −24.0 |
| Duplex scanning | No | 23% of the class have it | 0.5 | −24.0 |
| Touchscreen display | No | 45% of the class have it | 0.5 | −24.0 |
| Print resolution | 1,200 | 4,800 | 0.5 | −18.5 |
| Monthly duty cycle | 35,000 | 10,000 | 0.3 | +15.0 |
| ADF capacity | 50 | 35 | 0.5 | +10.5 |
| Fax | No | 35% of the class have it | 0.2 | −9.6 |
| Output tray capacity | 100 | 67.5 | 0.3 | +7.2 |
| Weight | 11.3 | 7.98 | 0.3 | −4.5 |
Not scored: Print speed (color) (unknown: not scored); All-in-one (standard for the class (85% have it)); Wi-Fi (standard for the class (97% have it)); Wi-Fi Direct (standard for the class (90% have it)); USB (standard for the class (100% have it)); Apple AirPrint (standard for the class (97% have it)); Mobile app printing (standard for the class (100% have it)).
Editor’s note
I would buy this for a small office that prints contracts, invoices and school forms, and I would warn that office about the starter cartridge first. Brother ships the printer with toner rated for 700 pages, which a busy month can finish. Budget for a TN830XL early, because the high-yield cartridge is where laser running costs start to look good. The DR830 drum is rated for 15,000 pages, so you replace toner often and the drum rarely.
The headline speed of 36 pages a minute is Brother's single-sided figure. Its own footnote says two-sided printing is the default and the rating needs a settings change, so expect duplex jobs to come out slower. The duty cycle in the table is a stress ceiling. Brother recommends up to 2,500 pages a month, and that is the number to plan around.
Scanning is where it shows its price. Brother's own figures put color scanning at roughly a third of the mono speed, and the feeder handles one side at a time. A household digitizing years of double-sided paperwork would be happier with a dedicated sheet-fed scanner.
Against the Brother MFC-L2820DW, the choice comes down to a fax and a touchscreen. If neither is on your list, the DCP is the sensible saving. Against Brother's HL-L2460DW it is the scanner and feeder, and anyone who scans more than a few pages a month should pay for them.
Buyers who print photos or color charts will regret it. Everyone else who wants a plain text printer that also copies and scans gets exactly that, with the network options most rivals at this level skip.
Specifications
Quality bars show where each figure sits between the lowest and highest of the 65 printers this VS Score is measured against.
Printing
Scanning & copying
Paper handling
Connectivity
Design
Sources and verification
Where the specifications come from
- Official product pagebrother-usa.com
- Datasheet or manualsupport.brother.com
- Independent testingconsumerreports.org
- Retailer listing (cross-check)amazon.com
Verification
- First published
- Specifications last checked
- Sheet completeness
- 23 of 24 specifications verified; the rest show as Unknown and are never estimated or scored
- Page type
- Product specification page — Compiled from the manufacturer’s published specifications and the cited sources; this is not a hands-on test.
- Basis
- Research-based: specifications and editorial text were compiled from the documents listed here and the manufacturer’s published data. We have not tested this unit ourselves; where independent measurements are mentioned they belong to the linked publication.
Where to buy
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Price history
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The bottom line
The Brother DCP-L2640DW earns a VS Score of 61, above the median of the 65 printers it is measured against (a score of 50 is level with that median).
- Who it’s for
- A home or small office that prints mostly text, scans the odd stack of single-sided pages and has no use for a fax line.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs color, a touchscreen or a feeder that scans both sides in one pass. Look at Brother's MFC models or a color laser instead.
- The trade-off that matters
- Dropping the fax keeps the price down, but the scanner that remains is the basic kind: one side per pass and slow in color.
- The main alternative
- Brother MFC-L2820DW: adds a fax and a touchscreen for offices that still send documents the old way.
The VS Score is calculated from the weighted specifications above, each measured against the median of comparable printers — a shortlisting guide, not a substitute for your own priorities. See how we score.
