24 facts in comparison
Epson EcoTank ET-4903 vs Brother DCP-L2640DW
Only one of these printers can print a color page. The Epson EcoTank ET-4903 fills four tanks from bottles and prints color documents, photos and color faxes, while the Brother DCP-L2640DW is a monochrome laser whose toner is black and nothing else. Its scanner still reads color originals, but every page it prints comes out in black.
They land in the same search because both are all-in-ones with an automatic document feeder and both aim at a home office that prints in volume. Past that shared brief they are built for different people, and few readers will be torn between them. A household printing school projects, charts and the occasional photo is wrong for the Brother. An office printing contracts and invoices in black is usually wrong for the Epson.
Speed explains the second half. Brother rates its laser at 36 pages a minute in black against 11 for the Epson, and it draws from a 250-sheet tray where the Epson feeds 100 sheets from a rear slot. The Brother also adds wired Ethernet and a larger feeder for originals, at 50 sheets to the Epson's 30.
The Epson gives up that pace, a paper cassette and a confirmed duplex unit, because Epson's spec sheet states no automatic two-sided printing. In return it carries about three years of ink in the box, adds a fax the Brother lacks, and weighs 5.5 kg, under half the laser's weight. The Brother gives up color and fax to buy its speed, a deeper paper tray and a monthly duty rating seven times higher than the Epson's.
A home office that prints color only now and then sits on the line between the two, and for that reader the question is how often color appears in a normal week.
Editor’s note
Among Epson's three launch siblings in this generation, only the ET-4903 has a document feeder and a fax, so it is the model to pick if the family appeals at all. It also faxes in color, and the Brother has no fax of any kind. The frame around the tanks is modest, though. Paper loads from a rear feed with no cassette, and the output tray holds a small stack that a long job will fill.
Brother's starter toner is the first problem a busy office meets. The DCP-L2640DW ships with a cartridge rated for 700 pages, which a full month can finish, so a TN830XL belongs on the first order. Its headline speed is a single-sided figure, and Brother's own footnote says two-sided printing is the default, so duplex jobs run slower than the box suggests. Brother also recommends up to 2,500 pages a month, far below the stress ceiling it lists.
Color scans run at roughly a third of the mono scan speed on the Brother, and its feeder reads one side per pass. A household digitizing years of double-sided records would be better served by a dedicated sheet-fed scanner than by either feeder.
Head-to-head points: every spec is scaled between these products only, so a product can score high here and modestly on its own page, where the VS Score measures it against the median of its class.
Where the Epson EcoTank ET-4903 beats the Brother DCP-L2640DW
- Has color printing ?
- A much higher print resolution ?5,760 dpi vs 1,200 dpi
- Has supertank / refillable ink ?
- Has fax ?
- A much lighter build ?5.5 kg vs 11.3 kg
Where the Brother DCP-L2640DW beats the Epson EcoTank ET-4903
- A much higher print speed (black) ?36 ppm vs 11 ppm
- A much higher monthly duty cycle ?35,000 pages vs 5,000 pages
- A much higher ADF capacity ?50 sheets vs 30 sheets
- A much higher input tray capacity ?250 sheets vs 100 sheets
- A much higher output tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 30 sheets
- Has ethernet ?
Key real-world differences
The spec sheet pulls in both directions. These are the gaps big enough to shape the decision — with the actual figures, and what each one means in real-world use.
- Color printingPrintingYes vs No — only the Epson EcoTank ET-4903 has it
Prints in color, not just black and white.
- Print speed (black)Printing11 ppm vs 36 ppm — 3.3× more for the Brother DCP-L2640DW
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
- Input tray capacityPaper handling100 sheets vs 250 sheets — 2.5× more for the Brother DCP-L2640DW
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
- EthernetConnectivityNo vs Yes — only the Brother DCP-L2640DW has it
A wired network port for reliable office use.
- Output tray capacityPaper handling30 sheets vs 100 sheets — 3.3× more for the Brother DCP-L2640DW
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
Which one should you buy?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you will actually use it for. Match your priority to the pick below.
- Best for scanning & copying Brother DCP-L2640DW takes the category 93 to 81 — driven by ADF capacity (30 sheets vs 50 sheets).
- Best for connectivity Brother DCP-L2640DW takes the category 100 to 84 — driven by ethernet (No vs Yes).
- Best for paper handling Brother DCP-L2640DW takes the category 100 to 0 — driven by input tray capacity (100 sheets vs 250 sheets).
- Best for design Epson EcoTank ET-4903 takes the category 100 to 0 — driven by weight (5.5 kg vs 11.3 kg).
- On a budget Brother DCP-L2640DW is the cheaper way in at $ 209.99, and still scores 75 overall.
- The safe all-rounder Brother DCP-L2640DW wins 3 of 5 categories and tops the overall VS Score at 75.
Where each one falls short
Epson EcoTank ET-4903
- Print speed (black): 11 ppm vs 36 ppm
- Input tray capacity: 100 sheets vs 250 sheets
- Ethernet: No vs Yes
- 2 specs are unreported (shown as Unknown) and excluded from its scores.
Brother DCP-L2640DW
- Color printing: Yes vs No
- Supertank / refillable ink: Yes vs No
- Print resolution: 5,760 dpi vs 1,200 dpi
- 1 spec is unreported (shown as Unknown) and excluded from its scores.
What matters to you?
Drag the sliders to weight each category and re-rank the products to suit your priorities.
Score breakdown
Printing
Scanning & copying
Paper handling
Connectivity
Design
Specs last verified September 25, 2026Epson EcoTank ET-4903: 22 of 24 specs verified (92%)Brother DCP-L2640DW: 23 of 24 specs verified (96%)Unverified specs show as Unknown — never estimated, never scored
Where to buy
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What reviewers say
The bottom line
Black text in volume belongs on the Brother DCP-L2640DW. It prints about three times faster than the Epson, holds more paper, joins a wired network and confirms automatic duplex printing. Budget for the high-yield toner early, because the starter cartridge is small.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4903 is the right machine for a household whose printing includes color, whose forms sometimes go out by fax, and whose pace is steady enough that slow pages never hold anyone up. Years of supplied ink are what that slower engine buys. Confirm its duplex support with the retailer if two-sided printing is a daily habit. The Brother never prints a color page, so any color in a normal week rules it out at once.
