What Toner Does the Brother MFC-L5710DW Use?

Quick answer: the Brother MFC-L5710DW uses TN920 series toner and a separate DR920 drum unit. Four toner tiers fit this printer — TN920 (3,000 pages), TN920XL (6,000), TN920V (6,600) and TN920XXL (11,000) — and the drum is rated around 45,000 pages, so you will replace toner many times before the drum.

The biggest trap on this model is one character. The previous-generation MFC-L5700DW uses TN850 or TN880 toner with a DR820 drum, and those pages dominate search results. Brother's own DR820 compatibility list does not include the MFC-L5710DW. If a listing pairs your model number with TN850, TN880, TN760 or TN730, it is wrong.

Brother MFC-L5710DW toner at a glance

All yields are Brother's own ISO/IEC 19752 figures. Two things in that table are worth stopping on.

TN920V is the one nobody tells you about

TN920V is a US-only "value high yield" cartridge rated at 6,600 pages — and Brother lists it at the same MSRP as the 6,000-page TN920XL. Same money, 600 more pages. It appears in Brother's Online User's Guide supplies table and on its own product page for this model, though oddly not in the supplies carousel on the printer's own listing, which is probably why so few people know it exists. If you are buying OEM, ask for TN920V rather than TN920XL.

TN920UXXL does NOT fit the MFC-L5710DW

This one costs people real money. The 18,000-page TN920UXXL carries the same TN920 family name, so it looks like the obvious upgrade — but Brother restricts it to the MFC-L5715DW, MFC-L5915DW, MFC-L6810DW, MFC-L6915DW and the HL-L5215DW/L6210DW/L6310DW/L6415DW line. The MFC-L5710DW is absent from that list. You may even see "tn920uxxl" in the page source of Brother's own MFC-L5710DW listing — that is a cross-sell tag on the family carousel, not a compatibility claim.

The largest cartridge that actually fits this printer is TN920XXL at 11,000 pages.

The drum: DR920, and why you see two numbers

Brother publishes two figures for the same DR920 drum: approximately 45,000 pages at one page per job, and approximately 75,000 pages at three pages per job. Both are real. Drum wear is driven by start-up and shut-down cycles as much as by pages, so batching your printing genuinely extends drum life.

Plan around 45,000, because one page per job is what most offices actually do. Our guide to drum units explains what the drum does and when it really needs replacing.

One more precision point: do not buy a DR925. That is the drum for the MFC-L5715DW and MFC-L6915DW. Close model numbers, different part.

What it actually costs to run

At 1.39 cents a page this is among the cheapest machines to run in any category — less than half what a compact laser like the HL-L2460DW costs per page, and a fraction of any cartridge inkjet. Over 20,000 pages the difference against a small laser is more than $200. Check it against your own volumes with our cost calculator.

Castle Ink recommendation

• Brother TN920XL Black Toner — compatible high-yield, 6,000 pages, $69.95
• Brother DR920 Drum Unit — compatible, ~45,000 pages, $99.95

Straight about what we do not stock for this printer: not the standard TN920, not TN920V, and not the 11,000-page TN920XXL. We do carry TN920UXXL — but as explained above it does not fit this model, so do not buy it here for an MFC-L5710DW.

About the Brother MFC-L5710DW

The MFC-L5710DW is the entry all-in-one in Brother's business mono laser line: print, scan, copy and fax at up to 48 pages per minute, with automatic two-sided printing (2-sided is the default setting out of the box in the US) and a 50-sheet ADF with single-pass duplex scanning.

Paper capacity is 250 sheets in the main tray plus a 100-sheet multipurpose tray, expandable with up to two optional lower trays to 1,390 sheets. The touchscreen is 3.5 inches. Connectivity is gigabit Ethernet plus dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, USB, and a front USB host port for printing from a flash drive. There is no NFC on this model — that is on the MFC-L6810DW and L6915DW.

Brother rates it at up to 90,000 pages a month maximum with a recommended monthly volume of 5,000. It is still in production and sold at around $500. The MFC-L5710DN is the same machine without Wi-Fi, and the HL-L5210DW is the print-only version — both take the same TN920 toner and DR920 drum, as do the DCP-L5510DN, MFC-L5915DW and MFC-L6810DW.

Common problems on this model

"Toner Low" or "Replace Toner" after fitting a new cartridge

Brother documents four causes, and the first one catches people out: you may have replaced the drum rather than the toner — they are two separate parts on this machine. The others are a refilled or previously used cartridge (Brother is explicit that a brand new, unused cartridge is required for the toner status to reset), a cartridge that is not fully seated, or a dirty corona wire.

"Drum !" on the display

Three documented causes, in the order worth trying: the corona wire needs cleaning; the toner and drum assembly is seated incorrectly; or the drum has genuinely reached end of life. Note that unlike some Brother families, there is no drum-counter reset procedure for this model — do not go hunting for a button sequence. If the message persists after fitting a new DR920, reseat the assembly and suspect a non-genuine or previously used drum.

Black lines or a vertical stripe down the page

Almost always the corona wire, and most often because the green tab was not returned to its Home position. Brother's procedure: open the front cover, remove the toner and drum assembly, slide the green tab left and right several times, then return it to Home with its arrow aligned to the arrow on the drum unit. Reinstall and close the cover. The same step is built into every toner change, so most owners clean it without realizing.

Spots or marks repeating at regular intervals

Contamination on the drum surface, usually label adhesive. Brother's documented fix is to make 10 to 15 copies of a blank white sheet first; only replace the drum if that does not clear it.

"Offline" in Status Monitor, or cannot print over the network

The heaviest cluster in Brother's own FAQ set for this model. Brother's Network Connection Repair Tool resolves most of it; a full driver-package reinstall handles the rest. Our Wi-Fi setup guide covers the Brother path.

A word on Brother firmware and third-party toner

Brother's stated position is that its warranty does not cover problems caused by third-party supplies, and that it may charge for repairs proven to have been caused by them. The machine does read supply identity — that is how it produces "Wrong Toner Cartridge" when someone fits a UXXL or a TN850.

You may also have seen the March 2025 reports alleging Brother firmware degrades third-party supplies; Brother denied restricting them. Worth knowing as industry context, but nothing in it was specific to this printer or to the TN920 family. Firmware updates on this model are user-initiated from the panel or the Firmware Update Tool. Our guide to firmware updates and third-party ink covers how to stay in control of them.

FAQ

What toner does the Brother MFC-L5710DW use?

TN920, TN920XL, TN920V or TN920XXL, plus a separate DR920 drum unit.

Does the MFC-L5710DW use TN850 or TN880?

No. Those fit the previous-generation MFC-L5700DW, L5800DW, L5900DW and L6700DW line with a DR820 drum. One character apart in the model number, completely different supplies.

Can I use TN920UXXL in the MFC-L5710DW?

No. Brother does not list this model as compatible with the 18,000-page UXXL cartridge. TN920XXL at 11,000 pages is the largest that fits.

What is TN920V and should I buy it?

A US-only value high-yield cartridge rated 6,600 pages at the same MSRP as the 6,000-page TN920XL. If you are buying genuine Brother toner for this printer, it is the better of the two.

How often do I replace the drum?

Roughly every four to fifteen toner cartridges depending on which tier you use — the DR920 is rated 45,000 pages against 6,000 for a TN920XL.

Is there a drum reset for the MFC-L5710DW?

No. Brother's replacement procedure for this model has no reset step, and none of Brother's drum-reset knowledge-base articles list this printer. No reset is required.

Does the MFC-L5710DW use the same toner as the HL-L5210DW?

Yes — TN920 series toner and the DR920 drum. The HL-L5210DW is the print-only version of the same platform.

Shop TN920XL and DR920 now

Restock the TN920XL toner and DR920 drum. Different printer? Find yours on our Find Ink by Printer page, or see how your model ranks in the monthly CastleScore rankings.