Brother TN-3440 vs TN-3480: Which Toner Should You Buy? (Australia 2026)
You've opened the toner drawer, found the empty cartridge, and now you're staring at two almost-identical options on the Brother website. TN-3440 or TN-3480?
Noodle's got you. 🐾
The Short Answer
| | TN-3440 | TN-3480 | |---|---|---| | Page yield | ~3,000 pages | ~8,000 pages | | RRP (genuine) | ~$99 AUD | ~$165 AUD | | Cost/page (genuine) | ~3.3¢ | ~2.1¢ | | Cost/page (compatible) | ~1.0¢ | ~0.5¢ | | Best for | Light home/low-volume use | Office / regular printing |
The TN-3480 is the high-yield version. If you're running a business or printing regularly, it's almost always the better buy.
What Printers Use TN-3440 and TN-3480?
Both cartridges fit the same range of Brother monochrome laser printers:
- Brother HL-L5100DN
- Brother HL-L5200DW / HL-L5200DWT
- Brother HL-L6200DW / HL-L6200DWT
- Brother HL-L6250DW
- Brother HL-L6300DW
- Brother HL-L6400DW
- Brother MFC-L5755DW
- Brother MFC-L6700DW / MFC-L6750DW
- Brother MFC-L6900DW
If your printer is in this list, you can freely use either cartridge — same slot, same installation, just different amounts of toner inside.
Breaking Down the Difference
Page Yield
The "3480" is Brother's high-yield version of the TN-3440. Bigger number, more toner.
- TN-3440: ~3,000 pages (ISO/IEC 19752 at 5% coverage)
- TN-3480: ~8,000 pages — 2.7× more pages per cartridge
That's not a minor upgrade. If you're buying the TN-3440 repeatedly, you'll go through 2–3 cartridges for every TN-3480.
Cost Per Page: The Real Number
Upfront price tells you nothing useful. Cost per page is what matters.
Genuine toner: | Cartridge | RRP | Pages | Cost/page | |---|---|---|---| | TN-3440 | ~$99 | 3,000 | ~3.3¢ | | TN-3480 | ~$165 | 8,000 | ~2.1¢ |
The TN-3480 saves ~36% per page vs the TN-3440 with genuine toner.
Compatible toner: | Cartridge | FetchInk price | Pages | Cost/page | |---|---|---|---| | TN-3440 compatible | ~$29 | 3,000 | ~1.0¢ | | TN-3480 compatible | ~$39 | 8,000 | ~0.5¢ |
Compatible toner cuts costs by 70–85% vs genuine. For an office printing 2,000 pages/month, that's hundreds of dollars saved per year.
Which One Should You Buy?
Buy TN-3440 if:
- You print fewer than 200 pages a month
- You want the lowest upfront cost and print infrequently
- You're nearing end of printer life and don't want to commit to high-yield stock
Buy TN-3480 if:
- You print 300+ pages a month (basically any regular office use)
- You want to change cartridges less often
- You care about cost per page, not just shelf price
For 90% of Australian businesses, the TN-3480 is the smarter buy. Even at a higher sticker price, you're spending less per page — and changing cartridges far less often.
Compatible Toner: The ACCC Position
A lot of people worry that using compatible toner will void their printer warranty. It won't.
Under Australian Consumer Law, manufacturers cannot require you to use their branded consumables as a condition of warranty. The ACCC has made this clear. Your Brother warranty is safe with quality compatible toner.
FetchInk's compatible TN-3440 and TN-3480 cartridges are tested for page yield, print quality, and clean fusing. They come with a satisfaction guarantee.
Summary
- ✅ TN-3440 and TN-3480 fit the same Brother printers
- ✅ TN-3480 yields 2.7× more pages per cartridge
- ✅ TN-3480 has a lower cost per page — even at higher RRP
- ✅ Compatible toner saves 70–85% vs genuine Brother pricing
- ✅ Compatible toner cannot void your warranty (ACCC)
- ✅ For regular office use, TN-3480 is almost always the better buy