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