The catch
Brother MFC-L5710DW
Legal is longer than the glass. Support for Legal-size printing and feeding leaves that flatbed limit as it is.
Side by side
The MFC-L5915DW is for legal-size originals that must lie flat, or eligible scan packets that regularly run 51 to 70 sheets. The MFC-L5710DW fits when ordinary packets stay at 50 sheets and you need a body 3.1 inches narrower. Duplex scanning is claimed at the same 60 black or 42 color images per minute on both, and each has 350-sheet standard input. What the larger model buys is glass size and feeder capacity, and not a higher stated scan rate.
Before you buy
A home business can print legal-size forms without trouble and still receive a creased or fragile original that should not go into an automatic feeder. On the 5915 a legal-size sheet lies on the 14-inch glass. The 5710 glass is shorter and cannot capture the full length in one placement, even though its feeder accepts legal-length paper. If all your legal originals are suitable loose sheets, using the feeder takes away the reason to buy the wider model.
Where this comes from
According to the US manual, the glass is 11.8 inches long on the 5710 and 14 inches on the 5915. The ADF path on both accepts up to 14 inches. Whether an original suits the feeder is a separate question from its length.
The catch
Legal is longer than the glass. Support for Legal-size printing and feeding leaves that flatbed limit as it is.
The catch
Its body is 19.5 inches wide. Short scan packets get no higher rated scan speed and no extra standard print paper from it.


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A legal-size glass and a larger feeder come with the MFC-L5915DW, while rated scan speed is equal. Judge whether the wider body fixes the paperwork problem you really have.
These business monochrome all-in-ones both scan duplex in one pass, and either suits the same document-heavy office. The real choice is among desk width, legal-size originals and scan-stack capacity.
Which one fits
The 5915 has the legal-length glass you need, and the 5710 glass is shorter.
Each takes the packet and quotes the same duplex scanning rate.
The 5915 spares you the split that the 50-sheet 5710 feeder forces.
Input is 350 sheets on each. The 5710 is narrower, but neither adds capacity without extras.
In practice
A home business can print legal-size forms without trouble and still receive a creased or fragile original that should not go into an automatic feeder. On the 5915 a legal-size sheet lies on the 14-inch glass. The 5710 glass is shorter and cannot capture the full length in one placement, even though its feeder accepts legal-length paper. If all your legal originals are suitable loose sheets, using the feeder takes away the reason to buy the wider model.
According to the US manual, the glass is 11.8 inches long on the 5710 and 14 inches on the 5915. The ADF path on both accepts up to 14 inches. Whether an original suits the feeder is a separate question from its length.
When your usual stack is 20 to 40 sheets, both feeders hold it and both quote the same duplex scan rate. For that routine, moving up to the 5915 brings no documented scan-speed advantage. The advantage shows up with an eligible packet of 51 to 70 sheets, where it spares you the extra load that the 5710 needs. Pick the larger feeder to fit the stack you really handle, and not because the model number sounds faster.
Each claims 60 black/42 color duplex ipm. For a 60-sheet supported packet the loads are ceiling(60/50) = 2 versus ceiling(60/70) = 1. The rate says nothing about total task time.
On a desk shared with a laptop and homework, the 5710 leaves 3.1 inches more width free than the 5915 does, before clearances. Standard boxes for both come with a 250-sheet main tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. If fewer print-paper refills is your goal, buying the 5915 by itself will not get you there. Look at the right optional tray configuration or a model with larger input, instead of paying for a legal flatbed you will not use.
19.5 - 16.4 = 3.1 inches. Standard input totals 250 + 100 = 350 sheets on both, and output is 150. Optional trays add cost and take more height.

Brother, MFC-L5710DW
A 3.1-inch narrower body is yours if the shorter glass and 50-sheet ADF cover your paperwork.

Brother, MFC-L5915DW
Legal-size originals can lie on the documented 14-inch glass, so unsuitable sheets are not forced through a feeder.
Spec by spec
| Spec | Brother MFC-L5710DW | Brother MFC-L5915DW | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| An original that must lie flat | MFC-L5710DW glass handles originals up to 11.8 inches long. The ADF supports up to 14 inches. | MFC-L5915DW glass and ADF both support originals up to 14 inches long. | Check legal-size support on its own for printing, feeding and flatbed scanning. |
| Two-sided packet scanning | 50-sheet one-pass duplex ADF. Rated duplex scan speed up to 60 black or 42 color images per minute, with advanced features off. | 70-sheet one-pass duplex ADF. Rated duplex scan speed up to 60 black or 42 color images per minute. | The 5915 holds more sheets, yet the quoted scanning rate is the same in the stated modes. |
| Shared work surface | Closed body 16.4 x 18.1 x 17.6 inches. Standard paper input 350 sheets and output 150. | Closed body 19.5 x 18.6 x 19.1 inches. Standard paper input 350 sheets and output 150. | Your originals could justify the wider scanner. The print-paper supply does not. |
| Routine workload | Recommended monthly maximum 5,000 pages. | Recommended monthly maximum 8,000 pages. | Sustained output volume is its own reason to pick the larger model. |
Trade-offs
Change of plan
Go with Brother MFC-L5710DW. The 5710 handles the task in a narrower body at the same stated scan rate.
Go with Brother MFC-L5915DW. The larger MFP adds exactly those physical capabilities.
Neither model fits. Each scans in color and prints in monochrome.
Decision guide
Space for daily work next to the printer is the aim, but some originals cannot be fed, and the larger glass may be your only reason to accept a wider machine.
By the numbers
What we found across the laser printers we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brother MFC-L5710DW |
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| Brother MFC-L5915DW |
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Ready to buy
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.

A 3.1-inch narrower body is yours if the shorter glass and 50-sheet ADF cover your paperwork.
Supported jobs get the same stated duplex scan rate as the 5915.
See price & reviews on Amazon
Legal-size originals can lie on the documented 14-inch glass, so unsuitable sheets are not forced through a feeder.
One load takes eligible 51- to 70-sheet packets.
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