A Workhorse of a Laser Printer
Written: Apr 07 '08 (Updated Apr 08 '08)
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Pros: Fast, Network Ready using 3 interfaces, quality copy, nice appearance, accessories for wireless.
Cons: Toner and Drum cartridges are expensive, but that's the norm today.
The Bottom Line: This is a perfect laser printer for the home, a home office, or a small business. My nickname attests to the fact that it is a workhorse and dependable.
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| joga56's Full Review: Brother HL-2070N Laser Printer |
We purchased our Brother HL-2070N in July 2007 from Staples. The retail price was $199, but I had a $20 coupon, so paid $179.
I have always had laser printers, as an alternative to a color printer, because I use my printer more for text printing, and color printing can get expensive. However, we do have a small color printer to use when the need arises.
I have owned many laser printers, and this is one of the better ones for the price. The initial setup is easy because you have a wizard on a CD, and a Quick Set Up Guide.
I print so much that I’ve been nicknamed the “printer from hell”. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of copies I’ve printed on this printer. However, I guess I could get an estimate by the fact that I had to recently replace the Drum (A Drum lasts 12,000 copies). So, I can attest to the fact that this is an excellent printer that produces quality copies. Wow! Have I really printed that much? I do a lot of research, so I blame it on that!
Specs:
•Up to 20ppm print speed
•Up to 2400 x 600 dpi resolution
•USB and Parallel connectivity
• 16MB standard memory
• 250 sheet adjustable paper cassette
•Toner Cartridge yields up to 2,500 pages
•Drum yields up to 12,000 pages
• 10,000 pages a month duty cycle
•Built-in networking ready
•Maximum paper size up to 8.5” x 14”
•Uses TN-350 Toner and DR-350 Drum cartridges, sold separately
•Dimensions: 6.5” H x 14.6” W x 14.2” D
•Weight: 14.3 lbs
System Requirements:
• Windows 95/98/00/XP/ME, Mac OS
Warranty: 1 year
Connections – 3 choices:
•USB Cable Users
•Parallel Cable Users (IEEE 1284-compliant)
•Network Cable Users (Category 5 twisted pair cable for 10 Base-T or 100 Base-TX)
You also have a choice of connection methods:
1) Brother Peer-to-Peer Network printer (print directly to the printer over the network), or
2) Network Shared Printer (All jobs are sent to queue on a central server). The manuals that come with the printer use diagrams to show you how to do this.
When you are setting up the printer and installing drivers, make sure you choose the driver that meets your requirement above. There are 3 hookups on the back of the printer that equate with the connection choices.
You will need to buy the appropriate cable, as this is not included with the printer.
I have been using the Parallel Cable set up with it being hooked only to my old laptop. However, the problem with this is that the laptop has to be on for it to work. Now that we have wireless internet, I will be buying another cable to connect through our wireless hub. I will be changing this configuration soon.
UPDATE: We hooked up our XP and Vista Wireless laptops to this printer today. We purchased a 7' Cat 5 Network Cable, and plugged it into an extra port on our D-Link Wireless Router (book says not to go over 6', but this 7' cable works fine). We then had to install the Brother HL-2070N driver on each computer. On Vista it was in the list of device drivers. I used the Brother CD to install the driver on the XP Computers. All work now from the network, and no computer has to be on to use the printer. If you use the Brother CD wizard to install the driver, all you need to know is to choose the following as you install the driver: 1) Choose install a driver, then let it search for the device, it should find it automatically and will be named BRN-(& a number) 2) Peer-to-Peer Network 3) LPR.
Optional Accessories if you have Wireless Internet:
You can expand the capability of the printer by adding the Wireless (IEEE802.11b Print Server). The NC-2200w can be connected to the USB interface port of your printer.
There is also an External Print Server, NC-2100p that you can connect to a parallel interface port of the printer.
For more information:
http://solutions.brother.com
Replacing the Drum: (Light comes on when this is necessary; I did this recently)
Note: This printer can print up to 12,000 pages with one drum unit.
At some point the Drum light will come on, warning you to replace the drum fairly soon because it is on its last legs. I didn’t replace it immediately; probably a few weeks afterwards. After you have followed the directions on page 5.8 of the manual that show you how to make this change, you will then need to reset the printer so the Drum light turns off.
I obviously didn’t read my directions very well, when I first bought the printer, because I was surprised when the Drum light lit up one day. When I read the manual, I learned that after 12,000 copies the Drum needs to be replaced or the copies will start to fade. So to the tune of $134, I replaced the Drum (the drum is part of the shell that holds the toner cartridge). I replaced the Drum for the first time in March, 2008.
Alternative Uses for Printer:
You can also use the printer to do transparencies, labels, and envelopes. However, I have no need to use these features. You would use the bypass on the front of the machine to perform these tasks.
Paper Jams:
I’ve only had minimal disruptions with jams, and it's usually my fault for putting too much paper in the paper tray. However, the design of the machine makes it easy to correct. You can remove the paper tray from the front and correct the problem there, or you can open the panel on the back of the machine and find your paper there. I’ve never had it jam in any other locations. Both are simple to correct.
Conclusion:
I’ve really given this printer a beating, so I can attest to the fact that it is a good printer, and has very few jams (unheard of with some printers). I don’t use the bypass, so can’t really comment as to its effectiveness, but the printer overall is a very good one.
Since I do a lot of printing, we do go through a lot of toner and paper, and that can add up over time. I probably replace the toner cartridge once every 2 or 3 months ($79). I feel like I have gotten my monies worth out of this workhorse of a printer already, and I expect it has much more life in it.
I’m not sure if this printer is compatible with the new VISTA O/S or not. I would check into this prior to buying because I’ve heard that Vista has a lot of driver incompatibilities. It’s better to err on the safe side.
Update: This printer is compatible with Vista. It's working for us.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
joga56
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Location: Canada (from USA)
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I think it's important to research items we purchase.
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