BROTHER HL-2270DW TONER CARTRIDGE

Brother HL-2270DW Review

Overview:

With its affordable price and competitive print speed, not to mention built in wifi connectivity, it really is hard to go wrong with the all black Brother HL-2270DW. The unit’s print quality, speed, included memory, and other specifications are all not incredibly impressive, but the device certainly is competitive in all aspects, placing it firmly in the “above average” category.

Pros:

While a 30 page or more per minute print speed is always preferable, the Brother HL-2270DW’s 27 page per minute speed is more than acceptable considering the device’s price point. The unit can be found brand new for little more than a hundred dollars, making it an excellent bargain all around and when you take into account the fact that it has wireless connectivity built in, the overall value becomes very clear.

The Brother HL-2270DW does not stop with wireless networking. It also comes equipped with built in duplex capabilities so users can easily print to both sides of output material when using the device. Duplex printing is another way that the printer helps users to save money by way of reducing paper usage.

With a print resolution of 2400 x 600 dots per inch, the printer is capable of producing as many pixels as a 1200 dpi unit. While the distribution of quality is not exactly the same, the Brother HL-2270DW’s resolution is still four times that of a 600 x 600 dot per inch device, making it far superior in its image producing abilities.

Brother also offers a different mode, the HL-2170W, that does not come complete with the built in duplexer and also has less memory included. For an almost insignificant increase in price, users can get their hands on the Brother HL-2270DW which is the much better overall value.

There are no additional DIMM memory slots included in the Brother HL-2270DW, but it does come complete with 32 MBs or RAM that should keep most projects moving along at a good clipping pace. Another disappointing lack of expandability comes with the device’s 250 sheet paper tray that does not accept an attachable additional tray but, again, the stock paper tray could be considered sufficient for most users’ volume demands. In addition to the standard tray, a single sheet bypass slot can be opened on the front of the device for envelope and transparency printing up to 43 lbs. in thickness.

Cons:

Regardless of the proficiency of the Brother HL-2270DW in all areas, it still is, in the end, a stripped down, basic printer. The device does not have an LCD display screen so alerts from the device are cryptic and hard to understand by reading blink signals or software messages.

The device also is a bit awkward to set up when it comes to its wifi capabilities, somewhat defeating the purpose of having what is supposed to be a way to simplify connecting the printer to its host PCs. Lastly, the device, being somewhat cheap in construction, is very loud compared to higher quality units and uses more energy than it should, though to some these could be considered only minor complaints for a device that is an overall great value.