The Best of Both Phone, and TabletBrother HL-2270DW
Manufacturer: Brother International Part number: HL-2270DW
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- With improvements to its output speed, the Brother HL-2270DW improves on its legacy model and provides small businesses an efficient output device for high-volume black-and-white prints.
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CNET editors' review
Brother HL-2270DW price range: $126.04 - $168.70
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 03/13/2011
The good: The Brother HL-2270DW lives up to Brother's reputation for reliable, easy-to-use, wireless monochrome laser printers.
The bad: The printer struggles to provide visually acceptable graphic documents.
The bottom line: With improvements to its output speed, the Brother HL-2270DW improves on its legacy model and provides small businesses an efficient output device for high-volume black-and-white prints.
The Brother HL-2270DW laser monochrome printer provides a viable alternative to the classic bottomless money pit that has become today's inkjet printer. Modern photo, tricolor, and high-capacity ink cartridges can cost anywhere from $20 to $100 per refill, so multiply that by your volume of prints and try not to balk at the true cost of operation. As an alternative, supplementing a printer setup with an inexpensive black-and-white laser printer can cut costs in home offices that cycle through black ink cartridges with text-only documents. Although it's not without its shortcomings such as poor graphic document output, the Brother HL-2270DW balances out with speedy text printing and simple 802.11 b/g wireless for $149.99.
Design
The HL-2270DW has the same overall size and design as the Brother HL-2170W, with 32MB of onboard memory and a 802.11 b/g wireless interface. As far as laser printers go, this machine is rather small at 6.7 inches high, 14.5 inches wide, and weighing just 15 pounds. Designwise, Brother draws away from the classic gray colorway, opting for a matte black finish instead.
The front lip folds down to reveal the toner port, and like most laser printers, you can remove the paper tray, located on the face of the unit, for toner refills. You probably won't need to refill too often considering the printer can hold 250 sheets of standard 8.5-by-11-inch paper. There's also a manual-feed paper slot that handles an assortment of different paper sizes including Letter, Legal, Executive, A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, and envelopes. We printed more than 150 pages during our lab testing and never experienced a paper jam or delay.
Unfortunately, Brother only offers a "starter" toner cartridge with the unit that can only last about 1,000 pages. After that, you'll need to purchase your own standard cartridge for $49 that can yield approximately 1,500 pages, for an acceptable 3.3 cents per page. You can also save money by purchasing a higher-yield toner cartridge that can go for about 2,600 pages until you'll have to spend $68 on a replacement.
The HL-2270DW's control panel is just as simple as the body itself, featuring an all-inclusive "Go" button that also controls error recovery, wake-up, job cancel, wireless on/off, and manual feed, with three small LEDs for toner, drum, and error status rounding out the panel. As stated, this isn't the flashiest float in the parade--it's designed with utility, not fashion, in mind.
Features
The HL-2270DW includes 32MB of internal memory so you can send more documents through the printer and generally speed up the whole printing process. Most monochrome laser printers don't come with a lot of fancy features, but the Brother HL-2270W includes three networking options for connecting it to your computer: wired USB 2.0, 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet, and wireless 802.11 b/g. The printer is also Mac-, Windows-, and even Linux-compatible.
Connecting the printer to our wireless network gave us little trouble thanks to the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) standard that lets you establish an additional device to your home network in a few easy steps that are laid out in the accompanying instruction manual and aided by onscreen drivers. As long as you have your network name and SSID password on hand, you should be able to connect your printer and computer without wires like we did, in less than 10 minutes easily. You can also use the AirStation OneTouch Secure System (AOSS) if you have a Buffalo network wireless router.
Performance
The HL-2270DW has a slighter faster processor speed than its predecessor at 200MHz, so it performed a little better at 18.64 pages per minute (ppm) for a page of all black text, 19.03 ppm for a page of all graphics, and 18.15 ppm in our PowerPoint presentation test. Still, neither Brother kept up with the Editors' Choice-winning Oki B431DN that registered chart-topping print speeds at more than 30 ppm in all three test results.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 |
Presentation | |
Black graphics | |
Black text |
The HL-2270DW performed well in our text quality tests; the samples we printed on standard 20-pound paper with the quality set to "best" were evenly dark with clear fonts all the way down to 2-point Times New Roman. The individual letters were also free from line breaks and fuzzy edges. The graphics sample we printed, however, didn't fare as well. The gradient steps were so abrupt that a severe checkered pattern appeared where the printer obviously couldn't handle the transitions. The small photos we printed appeared fuzzy in the shadow regions in addition to the overall digitized effects. The HL-2270DW also didn't perform up to par in our 12-step shading test. Harsh banding quickly appeared at the 40 percent shading mark and continued to get worse as the percentage increased.
Like the HL-2170w, this printer would make the most sense as a secondary, text-only printer to save money on paper and ink in the long run, but PowerPoint presentations, photos, and graphics-heavy newsletters should be saved for a robust inkjet printer with multiple color cartridges and a nozzle that can handle precise detail. All-in-one printers are another practical alternative if space saving is a factor.
Service and support
Brother stands by all of its monochrome laser printers with a one-year Express Exchange limited warranty in addition to offering a toll-free customer service number for troubleshooting information.
User reviews
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Read the fine print!
by jvabsher on July 22, 2011
Pros: It's cheap and prints OK.
Cons: This is a scam.
Summary: I just ran out of toner on my HL-2270DW and purchased a compatible replacement from Amazon.com for approximately half of what Brother asks for the exact same thing. When ...
Summary: I just ran out of toner on my HL-2270DW and purchased a compatible replacement from Amazon.com for approximately half of what Brother asks for the exact same thing. When I inserted the replacement cartridge the toner light stayed illuminated indicating it was out. Rechecking the installation repeatedly to no avail, I had to resort to calling Brother.
They went through a bunch of, what sounded to me like, canned responses to my questions. And when I nailed them down and insisted on straight answers, they told me they put a proprietary switch inside their cartridges to prevent any other manufacturer's product from working. This also prevents their own product from being removed and reinserted just in case anyone has any bright ideas about refilling the cartridge.
I've had a Brother MFC-7420 that has served me faithfully for many years, and has yet to see its first Brother toner cartridge. I have never considered purchasing or recommending any printer other than Brother for that very reason. But after hearing this from their own mouths (I called twice and got the same story from different people) I will throw this printer in the trash and never buy anything from Brother again.
It wouldn't be so bad if they told you this up front, before you bought the printer; or if any of the multitudes of "compatible" cartridge vendors told you their products wouldn't work. But then I guess they figure that would cut down on their sales.
I'll tell you this... It's cut the hell out of mine!5 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Terrific wireless printer
by bayguy13 on April 18, 2011
Pros: Great price. Excellent print jobs. Duplex printing. Large paper tray.
Cons: Wireless setup a bit awkward.
Summary: I picked this up on sale for $99. The printing quality is excellent and the duplex feature is icing on the cake. The 250 sheet paper tray is much larger ...
Summary: I picked this up on sale for $99. The printing quality is excellent and the duplex feature is icing on the cake. The 250 sheet paper tray is much larger than any other printer I've seen in this price bracket. The only shortcoming is that the wireless network setup is not straight forward and can be a pain.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Printer for Plain text
by EfraimL on March 15, 2011
Pros: Very Fast, multiple connections...
Cons: Toner is a bit pricey...
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easy to use, Easy setup, Fast printer, Crisp documents!
by XxDaMatt on March 15, 2011
Pros: CNET Failed to mention it's duplexing capabilities, Excellent speed, print quality, and Duplexing, easy setup options
Cons: Haven't noticed any.
Summary: Majority of my printing is black and white, and pictures print off reasonably well in black and white. Over all great printer.
Summary: Majority of my printing is black and white, and pictures print off reasonably well in black and white. Over all great printer.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent for my needs
by thegoldenstandard on March 14, 2011
Pros: Fast printing, awesome price
Cons: hard to set up the wifi unless youre going to stick a ethernet cable from your printer to your router
Summary: I only use this to print text, and the occasiional black and white picture. It does the job perfectly, and I couldnt be more pleased!
Summary: I only use this to print text, and the occasiional black and white picture. It does the job perfectly, and I couldnt be more pleased!
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best printer I've owned by far.
by Tristan944 on March 25, 2012
Pros: Excellent text quality. Fast printing. Toner lasts a long time, especially when using toner-save mode. Wireless setup and use is perfect. Quick and easy setup.
Cons: Printing pictures and graphics do not look as good as text, but it still looks more than acceptable.
Summary: I've owned countless inkjet printers from Canon, Epson, HP, etc. I was never really satisfied by the look of the printed documents. They didn't look professional like how ...
Summary: I've owned countless inkjet printers from Canon, Epson, HP, etc. I was never really satisfied by the look of the printed documents. They didn't look professional like how laser printer documents look. I found this at Fry's Electronics for $80, and by far this is the best printer I've ever owned, by a lot. Its flawless. Good quality construction. Refilling the toner is easy as well, Ive used InkOwl.com for replacement toner and its very inexpensive and it works just like the Canon brand toner. I have absolutely no complaints about this printer.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This printer is awesome
by ese_malta57 on April 1, 2012
Pros: Cost-effective. Prints fast. Wireless, duplexing built-in. High capacity toner cartridge last 4 times as long as in-box original.
Cons: Some issues printing on Window machines when printing to it on Wifi though it works without any issue on my Macs.
Summary: Great printer for the money, especially if you can find it on sale. Genuine printer cartridges are also very cheap and I find them in most tech store circulars at ...
Summary: Great printer for the money, especially if you can find it on sale. Genuine printer cartridges are also very cheap and I find them in most tech store circulars at a discount at times only slightly higher than remanufactured. Quality is great on text documents, as I usually try to keep graphics for my inkjet printer.
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Great Cheap Printer
by lmiah on March 25, 2012
Pros: Prints fast
No ink (Obviously)
Hasn't jammed everCons: A little loud (I just leave it off when not using)
Summary: I bought mine for 99.99 and it has already been the best budget printer I have ever had. I have gone through a million hp printers and they all ...
Summary: I bought mine for 99.99 and it has already been the best budget printer I have ever had. I have gone through a million hp printers and they all suck. This one works fine without hassle.
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Great features - good print
by Roger Garnett on March 13, 2012
Pros: Pretty incredible features for a sub-$100 printer - mine was just $70.
Wired & Wireless networking
Duplex!
250 Sheet trayCons: "Compatible" toners don't have gear to turn off replacement switch - altho this video shows you what's needed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgEdhOtirUESummary: Haven't had it real long, but it's been working well. Much easier than sharing from another PC or USB to router.
Summary: Haven't had it real long, but it's been working well. Much easier than sharing from another PC or USB to router.
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Slow, LOUD, Energy HOG, can't print envelopes.
by WatchFed on December 23, 2011
Pros: Staples gives you 14 days to learn your lesson.
Cons: Slow, LOUD, Energy PIG, can't print envelopes
Summary: I will confirm the printer is both LOUD and AN ENERGY PIG! It draws so much current the fans slow down in my UPSes and they go into boost mode. ...
Summary: I will confirm the printer is both LOUD and AN ENERGY PIG! It draws so much current the fans slow down in my UPSes and they go into boost mode. Not just on startup, but every time you print. Oh, and it...is...sloooooowwwww.
Here's the rest of my story:
Just brought home a 2270. More than SIX YEARS after the original post (re the wrinkled envelopes), the problem remains.
AND forget about mail-merges--you can only do one envelope at a time.
To print an envelope:
Open the FRONT manual feed slot.
Open the REAR door.
Lift the two levers. (They are not easy to find; they're tucked way up inside. If you can't spin the printer sideways or move it off of/out of the printer stand, you won't be able to get to them.)
Place the printer in a position where you can reach BOTH slots.
Insert an envelope in the front slot.
Hit "Print".
If you are successful, the envelope will print and not be wrinkled.
(I could not ever get that far.)
Here's where it gets crazy (this, apparently, is acceptable to Brother):
When you want to do a mail merge, (tongue-in-cheeck) something rarely done by home office users (wink, wink)... Heck, just read along. Maybe it's me...
12/23/2011 4:19:48 PM Length of chat: 00:46:57
4:19 PM Alicia: Hello, Ed. Thank You for contacting Brother Chat Support. Just a moment while I review your issue.
4:23 PM Ed: Do you plan to answer?
4:23 PM Alicia: Please copy and paste the ENTIRE link into the web address and follow the step-by-step instructions for your issue:
4:23 PM Alicia: http://host220.brother.com:8080/sap(bD1lbiZjPTAxMA==)/bc/bsp/sap/zsdb/display.htm?solution=200000028702
4:23 PM Alicia: Please follow the troubleshooting steps in the link below and it should help with resolving your issue. Review the instructions to determine if you have any more questions.
4:28 PM Ed: It will not manually feed without removing the paper tray.
4:30 PM Ed: Are you there?
4:31 PM Alicia: What happens if the tray is there?
4:31 PM Ed: It feeds paper.
4:33 PM Alicia: Are you making sure the envelope is all the way in the manual feed?
4:34 PM Ed: There is not time to put the envelope i the slot. As soon as I hit "Print" it starts with the paper in the tray.
4:34 PM Ed: "...in the slot..."
4:35 PM Alicia: You have to insert the envelope before you press print.
4:36 PM Ed: All 75 envelopes? Do they feed from the tray?
4:37 PM Alicia: Printing Envelopes
4:37 PM Alicia: http://host220.brother.com:8080/sap(bD1lbiZjPTAxMA==)/bc/bsp/sap/zsdb/display.htm?solution=200000028113
4:41 PM Ed: I assume there is a setting somewhere that creates a "lag" so I can get to "the machine" with the next envelope? It just spits out paper.
4:42 PM Alicia: Ok what I can do is transfer you to a Printer Software agent to check your settings. Do you mind if I transferred you?
4:43 PM Ed: Go ahead...
4:47 PM Notice: Alicia transferred Ed to Yvonne.
4:47 PM Notice: Yvonne joined session.
4:47 PM Notice: Alicia exited session.
4:48 PM Yvonne: Sorry for the trouble, one moment as I review the issue.
4:49 PM Yvonne: Thank you for your patience. Envelopes must be fed one envelope at a time through the manual feed slot, using the steps previously linked to you (
http://host220.brother.com:8080/sap(bD1lbiZjPTAxMA==)/bc/bsp/sap/zsdb/display.htm?solution=200000028113 ). There is not a way to print multiple envelopes at the same time/one after the other.
4:50 PM Ed: So the printer can not be used for a mail merge.
4:50 PM Yvonne: I'm not quite certain what mail merge is, can you describe the function?
4:54 PM Yvonne: Are you still with me? If not I will need to end our chat session. If you need further assistance simply start another chat and we will be able to see the content of the previous chat session and continue to assist you.
4:54 PM Ed: You're kidding, right? A mail merge is where you write a Christmas card to 137 people, lay out an envelope, use the mail merge feature of, say, LibreOffice or Microsoft Word, and print 137 envelopes, each personally addressed so you can match the envelope and the recipient and do in 1 hour what might takes days using the method you describe.
4:55 PM Yvonne: I don't use Microsoft Office, so I'm sorry but I am not familiar with it's features. The HL-2270DW was not designed primarily as an envelope printer, and where you can feed an envelope 1 at a time through the machine it would not work for large volumes of envelopes. Was there anything else I could address for you today?
4:57 PM Ed: A mail merge is a basic office function, not something peculiar to Microsoft software. Yes, you can. Please confirm that each time I want to print an envelope I must start with a new document and print each envelope as a separate job.
4:59 PM Yvonne: More then likely yes. If you already have the envelopes created within your application just open them up and print them from there. Load the envelope into the manual feed slot and open the back cover as illustrated in the link provided, then open the envelope you want to print in the application you have it in, then send it to print from there.
5:00 PM Ed: Wow. What is the target market for this printer? Is it designed to be used in a home office/small office?
5:00 PM Yvonne: Yes, just a basic small home use printer.
5:02 PM Ed: I'm curious how they imagine the documents we create would get to the intended destination...I suppose people working at home never need to address more than one envelope at a time. I guess I'm just not using "the machine" properly.
5:04 PM Yvonne: Alright, other then the envelope issue did you have any other questions I could address for you?
5:05 PM Ed: Nope, I think you've answered my question. I appreciate your help, Yvonne. I'll return the printer and buy something else. Thank you for your patience. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
5:06 PM Yvonne: You're welcome, thanks for contacting Brother, have a Merry Christmas and happy new years as well!
5:06 PM Notice: Yvonne exited session.
You'll have to make up you own mind. I made my decision.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Brother International
- Part number: HL-2270DW
- Description: The HL-2270DW is a monochrome laser printer that offers an automatic duplex capability for printing two-sided documents with ease, fast printing at up to 27 pages per minute, and built-in wired and wireless networking for sharing with others. It features a stylish, space-saving design that fits virtually anywhere and complements any environment. In addition, it offers convenient paper handling via an adjustable tray. Affordable to own and operate, the HL-2270DW uses a high-yield replacement toner cartridge to help reduce your operating costs.
General
- Printer Type Workgroup printer - Laser - Monochrome
- Width 14.5 in
- Depth 14.2 in
- Height 7.2 in
- Weight 15 lbs
Printer
- Print Speed up to 27 ppm - B/W
- Connectivity Technology Wireless ,
Wired - Interface 802.11g,
USB,
802.11b,
Ethernet 10/100Base-TX - Max Resolution ( B&W ) 2400 dpi x 600 dpi
- Duplex Printout Duplex
- First Print Out Time B/W 8.5 sec
- Language Simulation PCL 6
- Fonts Included 49 x Scalable,
12 x Bitmapped,
13 x Barcode - Printer Features AirStation OneTouch Secure System (AOSS)
- Media Handling 250-sheet input tray,
1-sheet manual tray Processor
- Processor ARM9 200 MHz
RAM
- RAM Installed ( Max ) 32 MB
Media Handling
- Media Type Thick paper ,
Bond paper ,
Recycled paper ,
Envelopes ,
Labels ,
Plain paper - Min Media Size (Custom) 3 in x 4.57 in
- Max Media Size (Custom) 8.5 in x 16 in
- Media Sizes B6 (4.92 in x 6.93 in),
A6 (4.13 in x 5.83 in),
B5 (6.93 in x 9.83 in),
Executive (7.25 in x 10.5 in),
A5 (5.83 in x 8.25 in),
A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in),
Letter A Size (8.5 in x 11 in),
JIS B5 (7.17 in x 10.12 in) - Media Weight 60 g/m2 - 162 g/m2
- Total Media Capacity 250 sheets
- Media Feeder(s) 1 x Autoload - 250 sheets weight: 60 g/m2 - 105 g/m2,
1 x Manual load - 1 sheets weight: 60 g/m2 - 163 g/m2 - Output Trays Capacity 100 sheets
Duty Cycle
- Monthly Duty Cycle 10000 pages
- Recommended Monthly Volume 250 - 2000 pages
Networking
- Networking Print server
- Connectivity Technology Wireless,
Wired - Data Link Protocol Fast Ethernet,
Ethernet,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11g - Network / Transport Protocol ARP,
RARP,
DHCP,
BOOTP,
FTP,
SMTP,
LPR/LPD - Remote Management Protocol IPP,
TFTP,
SNMP 1,
HTTP,
SNMP 2c - Security Protocols & Features WPA2-PSK,
WPA-PSK,
WEP - Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11g,
IEEE 802.11b Scanner
- Type None
Copier
- Copier Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Connections 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type B,
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 Miscellaneous
- Consumables Included 1 x Toner cartridge ( Black ) - up to 1200 pages ISO/IEC 19752 - Brother TN-2110,
1 x Drum - up to 12000 pages Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
- Voltage Required AC 120 V
- Frequency Required 50/60 Hz
- Power Consumption Operational 495 Watt
- Power Consumption Stand by / Sleep 65 Watt
Software / System Requirements
- Software Included BRAdmin Professional
- OS Required Microsoft Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition ,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition ,
Apple MacOS X 10.6.x ,
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 ,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 ,
Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit versions) ,
Apple MacOS X 10.5.x ,
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition ,
Microsoft Windows 7 ,
Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Edition ,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition ,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional ,
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional ,
Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 ,
Microsoft Windows Vista ,
Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 or later ,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 ,
Linux Environmental Standards
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
- Blue Angel Compliant Yes
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 90.5 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%
- Sound Emission (Idle) 31 dBA
- Sound Emission (Operating) 53 dBA
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Brother International products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Brother International
- Address:
100 Somerset Corporate Blvd., Bridgewater, NJ 08807 - Phone: 1-908-704-1700
- Fax: 1-908-704-8235
