Printing The Brother HL-L2480DW prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It prints black-and-white text with excellent quality. Text printing was reasonably fast, 5 pages took 17 seconds, costing 4.8 cents per page. It prints mono graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, costing 15.3 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous amount. There's a second single-sheet input tray for full-size paper, in case you just need a printout on letterhead, for instance.
Scanning and Copying This is a multi-function printer. Scanning performance was very good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It can scan or copy paper up to letter.
Controls and Display The printer has a color display screen 2.7-inch diagonal size, and touch-input capability.
Connectivity and Networking It can print documents via USB, Ethernet and WiFi. We found it relatively easy to setup the WiFi connection on this printer.
Cost of Ownership and Toner When this page was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $220, typical for a all-in-one black and white laser printer. Printing uses up toner and the costs add up over time. This printer uses one (1) cartridge. When the ink runs low, you replace the empty cartridge. The toner we used in testing was the Brother TN-830 BK cartridge—at the time, the price was $52.50. We estimate each cartridge of toner to last at least 4 years—a long time—following a typical monthly printing amount of 26 text pages. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate your total equivalent cost to be $250—typical for a monochrome laser. The estimated yearly cost is $15, which is typical for a monochrome laser type of printer. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $295. The printer needs a moderate amount of space .
Printer Firmware Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Brother HL-L2480DW was 1.10.
Software The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual and scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a PC and the Windows operating system, using the latest version of printer software (driver) and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 1.6.0.0.
About the toner, software and firmware Our test results are valid only for the Brother-brand toner, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown, you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware: Either (1) run the Brother printer-update app on the PC, or (2) access the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Brother's website for further guidance.
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