The Brother HL-L2390DW is a monochrome laser all-in-one printer designed for small- and home-office users on a tight budget. This Brother model has fewer features than the more feature-rich Brother MFC-L2750DW, but it offers many of the same benefits and its price is INR 12,499. The HL-L2390DW, for example, has scan and copy capabilities as well as a duplexer for two-sided printing, but it lacks faxing and an automatic document feeder.
It also provides comparable performance. In fact, the HL-L2390DW and MFC-L2750DW are so similar that they share an online manual. It has the same monthly duty cycle of 15,000 pages as the previous model and a recommended monthly print volume of up to 2,000 pages.
Design
The HL-L2390DW does not have any fancy appearance. For starters, it has a two-line, backlit, monochrome LCD display rather than a colour touch screen. To navigate the menu options on the screen, use the physical up/down buttons on the front panel. Surprisingly, there are no left/right buttons; this is not a four-way control.
Since this model has no automatic document feeder (ADF), which could’ve sped up multi page copying and scanning, the scanner lid is light. Since the lid’s hinges provide no resistance in holding it up at an acute angle, you must lift it 90 degrees to free both of your hands for loading documents. The appliance has a similar footprint to a home inkjet printer, measuring 16.1 x 15.7 x 10.7 inches. Unlike some other printers, the HL-L2390DW’s output tray has a cavity within the body. Also, its hinged catch covers less than an inch from the front of the chassis.
Input Tray
The 250-sheet input tray is located on the chassis’s bottom. Above it, on the front panel, is a manual feed slot hidden behind a downward-hinged door. This provides a straight-through paper path for specialty media; the prints exit through a door on the back of the unit. The manual feed slot can hold up to ten envelopes. When you initially open the input tray to add paper, the screen asks if you want to change the paper size. If not, you have the option to disable this notification.
Printing Speed
Our five-page text document was printed in 18.1 seconds, or 16.6 pages per minute, faster than the average of 20.9 seconds (14.4 ppm). The fastest time to date was 16.2 seconds, or 18.5 ppm, achieved by the Brother MFC-L2750DW. Our mixed text-and-graphics file was printed in 25.2 seconds, or 14.3 ppm, by the HL-L2390DW. This was much faster than the national average of 36.7 seconds, or 9.8 ppm. (At 17.8 ppm, the MFC-L2750DW was the fastest, nearly 5 seconds faster.)
The HL-L2390DW prints two-sided text documents faster than the slowest single-sided print speed. The HL-L2390DW outperformed the HP LaserJet Pro M277dw’s one-sided print speed of 11.1 ppm, printing both sides at 11.4 ppm. At 13.2 ppm, the MFC-L2750DW was even faster. Similarly, at 7.8 ppm, the HL-L2390DW printed mixed text-and-graphics documents to two-sided sheets. At 11 ppm, the MFC-L2750DW was even faster.
Scanning and Copying Speed
The HL-L2390DW copied a text page or mixed text and graphics in black and white in 9.1 seconds on average, faster than the category average of 10.3 seconds. The MFC-L2750DW set the record with a time of 8.4 seconds.
The HL-L2390DW also completed a 600-dpi colour scan to JPEG format in 34.5 seconds, compared to the average of 36.9 seconds. It scanned a page at 300 dpi and created a black-and-white PDF in 6.6 seconds, which is faster than the category average of 10.4 seconds.
Performance
Text documents appeared sharp, with dark letterforms and well-defined edges. The graphics were also appealing, but a little dark in general. Photographs of people turned out well, due to the fact that the midtone transitions kept their subtlety, giving faces a three-dimensional appearance. However, some details were lost in the shadow areas. In comparison, the Canon MF217w produced lighter prints with more detail in shadow areas, but the less-subtle midtone transitions made people’s faces appear flat.
Document scans revealed a wealth of information. The HL-L2390DW produced black-and-white PDF reproductions that were sharp and true to the original. Photographs scanned at 600 dpi to JPEG format looked good, with accurate colours and plenty of fine details.
Toner Cost and Yield
Printing costs are lower than the industry average of 4.1 cents. The HL-L2390DW prints for 3.7 cents per page with its standard 4k toner cartridge, which is good for 1,200 pages. You can reduce that cost to 2.7 cents per page by using the 6,5k high-capacity cartridge, which is expected to last 3,000 pages.
Printer Setup and Software
Following the quick setup guide made setup simple. You remove some packaging tape and insert the drum/toner assembly into the device’s front. After that, you install the software. The box includes an installation DVD-ROM. Alternatively, you can go to the support URL in the setup guide to get the full download, which includes the iPrint&Scan printing and scanning software. PaperPort can also be installed for scanning and document management.
The wireless connection was simple to set up, thanks to the WPS method, which guides you when to press the WPS button on your router to establish the connection. The HL-L2390DW supports AirPrint, Wi-Fi Direct, and Google Cloud Print, and it is compatible with the company’s iPrint&Scan Android app. Before installing the Android app, you must first download the Mopria Print Service app. Startup time is about 27 seconds, which is slower than the average of 20.6 seconds.
Verdict
For a low price, the HL-L2390DW provides fast performance and high image quality. While the features are simple, there is no reason to pay for them if you do not require them. The much more expensive Brother MFC-L2750DW, for example, includes cloud printing features as well as an Ethernet connection, whereas the HL-L2390DW does not. However, the HL-L2390DW has a quick duplexer and a low cost per page, making it a good long-term investment.
