We upgraded from a color to a black & white printer, replacing an HP Color Laserjet 2600n with a Brother HL–5370DW.
Upgrade? Yeah, I think so. I paid about $400 for the color printer years ago and it served me well until I had to replace the toner, which retails for about $400.
Ouch.
We paid less than $300 yesterday, and that included an additional high-capacity toner replacement. Rumor has it that “compatible” toner replacements can be found out online for about $30.
WiFi printing on OS X Lion
Figuring out how to get the printer and computers in the house to talk to each other on the network was a little tricky. Networking prompted the only negative comments I remember from reading several reviews, but wasn’t an impossible challenge with a little nerdery and forethought.
The biggest installation hiccup for me was the Flash-based installer on the CD that came with the printer. I hate Flash and didn’t have it installed on my system. With much fear and loathing in my soul, I installed Flash and Shockwave. You know what? It still didn’t work. I finally got everything running smoothly using the printer’s web server and ended with the additional task of chasing down and flushing Flash detritus from my system.
I didn’t take notes so I’m doing this from memory, but here’s how I remember piecing things together:
- Connected the printer to my MacBook via USB to trigger automatic installation of all necessary driver updates.
- Connected the printer to my [Airport Extreme Base Station (fifth generation)][5] via Ethernet to introduce it to the network (which I think turned out to be unnecessary).
- Logged into the printer’s webserver to change passwords and visit the Wireless settings.
- Entered my wireless network information allowing the printer access to my secure network.
- Unplugged the Ethernet cable.
- Enjoyed high-quality printing joy!
After I finished the first installation, it was just a matter of visiting other Macs in the house and installing the printer from the Print & Scan pane in Apple’s System Preferences. Works like a charm.
Brother HL–5370DW Specs
So how does this printer roll? The Brother website tells us it includes:
- Flexible networking. Built-in wireless 802.11b/g and Ethernet network interfaces‡ allow you to share this printer with multiple users on your network. Eliminate extra cables and conveniently place your printer with wireless networking.
- Easily print two-sided documents. Produce professional looking documents, brochures, and booklets using the built-in duplex feature. This feature can help save money and reduce your paper use.
- Fast results. Operating at print speeds of up to 32 pages per minute, this printer is ideal for busy offices.
- Outstanding print quality. Delivering up to 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution, all of your printed materials will look their best.
- Versatile paper handling. An adjustable 250-sheet capacity paper tray easily handles letter or legal size paper and a 50-sheet capacity multi-purpose tray is for printing letterhead and custom paper sizes. Add up to two optional paper trays‡ for additional capacity.
- Straight-Through Paper Path. A convenient fold-down, 50-sheet capacity multi-purpose tray and rear paper exit provide a straight-through paper path for printing envelopes, thicker media and custom paper sizes.
- Easy to set up and use. For users with wireless access points that support SecureEasySetup™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™, or AOSS™, you can automatically configure your wireless settings by simply pressing a button on your router.
A bonus is the nifty free app for printing directly our iPhones to the networked printer. The same Brother website says the Brother™ iPrint&Scan is a free app download for wireless printing (JPEG & PDF) from your Apple®, Android™ or Windows® Phone 7 mobile device (scanning not available).