Brother MFC-L2730DW Mono Laser Printer – All-in-One
Brother MFC-L2730DW Mono Laser Printer – All-in-One, Wireless/USB 2.0, Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax Machine, 2 Sided Printing, A4 Printer, Small Office/Home Office Printer, UK Plug
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| Weight: | 11.8 kg |
| Dimensions: | 15.67 x 16.14 x 12.52 cm; 11.8 Kilograms |
| Brand: | BROTHER |
| Model: | MFC-L2730DW |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | BROTHER |
| Dimensions: | 15.67 x 16.14 x 12.52 cm; 11.8 Kilograms |
Fed up with my colour printer always running out of ink or drying out. No wifi connection which is great, no fancy screen just an on/off button, easy to instal. Prints very quickly.
I bought this for my Mum as her aging ink jet was playing up.
Laser printer with scanner for under 150….I will never buy a multi-function inkjey again!
Also replacement cartridges are cheap as chips.
When my inkjet bites the dust or HP bricks it to stop me refilling or using compatible cartridges I will not pay them a penny more and buy one of these for me as 2 sets of HP black & colour original cartridges is more than what this printer costs!
My 10 year old HP laser died the death. This seems ok as have just tried basic printing and I did not have to look up how to install. It just worked once USB was added. It will take time to try copy/scan.
Had to buy the USB lead unfortunately so had to wait a few days to try the printe
If you are looking for an all in one and you dont need to do a lot of printing, then this all in one is for you, I got rid of my OKI colour laser because it was not being used enough, I dont print a lot any more but i do like scanning my old pictures and sharing them with my family on social media, its functions are very easy to understand, just a case of pushing buttons, easy to set up and not to heavy, I did have a slight problem because i wanted this to work for all my devices, phone tablet laptop etc, and the wireless connection was not picking it up, however a quick call to Brother support and a friendly reassuring voice on the other end sorted out the issue. i would recommend this all in one.
After years of frustration with a wireless (colour) inkjet printer from a major brand, and years before that of feeding various inkjet beasts with the most expensive liquid in the universe (ink), I read something on The Verge which basically said, “Just get this Brother laser printer that everybody else has”.
So it doesn’t do colour, but for printing letters, passes, essays etc., it’s just what most people need. The Volkswagen Golf of printers.
After 17 years my trusty little HP laser printer needed to retire…still works but very slow. So I decided to go for this Brother laser printer, scanner and copier. I know this brand is just as good as HP in my experience, I have used many of their products before and my brother owns a brother laser printer too which has been working perfectly for the last 7 years and still going strong.
Delivered by Amazon carefully in the original box….it’s bulky so may need someone to help carry into home or office. The unit itself is much smaller so don’t be put off by the large box, it’s just very well protected.
All instructions, manual, setup guide and even a CD with the software are supplied.
Setting up the unit was simple, several ways of doing it which is all explained in the step by step guide.
I setup the wireless access on the printer first so its connected to my router by using the small display panel and buttons, then downloaded the latest brother software from their website on all my pc’s and the rest was fairly easy to complete the installation.
You can download the brother software for android/apple tablets and phones, again installation is fairly simple.
My entire household can now print and scan wirelessly to the printer from every connected device…brilliant!
Print, scan and copy quality are excellent compared to my old printer and separate scanner so very pleased with the performance. Has automatic duplex and it prints pretty fast compared to my retired HP.
Unit can be left on different power saving modes, I set it to deep sleep mode as it’s in a home not in a office environment. Installing replacement drums and toner units seem fairly easy to do and the whole unit looks and feels well built.
Really happy and impressed with this unit, a trusted brand….would definitely recommend to anyone for home or office.
If you’re fed up with inkjets, this is highly recommended – also by rtings, who rate it very highly.
Just got my 2510D today, plugged it into my PC, installed the drivers and good lord what a difference. It prints fast, the letter quality is immaculate, it prints both sides at the same time, it scans with no hassle, and the toner cartridge can give 3000 pages for 30 (this is of course for normal pages, I imagine more complex pages will lead to less overall but that’s just logical).
Yes it’s only black and white but I’m an author and screen writer, I don’t want or need colour pages. It’s a little noisy but if that’s the worst of it then hallelujah. This printer does what no home printer has done before – I press print, and it just prints. Could not be happier. 10/10.
Having done some research on the WHICH website, I decided that this was probably a good, cost-effective choice for my simple (and infrequent) printing needs. The printer was delivered promptly, and it was quite easy to set up using the instructions provided. I had worried that perhaps installing the laser cartridge might be tricky — I hate assembling things — but it slotted in easily and quickly.
The printing speed is good, as is the print quality, and I’m pleased with the purchase. I’ve rated it as a 4 rather than a 5-star only because I would have liked it to be a little less noisy — but that’s probably me being a bit fussy. Basically, I’m pleased with it!
I’m very pleased with all aspects of this printer the quietness in operation, print quality, ease of use including the software and the functions all work well like the double sided printing. I would certainly recommend it having used it in my home office environment.
P.s. Bought from Amazon Warehouse – absolute bargain!
However to get this to work requires a wired connection – obviously possible since we had the previous printer working. However for various reasons it would be very helpful to operate this printer in a new location further from the computer, possibly in a different room. This can be achieved either by using a long cable [untidy-difficult to install] or by using powerline adapters, which we already use, or by using a usb-wifi print server – to enable this to run wirelessly.
Looking at the options it seems that the DCP-L2530DW model is very similar, but also supports a wifi connection. It may be more convenient to return this printer, and order a DCP-L2530DW instead. The extra cost is less than the price of the cheapest usb-wifi print server, and it could be easier to configure.
It could be a lot less hassle to do the replacement, rather than trying to make sure that a print server works.
Even though the printer this would be intended to replace has faults, it has served well for several years, and has been very good for bulk printing, and works with our Apple computers – now running Ventura – but it has worked with the previous Macos versions from Catalina on. I think it should also work with earlier versions, such as El Capitan, though I can’t be absolutely sure. It is great for two sided copying.
It should also work well for scanning, though presumably only in monochrome. I’ve not used that feature for some time, and we have a colour printer scanner which is used for scanning.
There are obviously costs associated with the toner cartridges, but over all we have found these to be reasonable, and there are cheap choices for cartridges available. For monochrome printing this printer type is much cheaper than an equivalent ink jet printer with separate colour cartridges, and note that many ink jet colour printers will often not print if there is an issue with any of the colour cartridges – not even in black and white. The speed of printing and the ability to use double sided printing make this printer much more convenient than using ink-jet printers.
When the toner “runs out” the cartridge can/should be replaced, though it is often possible to extend the life of a cartridge by removing it, shaking it, and then replacing it back into the printer. This is slightly messy, and perhaps should be done in a location where any toner “dust” won’t matter – maybe outside. Besides being more economical to use the cartridges in this way, it also helps if the cartridge seems to run out over a weekend, and a print run is needed. There is little warning that the cartridges are about to run out, so it is a good idea to keep a supply in, once one has estimated how long they will last. Usually a couple of cartridges will last a year or two.
As I haven’t even opened the box yet I can only base my evaluation of performance and ease of installation on the unit we want to replace. As that has given good service I have given a star rating based on that.
I have only given this 2 stars for technical support. The reason for this is that the faults which have developed are perhaps fixable, but the cost of repair would be more than the cost of a new unit. There are charges for transport, then charges for evaluation of the problem, and finally a charge for remedy. Taken altogether, it is cheaper to buy a new unit than try to get a printer/scanner with a fault repaired.
This only applies to faults which are largely mechanical in nature. The support for software issues seems to be good, and software updates have generally been easy to apply with no major problems.
Check the configuration and connection options for any similar printer before ordering. Some are still available with Fax options – though Fax is largely not used nowadays. Copying is possible with some units – and that is usually effective – though monochrome only. Probably the minimum to be useful now for most people will be a wireless printer with additionally a wired connection. Also, where a scanner is included in the unit, check that it is possible to scan and return a file back to the host computer via a network. Some printer scanners may not work so well on networks with several different computers attached, so it is necessary to check the detailed specs.
Additional comments. Getting the scanner to work with MacOS seems to require the download of the ICA driver – which may take some searching of the Brother site. However, it does work, and will work with Preview – and somewhat surprisingly, the scans are in colour.
Having considered the option of returning this one and replacing it with a wireless compatible model, I now have it working and in a convenient location, so it will stay. If there are any constraints on size and location, then consider one of the other models with more connectivity, such as wireless or network connections, but if wired connections are feasible, then this is a good printer to have. I would rate this as 5 stars if wired connections are an option. If more flexibility is required, or wired connections are not possible, then think again.
Once I found some drivers online and installed the printer like any other of the thousands of printers I’ve installed on Macs over the years, everything works fine. I can even share the printer on my WiFi network and print wirelessly from my laptop.
So, in summary,
Product: lovely
Product support and software: dreadful
A bit ‘plasticky’ in construction and doesn’t feel like the sort of machine that would take to regular daily office use. But for occasional home uses it seems ideal – only time will tell how robust it is.
Problems: the online driver and installer pack I downloaded from the Brother web site ran OK up to the point of the download but refused to install anything that way. I used the disc supplied with the printer instead. It worked perfectly and then I updated everything online from the printer’s GUI – no trouble with the downloading and install of that.
No idea what the problem was with downloaded installer package – possibly my anti-virus was blocking it. But I thought it worth mentioning in case others have a similar trouble. Who says discs aren’t needed any more? Wrong!
Only issue I’ve had so far with the actual printer is that the manual feed system for one off jobs like envelopes is not good. To start with you have to disable auto feed from the paper drawer by opening the back of the printer and clicking down two awkwardly positioned levers.
They have to be returned to their original position afterwards.
Who the hell designed in that sort of nonsense? Surely an external lever or electrical solution could have been incorporated.
You must then close the back and open the front to feed in the envelope to the point the roller is activated and partially draws the envelope in which is all it seems to do. You can then go ahead and print but occasionally the envelope is not drawn in fully and you have to give it some encouragement.
It is also a bit rough with some envelope types I’ve tried. I bought some C5 ones with a pull off protected glue strip so that side of the envelope is distinctly thicker. It feeds through and prints OK but I’ve had several where the transport system has creased the envelope, probably, because of that.
I should also mention that the C5 envelopes I used can not be fed into the printer in landscape format. They’re about 10mm wider than an ‘A4’ envelope width so you have to feed them in lengthwise. That means whatever word processing software you’re using needs to be able to rotate the address 90. So MS Wordpad can’t be used, at least not as easily as a full feature word processing/printing program.
In short: apart from these relatively minor criticisms I’m happy with my choice of printer so far.
I am very pleased with it so far and have found it prints, copies and scans with ease. The software is comprehensive and functional, though I suggest you download the latest versions from Brother’s website rather than using the supplied software disc if you’re on the internet. If you’re not on the internet, how are you reading this?
I am particularly fond of the 2-sided printing which is still rather fast and allows me to conserve paper. The toner supplied with the printer is not a full toner, which is standard, but I am impressed by how long it has lasted. We’ve managed to get through lots of frivolous printing like bits of my wife’s PhD as well as some important stuff like the character sheets for my barbarian and my friend’s druid for our Dungeons and Dragons sessions (these are especially good double sided).
The printer has also survived contact with our two border collies, which is more than be said for nearly every vacuum cleaner we buy. My only regret is that I didn’t pay a little more and get the MFC-L2710DW model with the document feed for the scanner, as scanning a large document without a feed can be a little boring.
I can’t comment on the wireless connectivity as I’m happy with a USB cable; I don’t want the Russians to intercept my printing.