Instant Expert Advice. -JustAnswerBrother HL-2170W - b/w - laser
Manufacturer: Brother International Part number: HL-2170W-US
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Brother HL-2170W laser printer can be the perfect money saving sidekick to your existing inkjet, but don't expect it to handle even the most minor graphic jobs.
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CNET editors' review
Brother HL-2170W - b/w - laser price range: $134.34 - $176.05
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 03/19/2008
- Released on: 12/19/2007
The good: Speedy text document printing; modest price tag; compact form factor; wireless option is convenient after initial setup, short initial lag time.
The bad: Wireless installation has some difficulty; poor graphics quality; lacks autoduplexing.
The bottom line: The Brother HL-2170W laser printer can be the perfect money saving sidekick to your existing inkjet, but don't expect it to handle even the most minor graphic jobs.
The Brother HL-2170W laser monochrome printer provides a viable alternative to the bottomless money pit that has become today's inkjet printer. Modern photo, tricolor, and high capacity ink cartridges can cost anywhere between $20 to $100 per refill, so multiply that by your volume of prints and try not to balk at the true cost of owning an inkjet. As an alternative, supplementing a printer set up with an inexpensive black and white laser printer can cut costs in home offices that tend to cycle through black cartridges with text-only documents. Although it's not without its shortcomings, such as cripplingly poor quality graphics prints, the Brother HL-2170W balances out with speedy text printing and 802.11b/g wireless functionality for just $150. We'd certainly recommend it as a secondary text-only printer if you already have a photo inkjet and have a little extra change to throw around.
Design
The HL-2170W has the same overall size and design as the HL-2140 ($129.99) but adds 32MB of onboard memory and an 802.11b/g wireless interface for an additional $20, boosting the total price to $150. As far as laser printers go, this little guy is more David than a Goliath at 6.7 inches tall and 14.5 inches wide and weighs just fifteen pounds. Designwise, it's unassuming and finished in the same matte grey found on most cubicle walls and the original Nintendo Gameboy.
The front lip folds down to reveal the toner port and like most laser printers, the paper tray is located on the face of the unit and can be fully removed from the body for refills. If you're the average home user, you probably won't need to refill too often considering the printer can hold 250 sheets of standard 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper. Also, there is a manual feed paper slot handles an assortment of different paper sizes including Letter, Legal, Executive, A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, and envelopes. We printed more than 150 sheets of paper during our lab testing and never experienced a paper jam or even the slightest delay.
The control panel is just as simple as the body of the HL-2170W itself, including one large all-inclusive "Go" button (error recovery, wake-up, job cancel, wireless on/off, manual feed) and three small LEDs for toner, drum, and error status. Other than that, this printer has few other features to brag about. The Brother HL-2170W isn't the prettiest pup in the show, designed with utility, not fashion, in mind. Design nerds will probably be more satisfied with the glossy finish and atypical footprint of the Samsung ML-1630.
Features
As we mentioned, the HL-2170W includes 32MB of internal memory, which allow you to queue more documents at one time and generally speed up the whole printing process. The Brother HL-2170W also comes with three options for connecting to your computer: USB 2.0, 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet, and wireless 802.11 b/g. Most monochrome laser printers don't come with same breadth of connection options. The printer is also Mac, Windows, and even Linux compatible.
Connecting the printer to our wireless network gave us a significant amount of trouble, but we were eventually able to connect it to our wireless router, an older D-Link DI-624. Brother's software walk-through gives you two options for installing the driver using either a wired or wireless setup--we went straight for the wireless option. Unfortunately, it turns out that if you choose this option, the device will attempt to set up an ad-hoc network with your router to initiate the pairing. Because of that, we decided to deal with wires--at least for the duration of the installation--so that we wouldn't have to change the settings on our network preferences. We plugged in a network cable to the router and the printer and were surprised at how easy it was establish a wired connection and remotely configure the printer for wireless connectivity from there. The printer also supports SecureEasySetup, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and AOSS, which automates the process even further if you have a compatible access point.
We're slightly disappointed that the HL-2170W cannot autoduplex, meaning it can't print automatically on both sides of a piece of paper. While we wouldn't normally expect this feature in a modestly priced device, we find it slightly ironic that a printer flaunting Energy Star compliance is lacking the potential to literally cut paper consumption in half. At the same time, autoduplexers add bulk to the back of the device and are typically an added bonus on $250+ printers, such as the Samsung ML-3051ND, so it makes sense that this one wouldn't include it.
Performance
In our lab tests, the Brother HL-2170W emerged as one of the front-runners in terms of speed, shooting out an impressive 17.48 pages of black text per minute. Compare this with other similarly priced lasers below and you'll find that the Brother is fastest on most counts. In addition, printers usually need an average of four seconds to process a job before the actual printing begins, but the HL-2170W began to spool paper and print with only 2 seconds of lag time.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Graphics | |
Presentation | |
Text |
Of course, speed isn't everything and quality should never be sacrificed to quantity. The HL-2170w 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 two-point Times New Roman. The individual letters were also free from line breaks and fuzzy edges. The graphics sample, however, didn't produce equally positive results. 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. Finally, the HL-2170W also failed our 12-step shading test. Harsh banding quickly appeared at the 40 percent shading mark and continued to get worse as the percentage increased.
Overall, this printer would make the most sense as a secondary, text-only printer to save money on paper and ink in the end, 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.
According to Brother, each standard toner cartridge will yield approximately 1,500 pages. Three cents per page is relatively high for a laser jet printer, but still significantly less than it would cost to replace an inkjet cartridge with the same frequency. Brother also offers a "high yield" toner cartridge that yields 2,600 pages at a slightly cheaper two cents per page. The combination toner and drum unit included in the box is a "starter" package that only yields a reported 1,000 pages.
Service and Support
Brother stands by all of their monochrome laser printers with a one year Express Exchange limited warranty in addition to offering a toll-free customer service number for trouble-shooting information. Customers can also visit the Web site for driver downloads, FAQs, and comprehensive support center.
User reviews
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First laser printer in our hose
by sympaticoca on August 20, 2009
Pros: hl2170w works great, we us a wifi and having a option to move printer to any place in a house is great. so far we printed a 900 pages toner is at 30%, and drum life is at 90% wow ...
Cons: It was confusing to enable wifi on a unit itself but 5 min with customer support did a magic, we have tis unit for more than a year and half, two paper jams...
Summary: its great thing for any house, i do like colour but for a 100$ you get black an white...
Summary: its great thing for any house, i do like colour but for a 100$ you get black an white...
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Adjust Intensity For Better Graphics
by mt_99 on August 19, 2009
Pros: Great print quality, easy set up for wireless (follow the directions), low cost
Cons: None, considering the price point
Summary: I wonder if your reviewer knew about setting the printer to 'graphics' and adjusting the 'intensity' from within the print driver.
It's a bit hard to find this, but ...Summary: I wonder if your reviewer knew about setting the printer to 'graphics' and adjusting the 'intensity' from within the print driver.
It's a bit hard to find this, but it makes all the difference in the world in the quality of printed graphics. By default, this setting seems to be set much too dark, making graphics appear extremely muddy. But by lightening the setting 3-4 increments, the graphics are actually quite good.
I've had this printer only a few days but am extremely impressed with print quality, ease of set up (read the directions), and value.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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No problems, works as good as I need it
by Fourbluz on February 18, 2009
Pros: Very easy set up
Not to big.
Only a power cord attached to it.
Good print speed
Great priceCons: No duplex printing
Summary: I don't know why anyone can have problems with the set up. I have minimal computer skills and I hate to work on them, but I was able to ...
Summary: I don't know why anyone can have problems with the set up. I have minimal computer skills and I hate to work on them, but I was able to have my desktop Windows Vista computer and my daughters Apple laptop connected to the wireless printing with in 15 minutes. I just followed the instructions and pictures. I attached the printer to the router, let the computer find it,removed it from the router then I typed in my network key and that was it. So very simple.
I only paid $90.00 for it and I saw it for $149.00 at some stores but today I see it is for sale again so do not pay more than $100.00. I was also able to find the TN-360 high yield toner cartridges for $45.00.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent Home Office Printer. Works like a charm.
by cwebb86 on January 26, 2009
Pros: Easy on the pocketbook. Very easy to set up wirelessly(If you follow the directions). Cost of replacement toner is cheaper than the replacement of inkjet cartridges.
Cons: Haven't found any yet, but will update if I find any.
Summary: If you're looking for a cost effective, fast printer for your home or home office, you won't go wrong with this printer. The wireless set up is a ...
Summary: If you're looking for a cost effective, fast printer for your home or home office, you won't go wrong with this printer. The wireless set up is a snap, as long as you follow the detailed instructions(took me less than 5 min). The printing speed is awesome and the cost of replacement toner cartridges is cheaper than buying inkjet cartridges for an inkjet color printer. I purchased 3 toner cartridges for less than $30 ea. If you're looking for a printer to handle your text only, monochrome document needs, then this is your guy! If you need photo, color or high quality graphics printing done, then look elsewhere!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One Great Printer
by 99Hokie on January 14, 2010
Pros: Saves mucho money over the old dell 966(do not buy the 966) inkjet. No jams. I thought it was easy to set up wireless. Low profile and fast.
Cons: For the small home office--NONE. I use it in my small part time cpa practice without a hitch. Churns out 1040's with no problems.
Summary: Buy this printer. You will be happy if you understand it is a document printer for text printing. I mean its a black and white laser for goodness sakes. Do ...
Summary: Buy this printer. You will be happy if you understand it is a document printer for text printing. I mean its a black and white laser for goodness sakes. Do not buy it if your looking for a graphics printer. This is absolutely the only way you can be dissapointed with this unit. A must have for a a small business office if you have a color graphic back up. In my case I am worried the 966 money trap cartridges will dry up from lack of use. I use to buy cartridges 1 a month off season and every 2 weeks in tax season now I think the 966 will last a year or two. So this unit will pay for itself on the very next toner purchase.
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For the money hard to beat
by BRYANKEE on December 27, 2009
Pros: Worked right out of the box, wireless setup was simple.
Cons: nothing yet
Summary: I picked this unit up from office depote for $99. I had read some of the reviews about the wireless setup being complex or confusing. I'm not sure what ...
Summary: I picked this unit up from office depote for $99. I had read some of the reviews about the wireless setup being complex or confusing. I'm not sure what those people are talking about. I had it setup and printing from both my Windows 7 laptops in under 15 minutes. As stated in an erlier review if you follow the instructions it's super simple. I would recommend using the wired method for setting up the wireless option. Plug in the printer to an open port on your router, put the supplied cd in your machines drive and choose install driver, choose the wireless option then choose wireless option using "wired method' and away you go. So far I've only printed a few things from both laptops but quality for text is very good. We only need a printer to do the basics and for the price and the options you can't beat this printer.
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A USB Printer that prints in WordPerfect for DOS!
by otbros on December 22, 2009
Pros: The HL-2170 is cheap, has PCL built-in, and toner isn't expensive like our old Lexmark Optra ($200 per cartridge! ouch!). It is rather idiot-proof since there is only one button besides the power switch. It doesn't BEEP at you and fits on the desk
Cons: It comes with a puny "Starter" toner cartridge which runs out quickly (a few hundred pages).
Summary: I am using the Brother HL-2170 Laser Printer in a very strange configuration: My employer is a very old lawyer who refuses to learn Windows or Microsoft Word - He ...
Summary: I am using the Brother HL-2170 Laser Printer in a very strange configuration: My employer is a very old lawyer who refuses to learn Windows or Microsoft Word - He insists in using WordPerfect 5.1 Plus for DOS!
I found a neat solution: run WP 5.1 for DOS under Slackware Linux (version 13.0, 64bit) via DosEmu, a DOS emulator. The HL-2170 USB printer can actually print a DOS WordPerfect document! (DOS was made before USB printers).
I had originally bought the Brother HL-2140 for this purpose, since I didn't need the wireless or ethernet features. However, I discovered that I needed a printer that had PCL capability: The 2140 doesn't, and the 2170 does, so I upgraded to the HL-2170. Since the HL-2140 only cost me $50 on sale at Offce Max a few months ago, I kept it and use it on another system, and it works well, too. These two printers use the same toner cartridges, so I have flexibility for short-term problems.
I'm quite happy with both the HL-2140 and HL-2170 -- so far. -
Awesome when it works...
by aaron7 on October 6, 2009
Pros: Great quality prints, fast, wireless, small footprint
Cons: Ever since day ONE I've had constant "Print Overrun" errors. It doesn't matter if I'm printing 3 lines from Notepad or web pages heavy w/ images; it does it every few print jobs. I've talked with Brother only to be told there's nothing wrong with it.
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GREAT HOME PRINTER
by juligirl21 on August 28, 2009
Pros: Just the right size, fits about a half of rim of paper, prints quickly. Perfect for basic black & white printing. Compatible to my iMAC
Cons: Wireless connection does suck. I wasn't able to print while using the internet. Since I had a mac i would convert the print out to PDF and print while I was offline. Works ok if you have
Summary: Great quality printouts, perfect for basic home use. Wireless works ok if you have a laptop, but you just have to be able to save the printout and print later.
Summary: Great quality printouts, perfect for basic home use. Wireless works ok if you have a laptop, but you just have to be able to save the printout and print later.
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Wireless install blues for "legacy" (3+ yrs) routers
by petelyons on June 15, 2009
Pros: Print quality & speed
Cons: Wireless installation gotchas, no auto two-sided printing
Summary: For those with newer (1.5 yrs and newer) wireless routers, yes I'm sure installation was failrly straightforward. For those of us still using routers of 3+ years in ...
Summary: For those with newer (1.5 yrs and newer) wireless routers, yes I'm sure installation was failrly straightforward. For those of us still using routers of 3+ years in age, BEWARE. Even if you follow the manual's instructions to the letter, you will run into problems. In my case, it required a second attempt and pouring over the online troubleshooting docs. Turns out I needed to do an "Advanced" setting during the wireless install b/c my router is WPA-PSK with TKIP passphrase (NOT "key"). Further, after the install, I had to DISable my WinXP firewall in order to print! Hmm. In the online help docs, they tell you how to configure your firewall to allow your pc to talk with the Brother printer. This took all evening (3 hrs) to get up and running.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Brother International
- Part number: HL-2170W-US
- Description: The HL-2170W is a budget-friendly monochrome laser printer that is ideal for home or home office printer sharing. Featuring the same print speed, footprint and paper handling as the HL-2140, the HL-2170W offers wireless 802.11b/g and wired (Ethernet) network interfaces for connecting to your wired or wireless router. In addition, it includes 32MB of memory standard for faster processing and PCL 6 emulation for greater compatibility.
General
- Width 14.5 in
- Depth 14.2 in
- Height 6.7 in
- Weight 15 lbs
- Localization United States
Printing
- First Print Out Time B/W 10 sec
Miscellaneous
- Consumables Included 1 ( Black ), 1
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
Environmental Standards
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Environmental Parameters
- Sound Emission 30 dB (idle) / 51 dB (operating)
- Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 90.5 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%
Accessories
- Brother DR 360 - drum kit (32813509)35.00 - 109.99
- Brother TN 330 - toner cartridge (32813073)26.26 - 51.99
- Brother TN 360 - toner cartridge (32813464)16.99 - 71.99
- Brother BP60MPLTR Multi-Purpose Paper - plain paper - 500 sheet(s) (33361843)5.99 - 15.83
- TallyGenicom toner cartridge (33632465)26.73 - 30.24
Manufacturer info
- Brother International
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Brother International products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.brother.com/
- Address:
100 Somerset Corporate Blvd., Bridgewater, NJ 08807 - Phone: 1-908-704-1700
- Fax: 1-908-704-8235
