Brother DCP-L2550DW

This is a GREAT printer that works exceptionally well. Good features and it's super easy to set up. I had a prior model of this printer (DCP-7065DN) that was about 10 years old and it still worked perfectly.......but I bought a new computer (Mac) that did not support the older version of the printer and no drivers were available from Brother. So, I bought this model (DCP-L2550DW). It has duplex (2-sided) printing, a document feeder (single side, not duplex), and It's a little faster than the older version and its also wireless capable. Very easy to change toner cartridges, but I will note that the Brother toner cartridges are VERY expensive. I have always had good luck using aftermarket toner cartridges and have never had an issue of any kind. I use Lx-Tek cartridges and they SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive (only about15% of the cost of the original Brother cartridge with NO difference in performance or print quality. I plan on doing the same with this printer.

Printer arrived today, and I was able to set it up and install the software without a single glitch. I'm running Windows 8.1 and using a local USB interface. The reason for the purchase is my Canon inkjet died, and I needed a business-capable laser printer. I've had three Canon inkjet printers but I used at least two Brother laser printers previous to the Canon inkjets. There is a considerable difference between this DCP-L2550DW MFC printer, and the previous Brother laser printers besides the glitch-free install. The Windows print driver is far improved with more feature control and ease of use. Brother has a separate printer utility, iPrint & Scan, that provides a print and scan UI for document and image printing and scanning, it is very easy to use, and it is a vast improvement over the Canon print/scan utility. There is a third software, Nuance PaperPort, that is an impressive document management tool and includes a fast PDF reader. The install CD gave me the option to bypass the Nuance Paperport install and install it later. If you don't have a CD player in your machine, you can download the installer from the Brother support web page. During the install, the installer utility also installed printer firmware updates without a glitch. I have printed a text document, and graphic document, and the print quality is impressive. BTW, the printer woke up from a sleep and printed those documents without a glitch. The printer is quiet and the print speed is amazing. Being brand new, I cannot speak to the long term reliability of this printer but here are a few things I learned in my research: the older version of this printer, a Brother 2540 model, is the source of the vast majority of negative reviews for this printer--whether the 2540 or 2550 model. On the first dozen pages of negative reviews, only four pertained to the 2550 model, and three of those four reviews were wireless problems. Wireless printer problems are not unique to Brother printers; they are ubiquitous. If you think about it, the wireless challenge is to make a device in deep sleep mode respond to an interrupt signal--something humans don't like to do--and the majority of the negative reviews are expressing frustration with this challenge. I have returned a Kodak printer due to wireless problems. For these reasons, I stay with tech that works: local USB. The competitor printer nearest in features to this Brother printer is the Dell E514dw, and I noticed the Dell uses the same printer chassis as the Brother 2540 model but the Dell comes with a 10,000 monthly page duty cycle, and this Brother DCP-L2550DW comes with a 15,000 monthly duty cycle. Maybe the duty cycle difference is significant, maybe not (remember: "your MPG may vary") but I went with the higher duty cycle number. I didn't think I would have any install problems for a local USB connection but Brother has a support web site that is easier to use than Dell, and Brother comes with free telephone support if you need it. Bottom line: the 2550 model--including the bundled software--is impressive so far.

We're a very light printing household - maybe 3 or 4 times a year and usually 10 or less pages. Id absolutely had my fill of having to spend $30+ every time we wanted to print as the ink had dried up, and then $50 every 2 or 3 years as the cheap printer broke. Last time we bought a higher end Canon printer and while it lasted longer, it still ate ink as quick as the cheap ones. It was also "wireless" although it was very finicky and rarely worked correctly, so I almost always plugged in to avoid the hassle. Found this reasonably priced laser and I'm absolutely in love. The wireless works 100% perfectly with no hiccups from phones or computers. Printing is fast and crisp. My favorite part is we had a 6 month gap between printing, and it ran like new, something our old ink jets would've struggled to do. I also really like the feed tray copier function as we'd have normally went to a print store to make copies like that as its too slow to make copies on the a regular flat plate scanner.

This printer delivers crisp, high-quality prints every time and works flawlessly without hassle. Fast, reliable and efficient.

ESTOU COM A IMPRESSORA PARADA SEM FUNCIONAR PORQUE A PLACA DE REDE NÃO FUNCIONA

great printer. had it for over a year now with no issues. lots of updates available. easy to program/use

Good quality

Note on picture: I'm still using the original toner that came with the printer (as I've seen many times that it only prints ~50 pages on the toner that comes with the printer. Also the 'Jam inside' was due to human error with the manual feed (a sheet of labels), had nothing to do with the unit itself. Great unit! Very easy to set up the wireless function and excellent at printing duplex. I've only used 600 dpi as I find it prints well enough. Comments have mentioned that the unit is loud; however, for a duplexing machine, it's about what you would expect. If you can, place it in a different room, or just a bit further away from you and it'll be fine. I also find the copier tends to create crooked images on the outputs - but I'm not sure if I have it set up well enough yet. Also, when wifi is enabled, the printer does not turn off. Otherwise, an awesome machine and would buy again.

If you are tired of constantly buying new and expensive ink cartridges, or don't have 450$ to drop on an ink printer with 20$ cartridges that give you 3000-4000 pages right now, this is your best choice in terms of value and quality. Just be sure to consider how much do you need color printing first. HP overcharges on all of their ink and toner, and you'd also have to spend at least 40$ more to get an HP printer of this quality. This printer is fast, really easy setup (took me about 15 minutes to install drivers and set up wireless printing from my phone as well). The toner is also dirt cheap (3000 pages for 75$). The only downside is, once you get through that drum unit (which will last about 10,000 pages), you might as well get a new printer since they cost about 120$ (unless you can find them on sale).