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Brother HL-2700CN

74

Good
  • Pros
  • Reasonably priced
  • Cons
  • Color graphics were too dark
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PC World Editor's Review

by Paul Jasper

Very fast text printing is the highlight of this compact model, though paper handling is limited.

The Brother HL-2700CN earned our highest overall score for output performance, and the model is reasonably priced at $500. Text printing was remarkably quick, at 18.7 ppm--the fastest speed on the chart--and color graphics printed at a respectable 3.1 ppm.

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The built-in Web interface is convenient for managing the printer, but Brother also includes administration software. Larger companies can use their existing SNMP applications.

Text quality wasn't tops, however, as letters looked slightly fuzzy and had lots of jagged edges. Color graphics were too dark.

Paper handling is simple, making this model best suited for groups with simple printing needs. The HL-2700CN has a 250-sheet paper drawer, with no bypass tray. To print on legal-size paper, you'll need to buy a $150 tray for the main drawer. An additional 500-sheet drawer costs a whopping $550--and this drawer doesn't accept legal-size paper.

Upshot: Impressive speeds and easy management make this a good choice for small offices, but simple paper handling and poor graphics quality limit its appeal.

Paul Jasper

User Reviews for Brother HL-2700CN

  • Reviewed by: redgiant

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Easy to use,Fast monochrome text speed,network-ready, large-capacity cartridge.

    Weaknesses: Limited paper storage,a little bit noisy.

    Overall Evaluation: I bought this machine for $500 with $50 rebate. The installation is easy and is the fastest color laser printer so far. It offers impressive print quality with crispy and great details. I bought this printer because it has large-capacity cartridge (Yields up to 6,600 pages with $150 for each cartridge). The HL-2700CN includes a CompactFlash card slot, which, with the addition of a CompactFlash card, you can use to store and reprint large documents, as well as for storing special font and frequently used forms and templates. The LCD screen can shows the status of the printing. Although it's a little bit noisy during printing, I recommend this printer for small business.

  • Reviewed by: Meiyer

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Good text printing and fast,if toner is full then page costs are very good

    Weaknesses: very noisy when the printing starts,waiting time for the first colour print toooo long

    Overall Evaluation: Fill up the toner cartridges up to the top and you get a very good price per printed page (between 2p and 4.5p) but if you like it nice and quiet and your colour prints printed out today and not next year then look somewhere else

See all user reviews

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