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Brother HL-1850 LASER PRINTER 19PPM 16MB HQ1200DPI 350 SHEET INPUT (Brother-HL1850)

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At a Glance
Prints text and simple graphics
Interfaces with Apple computers
Windows compatible

Brother HL-1850 LASER PRINTER 19PPM 16MB HQ1200DPI 350 SHEET INPUT (Brother-HL1850) Review

by Dan Littman

The HL-1850 behaves more like a workgroup printer than like a personal laser.

WHAT'S HOT: We admired the HL-1850's print quality on text and lines: Like the corresponding output of the Brother HL-2460N, these looked slightly too light on our test documents, but otherwise were quite attractive. The HL-1850 even does a reasonable job on gray-scale graphics, which is rather unusual among laser printers. And an internal duplexer comes as standard equipment.

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WHAT'S NOT: If you don't need a duplexer, the HL-1850's $500 price tag seems pretty steep. Also, getting a firm grip on the toner cartridge so you can pull it out is somewhat difficult. Because the toner and imaging drum are separate components that latch together, replacing the toner is less convenient than with either an all-in-one design or an arrangement that completely separates the two pieces.

WHAT ELSE: The unit lacks an ethernet interface. (With an ethernet interface, this printer is called the 1870N and costs $700.) The HL-1850's only paper-handling option is a 250-sheet tray that sells for $200. A control-panel feature lets you--or anyone walking by--reprint the last document by pushing a button on the printer. Fortunately, if security is a concern, you can turn this feature off and lock the control panel to make sure it stays off.

UPSHOT: The HL-1850 delivers great performance and features, but its price makes it a tough sell for a single user--unless you need its internal duplexer.

SUMMARY

Brother HL-1850

Rated 19 ppm text, standard 16MB RAM, 2400-by-600-dpi maximum resolution, 350 sheets input, 150 output.

$500
800/276-7746
www.brother.com/usa/printer/printer_cntr.html

User Reviews for Brother HL-1850 LASER PRINTER 19PPM 16MB HQ1200DPI 350 SHEET INPUT (Brother-HL1850)

Reviewed by: lawfirmgwc

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Speed & cost. I use for business and I really like that I can put envelopes in the feeder and paper in the tray. Other printers I have had only take one envelope at a time.

Weaknesses: Do not update the driver, use the disk that comes with the printer. I updated the driver on Windowsupdate.com and it messed up printing for envelopes.

Overall Evaluation: I use for my business and am very happy with the printer. I wish more people carried toner and drum units for it, but the bang for the buck you get with this printer is unmatched.
Reviewed by: etakasaki

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: FAST!!! Love built-in duplexer. Reprint button. Nice clear graphics and text.

Weaknesses: None that concern me. Maybe a little "squeaky" as the paper comes out of the hopper, but if that is my only concern, then I am happy. Setting up for postscript is a little confusing.

Overall Evaluation: I picked this printer after LONG research of similar prices and featured printers. There is NO other printer that gives me auto-duplexing, 2400x600 resolution, 19 ppm, 16 MB of RAM, AND postscript emulation for a street price of $429. It also has nice features like multiple pages on one page, etc. I save a lot of paper by printing 2:1 and duplex. Printing is so sharp I can print 4:1 for some manuals and still read clearly. Make a features table and compare with HP, Lexmark, and Samsung, and others and you will see that this is clearly best value -- indispensible for home or small office or workgroup. Even includes a real toner cartridge, not a stupid starter one like HP often includes. Well worth the extra $100 over a "baby" HP. I don't know what the comsumables cost yet, but I've been through 10 reams of paper and still going strong on included toner. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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