“The Brother HL-L2460DW is surprisingly fast for such an inexpensive monochrome laser printer with few tradeoffs.”
- Fast printing
- Generous starter toner, pre-installed
- Low cost per page
- Full 250-sheet paper tray
- single-sheet media tray
- Good picture quality
- Single-line, monochrome display
- Duplex speed is a bit slow
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Brother’s HL-L2460DW is a monochrome laser printer that’s priced to sell. It’s also compact and fast, making it a top seller. The HL-L2460DW sounds like a great option for printing letters, labels, invoices, receipts, and the daily hard copies you need.
What you read on the box doesn’t always give you the whole picture, so I went hands-on with the Brother HL-L2460DW to get a feel of how easy it is to use, examine the print quality across a range of documents, and research the maintenance costs to get a true sense of the cost of ownership.
The best budget printers balance price and features without compromising too much on quality, speed, and usability.
Specs
| Brother HL-L2460DW | |
| Dimensions | 14.0 x 14.2 x 7.2 inches |
| Weight | 17.7 pounds |
| Print speed | 36 ppm |
| Print resolution | 1200 x 1200 dpi |
| Ports | Hi-Speed USB, Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX |
| Paper capacity | 250 sheets (main tray), single-sheet (media slot) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, dual-band |
Design
The Brother HL-L2460DW is small and lightweight with a 14 by 14.2-inch footprint that makes it easy to fit into a small office. It stands just 7.2 inches high.
The compact size and minimalist basic black design won’t be too obtrusive in a home. If you don’t use a printer frequently, a stylish dust cover will make it disappear until you need it.
Brother didn’t skimp on functionality, though. The controls are simple but work well, despite the small, one-line monochrome display.
The main paper tray holds 250 sheets, and half a ream will last a while. The HL-L2460DW also has a single-sheet media slot that simplifies printing a one-off label or envelope without shuffling an entire tray of paper.
Everything is clearly labeled, so you won’t struggle to understand which way to load paper or how to operate the printer.
Printing performance
It’s immediately apparent that the Brother HL-L2460DW is fast. The first print rolled out in just 8.5 seconds, and it’s even quicker with long documents, reaching up to 36 pages per minute (ppm). That’s less than two seconds per page.
For an inexpensive printer, the print quality is excellent. Text is crisp, and fine print is easy to read. Lines are sharp in graphics, and it even handles photos well.
If you want better black-and-white pictures and need them fast, the HP Laserjet Pro MFP 3101fdw is among the best affordable monochrome laser printers for photos.
Duplex printing requires printing one side, rerolling the sheet to the other side, and printing the back. The Brother HL-L2460DW handles this well, but it does take a toll on speed, reducing print speed to 8.5 ppm. That’s still quick, but the best small business printers are faster.
Software and compatibility
Installation was simple. The quick start guide had clear illustrations showing how to install the toner cartridge. Then I plugged in the printer, loaded paper, and powered on.
I scanned a QR code with my iPhone and installed Brother’s Mobile Connect app. Connecting to Wi-Fi was as easy as holding the Wi-Fi button and confirming on my phone.
In under 10 minutes, the HL-L2460DW was ready to print. I also connected my Windows PC, MacBook, and Android phone without any issues.
Everything worked as expected when printing from computers, but I couldn’t find a way to print an envelope from the mobile app. AirPrint worked, but the envelope was misaligned.
Price
Brother set the HL-L2460DW’s retail price at $160, so it’s a great printer deal even at full price. On sale, it will be a steal. It comes with a starter toner cartridge that lasts through 700 pages, so you won’t need to replenish immediately.
However, maintenance costs are a consideration. Fortunately, the Brother HL-L2460DW is quite efficient for a low-cost printer. A standard TN830 toner cartridge can print 1,200 pages with an average cost of four cents per sheet.
If you spend a little more and choose a high-capacity TN830XL toner cartridge, you can cut a penny per page off your running costs. It holds enough toner to print 3,000 pages at three cents per page.
The Brother TN830XL2PK twin pack squeezes supply cost further. When you order this bundle, you’ll have enough toner to print 6,000 pages at 2.5 cents per page.
The HL-L2460DW has a separate drum that needs replacement after about 15,00 pages. It costs a little over $100 and adds about one cent to print costs. That means the total cost per page is 3.5 to 5 cents, which is reasonable for monochrome laser printers.
To reduce print costs further, you’d need to get a slower inkjet tank printer. Some models like the Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 slash printing costs to tenths of a cent per page.
Is this the printer for you?
The Brother HL-L2460DW is an excellent monochrome laser printer with an inviting price. Maintenance and supply costs are low, making it a great choice for small and home offices.
The blazing speed and value proposition will be tempting for small businesses, and the recommended duty cycle is 2,500 pages monthly. Brother says the HL-L2460DW can withstand a maximum of 35,000 pages in a busy month, so this is a durable printer despite its compact and lightweight design.
Still, the best all-in-one printers bundle copy, scan, and fax features to keep a busy office running smoothly. The Brother HL-L2460DW is probably a better fit for a home office.
It might even be a good basic monochrome printer to own alongside a high-quality photo printer. That gives you the best of both worlds, vibrant color when you need it and quick, low-cost receipts and shipping labels.
