Brother HL-2040 Toner Cartridges

The Brother HL-2040 laser printer that uses a single toner cartridge is designed for the personal user. It features fast speeds and a small footprint at an affordable price. Lack of expandability means it won't grow with your business, however.

The Brother HL-2040 laser printer is a very affordably-priced personal unit, and its compact size will appeal greatly to personal users who wish to put it on a desk next to the computer, or who have limited space. Measuring 6.5 inches by 14.6 inches by 14.2 inches (HWD) and weighing only 17 pounds, it is one of the most compact models available. The control panel is simple but functional, with only one 'Go' button and four LED lights to alert you of status or problems.

While the machine will likely fit the needs of a single user extremely well, it lacks expandability options, which could be a problem for a small business user hoping to grow their business in the future. Input paper capacity is 250 sheets, and the included memory is 8 MB. Neither of these can be expanded. Networking can be added with a print server, or the computer can be shared through a host computer, but too many network users and you will run up against the unit's limited capacity pretty fast. For a personal user who doesn't expect growing needs, it will make a good choice.

A starter Brother HL-2040 toner cartridge is included, but the starter laser toner cartridge only has a capacity of 1,500 pages. If multiple users have access to the printer, this cartridge will probably need to be replaced fairly quickly. The replacement Brother HL-2040 toner cartridges have a capacity of 2,500 pages, so later printer toner cartridge replacements will be less frequent.

Print quality is excellent, especially for the price. Text is clear and defined, even at small fonts. Graphics quality is about average for a laser. Print speed is also very impressive for the price, at 16 pages per minute. Personal models tend to lag behind more advanced models in speed, but the HL-2040 nearly keeps up with more professional models.

Overall, the Brother HL-2040 is a great choice for a personal user with small printing needs. It has great speed and quality for the price, but its lack of expandability makes it a questionable choice for small business users.