Brother HL-5030 Toner Cartridges

Brother HL-5030 Printer Review

Designed for personal use, the monochrome Brother HL-5030 laser printer takes a simple approach. Its speeds of up to 17 pages per minute are not the fastest in its class, but its compact design and low purchase price have their own appeal. It has more paper capacity than might be expected, but it does lack networking support.

Nearly everything about the design of the HL-5030 is simple, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It measures just 9.9x15x15.1 inches, with a weight of 23.1 pounds. The control panel includes only two buttons (Go and Job Cancel), but has LED indicators for when the paper, drum, or Brother HL-5030 printer toner need replacing.

The input paper tray holds up to 250 sheets, with a separate manual feed slot for envelopes or other media. The output tray can hold up to 150 sheets. Automatic duplexing is not supported, though manual duplexing is an option within the printer driver. Windows and Mac platforms are supported, and the unit connects via USB port, with a lack of wired or wireless networking putting it firmly in the category of personal use.

The capacity of Brother HL-5030 toner cartridges is larger than one might expect for a compact machine. The standard supply provides up to 3,300 pages, while a high-capacity Brother HL-5030 toner cartridge can provide up to 6,500 pages for a much lower cost per page. Choosing compatible toners instead of OEM versions will save even more.

For the personal user who doesn't need the fastest output speed or a resolution higher than 600 dpi, the HL-5030 is a simple, compact model that will do an excellent job at affordable daily printing. It comes at a low price, and savings on Brother HL-5030 toner will keep running costs down over the long term.