Brother HL-1470N Laser Printer
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- Black Print Speed: 15 ppm
- Technology (Detailed): Laser
- Max Resolution (BW): 1200 x 600 dpi
- Total Media Capacity: 250 Sheets
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Still going strong (since August 2001!) Great value.
Pros
Postscript, PCL6 & Ethernet. Quiet & low power. Separate drum & toner.
Cons
No duplexer. Must power cycle printer to cancel a print job.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Good small business printer. A bit of overkill for the home. Ask yourself if you can do without duplexing.
The HL-1470N shares a print engine with the models HL-1230, HL-1440 and HL-1450. It is the follow on product to the HL-1240, HL-1250 & HL-1270N printers.
Overall the HL-1470N appears to be a solid choice. Since the basic printer will be reviewed elsewhere, I'll concentrate on the networking features.
With one tiny exception, you don't need any of the supplied software or documentation to set up the machine. For some reason the printer password is not documented anywhere on the paper that comes with the machine (it's "access"). Once you know the secret, just point your web browser at the printer. Nice and easy.
You'll have plenty of options. But since only one of them probably matters to you, it's really simple. Supported printing communication protocols are:
* Netware * TCP/IP(lpr) *DLC *Appletalk
* POP3/SMTP * NetBIOS *IPP *FTP
For network setup you've got more options that you'll ever need:
*Static IP, DHCP, BOOTP, RARP
And of course you can always use USB or Parallel.
If you don't know how to configure your machine, don't worry. There are complete instructions for a dozen operating systems ranging from DOS to Windows to Linux to Solaris. While I did not use it, a Windows-based wizard complete with hokey videos is provided.
Total setup time was just a minute or two for me, using the Unix "lpr" protocol. It works great, and is the Brother recommended method for setting up both Unix & Windows NT/2000 as no drivers are required. For Windows 98 Brother installs a PCL printer driver -- you'll probably want to dig through the menus and install the Postscript version instead. Regardless, the communication method is "lpr".
It's cute, but probably not useful, that you can have the printer monitor an email POP box, and print whatever is sent there. The printer can also send out email warning of low paper, toner, etc. The network features are so complete they seem out of place -- more appropriate for a much higher end printer.
The basic features all work fine:
* Paper handling seems good, with even small envelopes feeding properly. The manual feed tray has a nice positive lock feel to it. The unit rarely jams, even though I use recycled paper that's not perfect. The occasional staple has not damaged the machine.
* Page registration is better than 1/16", making this printer suitable for printing labels.
* The drum & toner are replaced separately. That saves a lot of money.
* Since the web interface is so good, you won't miss having buttons and a display on the unit itself.
* First print after sleep is fast. The printer can automatically adjust the sleep timer based on use.
* Since I use recycled "used on one side" paper, the lack of duplexer was not an issue.
A "oh drat that's not the job I want and besides it's coming out wrong cancel that job" button would be a very welcome addition.
Update after 6 months of use:
(1) Biggest annoyance is the manual feed. When the printer goes to sleep it turns off the manual feed. You have to "wake up" the printer, wait 15 seconds, then feed your paper.
(2) A 'reprint last page' button would be great.
(3) A "cancel job" button would be great.
No other buttons are needed, because the web interface is so good.
Update after 1 year:
(1) Going strong! Annoyances (1) to (3) above still apply.
Update: Jan 2006
(1) Going strong! The sleep mode manual feed is still a constant pain. I upgraded the memory to 36MB (for all of $8), though I still occasionally have to print as PCL not Postscript due to memory issues.
This has been a great printer (nice printer... nice printer... keep going).
Overall the HL-1470N appears to be a solid choice. Since the basic printer will be reviewed elsewhere, I'll concentrate on the networking features.
With one tiny exception, you don't need any of the supplied software or documentation to set up the machine. For some reason the printer password is not documented anywhere on the paper that comes with the machine (it's "access"). Once you know the secret, just point your web browser at the printer. Nice and easy.
You'll have plenty of options. But since only one of them probably matters to you, it's really simple. Supported printing communication protocols are:
* Netware * TCP/IP(lpr) *DLC *Appletalk
* POP3/SMTP * NetBIOS *IPP *FTP
For network setup you've got more options that you'll ever need:
*Static IP, DHCP, BOOTP, RARP
And of course you can always use USB or Parallel.
If you don't know how to configure your machine, don't worry. There are complete instructions for a dozen operating systems ranging from DOS to Windows to Linux to Solaris. While I did not use it, a Windows-based wizard complete with hokey videos is provided.
Total setup time was just a minute or two for me, using the Unix "lpr" protocol. It works great, and is the Brother recommended method for setting up both Unix & Windows NT/2000 as no drivers are required. For Windows 98 Brother installs a PCL printer driver -- you'll probably want to dig through the menus and install the Postscript version instead. Regardless, the communication method is "lpr".
It's cute, but probably not useful, that you can have the printer monitor an email POP box, and print whatever is sent there. The printer can also send out email warning of low paper, toner, etc. The network features are so complete they seem out of place -- more appropriate for a much higher end printer.
The basic features all work fine:
* Paper handling seems good, with even small envelopes feeding properly. The manual feed tray has a nice positive lock feel to it. The unit rarely jams, even though I use recycled paper that's not perfect. The occasional staple has not damaged the machine.
* Page registration is better than 1/16", making this printer suitable for printing labels.
* The drum & toner are replaced separately. That saves a lot of money.
* Since the web interface is so good, you won't miss having buttons and a display on the unit itself.
* First print after sleep is fast. The printer can automatically adjust the sleep timer based on use.
* Since I use recycled "used on one side" paper, the lack of duplexer was not an issue.
A "oh drat that's not the job I want and besides it's coming out wrong cancel that job" button would be a very welcome addition.
Update after 6 months of use:
(1) Biggest annoyance is the manual feed. When the printer goes to sleep it turns off the manual feed. You have to "wake up" the printer, wait 15 seconds, then feed your paper.
(2) A 'reprint last page' button would be great.
(3) A "cancel job" button would be great.
No other buttons are needed, because the web interface is so good.
Update after 1 year:
(1) Going strong! Annoyances (1) to (3) above still apply.
Update: Jan 2006
(1) Going strong! The sleep mode manual feed is still a constant pain. I upgraded the memory to 36MB (for all of $8), though I still occasionally have to print as PCL not Postscript due to memory issues.
This has been a great printer (nice printer... nice printer... keep going).
