Rating: 
Summary: I'm a new loyal customer to Brother
Review: *** I am editing this previous review due to the fact this printer has become complete junk within two years. To confirm what everyone else is saying, this printer has a very limited shelf-life and prints grey pages after a certain period of time. The toner cartridge is still half-full, and cleaning the drum unit has no effect. In essence, this is not a product you should be spending your hard-earned money on.To reaffirm this opinion, please look at the other Amazon reviews and pay attention to who has posted a review after six months of use. While I have not contacted Brother's Technical Support, I don't feel this would be useful anyway since everyone else is affirming they are no help at all. Please look elsewhere and avoid the modest reviews for this printer because it deserves nothing but harsh criticism. (My old review is below:) **** After my new archaic (and plain pathetic) HP inkjet printers died, I knew I had to move on to laser. This is my first laser printer and I can proudly say I made a wise choice with this purchase. Everything about this product is amazing! The HL-1440 model and the Samsung ML1210 are probably the two most popular newly-released models, after all the research I've done. I suggest checking out reviews from zdnet.com, pcworld.com, and cnet.com if you're choosing between these two models. I saw both at CompUSA but the Brother to me had a more appealing design and sharper, crisper pictures and texts at low fonts. I definitely suggest test printing out a local retailer before committing to any model. As for specifics, the Brother model was EXTREMELY easy to install and setup. However (and this is becoming more commonplace with the computer stuff I buy), there were no cords!
The AC adapter was there, but no parallel cable or USB cable to connect to the PC. I wished I could have been saved the hassle of going out and buying a USB cable myself. The specs say that the printer is guaranteed to work with Windows 2000, and then when you open up the software CD inside, it says "final drivers for Windows 2000 are available at brother.com" so I was really uncertain if this would work well for my home setup. Fortunately, the printer works absolutely perfectly under Windows 2000 with the provided drivers so I didn't have to go to the manufacturer website. One caveat that may not be apparent in pictures (which is why I recommend checking the printer out at a store before you buy). Unlike the Samsung ML-1210, the Brother printer has its own tray that handles up to 250 sheets. However, the tray is oversized and sticks out from the back of the printer! Hence, the tray is so big that dust and sunlight can get in from behind to sneak into the paper supply and possibly fade or diminish the paper quality through time. I've solved this by taping a sheet of plastic over the opening, but I think customers should know about this anyway, especially considering the pictures you find on the net won't reveal this design flaw. But in terms of raw performance, I'm more than pleased with the product. Various test prints show that resolution is indeed super sharp at 1200dpi, and it spits out sheets at 15 ppm! There is no manual included with the printer; other than a simple quick installation guide, all of the documentation and in-depth installation procedures are included on a CD-ROM that includes drivers for all versions of Windows and the Mac! ..., as for another very minute design flaw, the bottom of the printer came a little warped, because I can slightly rock the printer from side to side (it's extremely minor and won't affect printing at all). Just something I figured people might want to know.
Rating: 
Summary: Works great so far
Review: I was concerned because of some negative comments about compatibility with XP. I installed the 1440 on XP home without a hitch using the driver disk included with the printer. The XP driver version on the installation CD was 1.42, which is the most current version available on Brother's website, as of 25 Nov 2002. I was also able to install the 1440 as a network printer on two other computers on my home network. One machine uses Win 98SE and the other Win ME. Everything worked exactly as the Setup Guide described it. So far, print quality and speed seem very good. I did add 16 meg of memory using a 72 pin EDO simm. Brothers recommends that the 1440 have 10 meg of memory to print at 1200 dpi. I almost bought the Minolta 1250W, but I liked the enclosed paper tray and the memory expandability on the 1440. I am very pleased so far, but have not done extensive graphics or very small fonts. ...
Rating:
Summary: The best printer I have owned.
Review: Yeah, I've owned some pretty awful printers, and some very good ones. About 6 years ago, I had a printer that cost over three times what this one cost me, and now it pales in comparison. This thing is FAST, no kidding. About a year ago, I bought a panaphobic (sic) multi-function that [was horrible]. It was about 1/3 the advertised speed and got super hot. Not to mention the fact that it stopped working with my computer and I had to relegate it to coppier/fax status. After that experience, this printer is a dream. It was truly plug and play through my USB port. I only had to install a driver, unlike other comp(hp)anies that make you install an entire, and useless, print package. As statd above, it starts and prints FAST, even while "sleeping." The print quality is exactly what I expected. I almost never print graphics and didn't want anything to do with an inkjet. When I saw this printer, I could hardly believe a laser printer could be had at this price, especially one built like an office printer.
I read some other reviews about the printer getting dirty and printing dirty. I haven't had that problem, and there are cleaning tips right on the printer.
The single sheet feeder works well when printing envelopes, and I haven't had opportunity to feed a sheet so I can't comment.
Go to a store and check it out. It feels and looks solid. I am happy with it and hope you will be too! Of course, I have to mention that this printer would benefit from an Infared port, even at an increased price.
Rating: 
Summary: Good value, but some issues for Mac users
Review: I've had the printer for 2 months now and the printer has performed flawlessly and fast. No paper jams. In sleep mode it's completely silent. For Mac users, features like N-up printing, watermarking, and print preview are not available because of the plain vanilla printer driver. I have an iMac, and some apps like Internet Explorer will have print preview available, but AppleWorks will not. It's a good thing print cost per page is cheap with laser printers (my other printer is the Epson 880i). The print quality is very sharp at 600 dpi and super crisp at 1200x600dpi. I plan to increase the memory to 34MB because printing scanned 8.5x11 documents (like a 1040 tax form) will force the printer to print at 300dpi, unless it has at least 10 MB of RAM then it could print at higher resolutions. But even so, the 300 dpi output (with gray scale active) was far better (i.e. sharper) than what you'd get with commercial copy machines. If you like to print Acrobat PDF documents be warned that text will look jagged, even at the highest resolution; I guess this is why Postscript compatible printers are higher-priced.
Rating:
Summary: Fast printer, Good output, Great Price/Value!
Review: The Brother HL-1440 is a great low cost laser printer. I set it up with a computer running Windows XP Professional and hooked up a USB cable to it. I had to download the Windows XP drivers from the Brother website. The Windows XP drivers installed properly and I was printing within minutes. I opted to install 16MB of addition RAM for better graphics resolution for a total of 18MB installed RAM. The printer manual on the CDROM recommends at least 10MB of RAM to print using the 600dpi X 1200dpi resolution setting. The 600dpi X 1200dpi resolution setting doesn't print graphics the best and appear printed "cloudy" for a lack of a better word, so I set the resolution to 600dpi X 600dpi and graphics print fine for that resolution and that's the setting I'll stay at. Text quality is great too. Windows XP Peer-to-Peer network printing WORKS fine IF configured "PROPERLY." I have the HL-1440 hooked up via USB cable to a computer running Windows XP Pro and have another computer running Windows 98. The 2 computers are networked together via a 10/100 network. I did resolve a problem of not being able to print from the computer running Windows 98. When you install the printer driver on the Windows 98 and Windows XP computers make sure the printer's SHARED NAME has 8 characters or less. If it's named with more than 8 characters, the printer won't be found by the Windows 98 computer (Hint... Hint...). Print speed is quite fast for text only. Pages with graphics and text slow the print speed down just a bit, but it's still very fast compared to my old inkjet printer printing just black. No paper jams yet after 5000 printed pages, so good, so far after 2 years. Overall, it's one great low cost laser printer and now I won't be spending so much money on inkjet cartridges or inkjet cartridge refill kits.
Rating:
Summary: Works nicely with Linux and USB!
Review: I bought this printer by accident and without realizing it (long story), but I'm reasonably glad I did. I had originally chosen a competitor's unit, based on three factors: 1) cost, 2) reliability, and 3) good Linux compatibility. For the same price I ended up with the HL-1440 instead. After connecting the HL-1440 up via USB to my Linux PC, I'm mildly glad this "mistake" occurred. Positives: 1) Super-easy installation for Linux users. Just ghostscript's "Brother" driver. Even the toner-saving modes are supported. I have had ZERO driver problems.
2) Blazing fast printer. After all these years with Canon SX engine printers (LaserJet II, LaserWriter II, etc.) this unit is a bit of a revelation to me... those pages just keep flying out!
3) Excellent print quality. I'm up to about 3,000 sheets in two-and-a-half months and the print quality is still pristine.
4) Very easy to upgrade. The first thing I did is pop the little cover on the back and put in a standard 32MB 72-pin SIMM to upgrade the memory.
5) LARGE paper tray can hold 3/4ths of a ream. For a personal-sized printer, that's not bad!
6) Very quiet, and also has an automatic power-save mode in which it appears to be entirely off... until you send it a job, at which time it wakes up in just a few seconds. There are, however, some drawbacks to consider (and thus three-and-a-half stars, rather than four or five): 1) Separate drum that will eventually have to be replaced. One more consumable to worry about.
2) Construction is just *slightly* on the flimsy side.
3) No printed manual(s), just a CD-ROM containing .PDF files.
4) Call me old-fashioned, but I'd like more than just one button and a couple of LEDs as external controls. A control panel of some kind to choose power-saving, toner-saving, etc. would have been nice (instead of all controls being in the software/driver).
5) If you get a paper jam, watch out! The .PDF manual actually tells you to grab the jammed sheet wherever you can and... start pulling! Most of the paper path is not easily accessible, though, so if you start pulling and a sheet of paper actually tears, leaving half of it inside, you'll spend quite a while reaching into open covers, trying to extract it so that the printer will agree to print once again. (Upside: I've only had the one jam so far...) All in all, I'm satisfied with this printer. There are two kinds of products: the ones you hope will break soon so that you can replace them in good conscience and the ones that you hope won't break because you're busy using them all the time. For me, this printer is in the latter camp.
Rating:
Summary: Pro quality for the home office
Review: This well-designed printer comes with more memory than the HP 1000 and the larger capacity trays are convenient. The feed tray is sturdy and easy to install as it sits on the desk and slides in without a cumbersome alignment procedure. The tray does stick out the back of the printer a couple of inches to allow for legal paper. The paper path is straightforward with a rear door to check for jams. I needed the parallel port not offered on HP1000 instead of just USB since it's connected to a D-Link print server on my home LAN. I've had trouble with other printers working on the print server but this one was a snap. The software installation was quick and worked first try. The entire family is pleased with its speed, graphics, and crisp 1200dpi output. The split drum / toner cartridge is nice since you can replace the $... toner after 3,000 pages and the $... drum after 20,000. The manual slot is great for a single check or envelope and doesn't require any lever or door to be moved to use it. It's 5ppm faster, resolution is higher and toner is less expensive than the HP 1000. At less than $..., you can't go wrong with this quality machine.
Rating:
Summary: Bet you never thought about this...
Review: This printer pulls enough power to make the lights flicker in my mom's house. Admittedly, the house's wiring is old. But this printer says it needs 7.7 amps (that's what the tag on the back says, not what Brother's web site says), while the comparable HP printer uses 2.2 amps. Even if you have modern wiring in your house or business, you might not want to waste that much juice.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for the price
Review: I haven't experienced the problems with the drum that previous reviewers seem to have, and I've had my printer for over a year. The toner lasts forever, the print quality is excellent, the speed is great (especially if you come to this unit from an inkjet printer), and the unit is relatively quiet. I have only one gripe with it: the design makes it really, really tough to deal with paper jams. I have found myself bent like a pretzel with a computer tweezer tool in hand, trying to find an opening through which to pick apart a piece of paper that has gotten stuck somewhere inside the printer. I'm invariably at fault for the jam, leaving something lying where it would impede the exiting of the printed sheets, causing them to back up and accordion themselves in the printer. Nightmare!!! Otherwise, I've had nothing but good things from the HL-1440, considering the low price (I remember when laser printers were only for the wealthy). Hope they release a next-generation that clam-shells so you can get those jams taken care of!
Rating:
Summary: Pleased - Especially Considering the Price
Review: I bought one of these about a year ago. It's worked great so far. Considering the low price (for a laser printer), I'm really pleased with the performance. No jams, no streaks, no problems - I may have gotten lucky with this one, but I'd recommend it to any budget-minded person that is set on a laser.
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