Rating: 
Summary: Very fast, but skimps on memory
Review: *Note: This review is from pcworld.com*
Pros: The HL-5040's strongest point is its 13.1-ppm text-printing speed--1.7-ppm faster than the average of the small-office units we've seen. In addition, this model generates very clean, even text and gray-scale graphics with reasonable detail and little graininess. Brother also deserves praise for its on-screen documentation (though not for its skimpy, disorganized printed documentation); the CD includes a thorough manual and a collection of videos that show how to operate and maintain the printer.Cons: The HL-5040's auxiliary feed takes only one sheet or envelope at a time and has no support tray, so you have to hold the media as it feeds in. Like most other inexpensive printers, the HL-5040 doesn't have an LCD on its control panel, so it indicates error conditions with flashing lights whose meaning you have to look up in the manual. Also, the stock configuration's mere 8MB of memory prevented the machine from printing some files in high-quality mode. You probably wouldn't plan to put the HL-5040 on an office network, but if the need should arise, Brother sells an ethernet card for $300. A $200 optional paper feeder adds 250 sheets to the printer's capacity. Verdict: The HL-5040's low price and fast performance make it a good match for a busy home office.
Rating: 
Summary: High-Pitched Squeal
Review: A fast, inexpensive printer with good quality output but one major drawback: this printer gives off a high-pitched squeal that is especially noticeable when it goes into sleep mode. When I first got the printer, I thought the squeal may be caused by some weird interference with my PC so I moved it to a different electrical circuit but the squeal continued. I then returned the printer to Amazon for a new one (Amazon handled the return great, by the way) but the replacement had the exact same problem so it must be an issue with this model. I had an HP LaserJet before this and it most certainly did not make this noise so this is not simply a problem endemic to all laser printers. In an office setting, the squeal may not be too bothersome because of all the ambient noise but in a home office it is quite annoying.
Rating:
Summary: Working Fine for us
Review: After giving HP the boot for the 1100 POS, I decided to give Brother 5040 a try for our next round of disposable printers. Been running them for 4 months and haven't had a single problem. Some have had over 50k pages run thru them. No problems with network printing as others have described. No problems with incorrectly printed pages. No paper jams. I just plugged them in and they worked.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Buy
Review: After running out of ink in my cannon bubble jet printer for the umptenieth time. I was looking at $35 dollars just for the ink cartridge. With printer prices as low as they are I decided it was cheaper to buy a new printer than to keep sinking money into ink cartridges that only print 300 or so pages. I chose the Brother HL 5040. It was competatively priced at $229.00 from Office max. It came with the optional 250 page paper tray and a full ink toner that will print on the average 3300 pages that's 11 times more than my old ink cartridge. So far I can't say enough about the printer the quality is far superior than that of a bubble jet. The speed is lightning fast and when compared to the high-end Hp's you find in a lot of office settings you would never be able to tell the difference. Oh I almost forgot it also came with a $50 rebate from officemax. When you subtract the cost of what I would have spent for another ink cartridge and the rebate from the price of $229 the printer cost me $144 plus tax. And I probably won't need another toner cartridge for 3 years. Thank you Brother!
Rating:
Summary: hallelujah
Review: All right, installing and using this printer was not a religious expirience, but it made me quite happy. Simple installation process, low level of noise, express printing, and cristal clear printouts for fair price prompted me to write my first review at Amazon. I must add that this is my first laser printer, and that I was very frustrated with my Epson Stylus C60, but anyhow I am absolutely impressed Brother HL-5040.
Rating:
Summary: A great printer
Review: Although I love computer I never had a big passion for printers until I purchased the Brother HL-5040 a few months ago.
Easy to set up, easy to use. No paper jam, no ink mess. Just great!
Rating:
Summary: Compatibility with Mac G5
Review: I bought this machine in September, 2003 and it worked just fine with my Mac G4. But in October I bought the new Mac G5 and a month or so later I found there was a compatibility problem. The printer shot out blank pages...and behaved in a quirkly manner. I contacted Brother and their technicians worked on the problem. After a few weeks they sent me new updated driver software and the printer works just fine with the Mac G5 now. Their technical support was great. As you can see in my earlier review before this problem popped up I was very enthusiastic about the machine...and my initial enthusiasm is restored.
Rating:
Summary: Great value for the price
Review: I bought this printer from Amazon to replace an aging HP Laserjet 5L that needed a major repair. So far I'm very happy with the printer. The print quality is good, the speed is great, and I love the 250 sheet paper tray. It has many features of a much more expensive office printer such as a cancel key, LCD read-out, and on-off switch. The only problem so far seems to be that occasionally a sheet will print with a blank area across the page. When reprinted, the page usually comes out fine. I haven't tried to problem-solve this yet, but will be looking into it. All in all, this printer delivers excellent value for a home office computer.
Rating: 
Summary: answers
Review: I could not get a response from customer service after four days. I was very interested in the printer but no one can seem to answer my simple question.
Rating:
Summary: No squeal here
Review: I did not experience the squeal that the other poster mentioned, and I often do have a problem with high-pitched noises coming from monitors. I'm very happy with this printer. It works well with both my Mac and my PC. For the price, it can't be beaten. It's ideal for a low-volume home user. For a higher volume user, another printer might be wise. Brother makes their money on drum replacements, which are quite expensive but have to be done very rarely. Brother toner, on the other hand, is pretty cheap.
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