Brother HL-1212W Printer Review

Most of the Brother line are focussed on expensive office printers and laser printers. But, you could also consider getting one of their smaller office printers for your home too, as the low printing costs can help you save money in the long run.

One of these printers worth considering is the Brother HL-1212W, which is well priced and very effect when it comes to printing in black and white. So, let’s check this printer out and see what it has to offer.

Brother HL-1212W Printer Review

Overall, the Brother HL-1212W is one of the most reasonably priced laser printers available on the market. Whilst laser printers do have a premium and are more expensive than inkjet printers, in the HL-1212W’s case, it’s definitely worth it.

This model has managed to make it into our list of the top low cost printers out there – check out this budget printer guide to see other similar models. This is primarily because it is very easy for you to use, as well as the overall print quality being impressive too.

Replacement cartridges do come with an additional cost, though they’re going to last much longer than an inkjet printer. But, that doesn’t give us everything we want to know about the Brother HL-1212W. Now, let’s look at a few more details about this printer.

Overview

Brother are one of the more underrated brands when it comes to printers, especially in the UK. Whilst they are more popular in America, they’re still much less popular than brands like HP and Epson in the United Kingdom

This is a relatively small and lightweight printer, which isn’t usually the case with laser printers. The brand tend to specialise in larger heavy duty models. though that isn’t the case for the Brother HL-1212W. It’s ideal to fit into your house, proving that laser printers aren’t only made for offices.

As a monochrome laser printer, you’re only going to be able to print in black and white with this printer, not in colour. This will be a deal breaker for some, but it can definitely give you lower printing costs throughout the entire year.

Although many people prefer to stay with brands like Canon, HP and Epson, Brother are undoubtedly amongst these when considering top quality printers. The HL-1212W is one of their ventures into the home consumer market, and it seems to have paid off pretty well.

Connectivity

It’s very easy to set this printer up with your laptop, no matter whether it’s a Windows laptop, Macbook or even running on Linux OS. But for the most part, it’s easiest to connect to this app with your mobile instead. Bear in mind that it doesn’t come with a USB, so you’ll need to pick one of those up if you want to connect to it.

The good thing about this printer is that for a laser printer, it is very easy to get it up and running. This isn’t usually the case with laser printers, which tend to take a little effort to get started. You can head to the Brother website to download the software needed, and it should only take you a few minutes to get the printer going.

Printing Costs

Like all laser printers, you’re going to get much better printing costs from this model in comparison to any inkjet printer out there.

You’ll need to keep it loaded with toner cartridges, but you can typically find them as cheap as £5 or £7 for a cartridge. When you compare this to inkjet cartridges, which are much more expensive, then it might be a good idea.

Plus, this is a Brother printer, and out of the top 4 brands – Epson, HP and Canon too – they typically have the lowest costing toner cartridges available.

Design

Obviously laser printer, so you’re not going to be able to print in colour through this device. However, there are benefits to opting for a laser printer. The printer is fairly compact, and you can fit it into your home office pretty easily.

It prints at a rate of 20 pages per minute, which should be fast enough for the majority of people out there. It has a high 150 sheet paper tray capacity, but you can also use an arrange of different sizes, as well as printing on envelopes too.

If you only have the need to print documents in monochrome, then this would probably suit you. It’s very easy for you to replace the toner in this printer too.

Pros

Like any laser printer out there, you’re going to save a ton in terms of printing costs. Replacement toner for this printer is very cheap as well.
In terms of reliability, this is definitely going to last you a while. Brother printers are made to a high standard.
This printer is extremely easy to set up and get going, even if you’re not the best with tech stuff.

Cons

This is a very basic printer, and there’s nothing exceptional about it that makes it stand out.
Though this printer works well with Windows and Mac devices, it isn’t actually compatible with Chromebooks, which might be a little annoying and rule out some people.
This printer doesn’t have duplex printing, meaning if you want to print on both sides of paper, you’ll need to manually flip the paper over.

Conclusion

All in all, if you’re looking for a low cost laser printer, then this is one of the best options out there for you. Whilst the Brother HL-1212W is still a good quality laser printer, its most attractive part is that it’s pretty cheap.

Not only that, but you can usually get cartridges of toner for this printer for a very reasonable price as well. So, if you’re looking for a printer with minimal printing costs, then considering the HL-1212W is probably a good idea.

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About Jon

Hey, I'm Jon. I'm an engineer by trade, so it makes sense that I'm obsessed with anything technology related! On the weekends, you can find me playing around with my computers or fixing something around the house. Feel free to leave a comment if you want to get in touch.

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