Brother HL-L3230CDW Compact Digital Color Printer Providing Laser Printer Quality Results with Wireless Printing and Duplex Printing, Amazon Dash Replenishment Enabled

Comment

Ive bought at least 6 Brother Laser printers. Ive been very happy. I recommend them to everyone. I use a HL-2270DW daily. It is rock solid. I assumed the HL-3170CDW would be the same, but with color. WRONG. It is constantly "offline" despite being connected to the same router as my HL-2270DW which is never offline. The 2 devices are on the same shelf. The on device display shows "Print Unavailable" and Windows show "Offline". Rebooting the printer fixes the problem. So, basically I need to reboot the printer every time I want to print. I was also looking forward to the Google Cloud Print support. That is even worse. It always appears offline. Rebooting doesnt fit it. When I go to the printer web interface, it shows Google Cloud Print is "Unregistered". It seems every time I reboot, I have to re-register with Google Cloud Print. To be fair, Im happy with how it prints when I can get it to print. UPDATE: Tried switching to use a static IP address. Didnt help. Printer is offline. Cant print directly from windows or via Google Cloud Print. Cannot access the webpage using the IP address. Cannot ping. Orange light on printer and LCD display reads "Print Unavailable". Turned printer on and off. I can print now, but Google Cloud Print is "Unregistered" again. It appears I need to reboot this printer every day to print. And every time I reboot the printer it looses the Google Cloud Print registration. UPDATE (5/2018): Printer has been online for about 2 weeks now for printing from Windows. Unfortunately, it still cannot stay "registered" with Google Cloud Print. The printer appears in my list of printers at google.com/cloudprint, but offline. Howerver, on the printer management page it says "unregistered". When I click the register button, I get a second printer with the same name. I then need to delete the old printer and reshare the new printer with family members. Each family member then needs to accept the new shared printer. Update (9/2018): Printer still wont stay connected to Google Cloud Print. Basically, I need to reconfigure Google Cloud Print every time I want to print from a chromebook. However, the printer has been working reliably from windows. Adding one star because I do like having a color laser printer. But, it is useless as a Google Cloud Printer (which is 1/2 the reason I bought this model). Updated (9/2018): Tried updating firmware to the latest to fix the issue de-registering from Google Cloud Print. 24 hours later the printer appears offline in Windows, offline on Google Cloud Print, and shows the "Unavailable" error message on the LCD display. I should have left the firmware alone. That sucks.

Show more

Comment

0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player I am apparently one of many that has been issued one with defective rollers. I have had the printer less than 30 days and it has already started overheating. Today it stopped printing altogether, said it was jammed, and then immediately said it needed time to cool down. After letting it cool down for 30 minutes, I tried to print a test page. That is when it said it was overheating again and started smoking. Literally smoking. I am attaching a video of it. NOTE: The smoking had subsided pretty good by the time I took a video, it was a lot worse than you see...and made my office smell like burnt rubber. I have promptly asked for a replacement printer, and hopefully the next one will do better or I will be asking for a full refund. This is dangerously defective and should probably be recalled. Seriously.

Show more

Comment

Ive waited about 6 months to make this review and Im sad to say this is one of the biggest waste of money Ive lost in quite some time. As others have stated this printer out of the box started out great. I thought that Ive finally found a reasonably priced color laser that will give me years of great use. My total page count as of this review is 539 and now some of the printed pages will have the toner just rubbing off if you touch it. Ive been around awhile and know how to adjust etc but printing text on bond paper should not do this regardless of the content being printed. It almost seems to me that Brother makes these units just good enough to last a short time then fail. Never will I purchase any item from them again. Damn shame..

Show more

Comment

Cons (worth removing a star): - confusing menu interface, where up arrow can mean select option even though theres an OK hardware button. - factory reset in the menu does not reset the password. To do factory reset, dont use factory reset. Theres a secret handshake procedure not described on the support site called 01 reset, OK - GO - OK then MAINTENANCE 01 (or MAINTENANCE 91 if you dont have 01 option). I cannot fathom why not have factory reset menu option perform factory reset instead. - Registration with Google Cloud Print (the primary reason I chose this model) lasts only as long as the power and the network are up. Turn it off for a minute, and you have to register it again. Now you have TWO printers in your cloud printers list - dont forget to delete the old one. Dont forget to share it again, since only one owner is supported. - OS support declared for Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome and Android. Go to Update Firmware, and you have two options: Windows and Mac. Hey, uploading a binary file via web interface and issuing an update command should not require a special binary. - Drivers seem oblivious to double side feature. You can set it for all your prints, but its not present when you are setting up a particular print. Thats weird. The pros I,m giving the fifth star back: - the printer is not designed to rip you off on genuine supplies and reject non-genuine cartridges. - you can convince the printer to continue printing after it says the cartridge is empty. Just google brother hl reset for the exact steps.

Show more

Comment

Black fuse roller disintegrated after 3200 copies...Brother wont extend warranty unless all your toner cartridges are Brother originals. Fat chance of that! Leaves marks on paper...indentations.

Show more

Comment

This is an awful printer. I bought one and it jammed every 5 pages so I returned it to Amazon, thinking I got a dud. Amazon sent another one. It still kept jamming. So I thought it was the cheap Staples paper that I had bought. So I gave the entire box (5000 sheets) of paper away and bought a box of Hammermill paper, which touts to be 99.99% jam free. The printer jammed less, but still would jam once in a while. This went on for a year and the printer actually performed OK. But just now, I ran low on paper and reloaded it, and now the printer wont print more than 2 pages before giving a jam error. The printer isnt really jammed - the paper is just misfeeding. I have had it with this printer!

Show more

Comment

This printer seems to ship with old drivers... Once online, it took hours to figure out why the printer disappears from our home network: When the machine goes to sleep, it really goes to sleep. Nowhere to be found....driver looses touch with the printer....until it gets turned off and on again. Once online, and after a good 10 minutes trying to figure out what the trouble shooting on the Brother website meant... I ended up in a Java script page with about a dozen and a 1/2 options. Not the usual automatic driver found, press download, download, install, done. Frustratingly complicated. It is 2017!

Show more

Comment

0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player Loved this printer while it worked. Unfortunately it either has a very serious engineering defect or its built to fail. Read the other reviews. All the 5 star reviews will be back soon. I used only OEM toner, had just replaced the starter black and was still on the original colors. The rubber paper grabbing rollers that touch the fusion roller disintegrated after less than 1200 prints, leaving pieces of rubber all over the fusion roller. Wrinkles and crumbles the paper, spit the remaining pieces of rubber throughout the printer, etc. Clearly the rubber used on the paper rollers use a non heat-resistant rubber or are a designed-to-fail part as it has happened to many (most?) of these printers sooner or later. When mine started exhibiting symptoms, I figured it wouldnt be an issue to get a replacement part since its now a known defect and not anything that could even be taken to be user abuse. I contacted Brother and asked them to send me a replacement roller so I could replace myself, but upon learning I was only a few months out of my warranty (I bought it last summer), they told me to take a hike. $200 paperweight before getting through its original starter cartridges. Avoid this printer if you need it for longer than a few months. And frankly, Im very disappointed in Brother customer service. I had the small business I work for switch to using one model up from this one. Since it uses the same print engine, I suspect it may have the same defect. Update: On the 2nd try, Brother went ahead and replaced my unit. Said theyre aware its a manufacturer defect and theyre replacing units when this pops up. All in all I would rate the experience positively if it hadnt been for the first rep who basically told me to take a hike. They need a more consistent decision making/training approach. But I do have a working printer now. Based on the 2nd rep really going out of his way to make it right, Im improving my rating back up to 3 stars, because I do like my printer.

Show more

Comment

Weve been through two now. Both died because the fuser rollers broke down and started killing print quality. This most recent one lasted from early 2016 to late 2017 - about a year and a half. The sad part is, when it works, this is a fine little printer. Until the printer jams (usually from trying to print duplex) and removing the jammed page tears the roller. Same thing happened both times. In the attached photos, the top roller should be entirely black, not showing orange udner the torn surface. IF THIS HAPPENS - NEVER REMOVE A JAMMED DUPLEX PRINT BY REMOVING THE TONER AND PULLING IT BACKWARDS - You are much more likely to ruin things this way.

Show more

Comment

Ive had the printer for 8 months. I got an error Drum! Slide the Green tab on Drum Unit. I performed this as directed (double checked directions on the Brother website). However, the error message wont go away and the printer has been rendered useless. The Brother chat is completely annoying. They wanted to know if I was using wireless or wired, Mac or PC, etc. I couldnt spend an eternity answering stupid questions that have nothing to do with the Drum unit itself. Complete waste of my time. Addendum: I was going to throw it away so I deleted our network from the printer. On a whim, I reinstalled the network and now the printer works. But in the meantime, I had taken a trip to Best But and bought another printer. Like I said, wasted time!!! You may think it’s just me being stupid with technology but I have advanced training in technology and have installed dozens over printers over the years. Error messages should go away when the problem is resolved!!!

Show more