Really nice printer!
I haven't had the printer very long, but so far it's working beautifully! Was very easy to setup. And when I showed some of the printouts to people I work with, they were very impressed! FYI, this was with toner saver mode on and these settings (plain paper, 600x600, normal color mode with all 4 options underneath to the far left checked, and reduce paper curl checked).
Took some experimenting to decide on these settings. But I've found they work extremely well with things like flyers, photos, etc. So for me, it's a very good all-around setting. And if I use photo paper with these settings, things look even nicer. But I typically use plain paper.
So overall, I would have to say it does a very good job for a color laser. And the print speed is very fast compared to some others on the market. One reason why I chose this particular one. I did a lot of comparison shopping before settling on this one, which is my first Brother printer. And I'm very computer and tech-literate. In fact, I've taught computers and have built, upgraded, and repaired them. So I'm very tech-savvy, which is why I checked things out very deeply and was very careful in which one I was going to buy. Didn't want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. So far, I would have to say it was a good buy!
FYI, I strongly recommend you update the printer's firmware and software from the Brother website. I did a quick print test to see how the colors look when printed out. And it was ok.
But when I did the updates, there was a very noticeable improvement in the output quality! Colors were richer; so it's well worth going through. And it's not very difficult to do. I also suggest doing a printer color calibration because I noticed an improvement in the print quality from this too.
And just like everything else in life, there are some negatives with the printer. One is how big and heavy it is. Compared to some others, it is larger and heavier. But since my b/w laser is an older model that's nearly the same size and weight, it wasn't that big a deal to me. But if you want one that's smaller and ligher, then this isn't the one for you. FYI, there are some that are even bigger and heavier!
Now some people complain about the manual feeder jamming with thicker paper, such as cardstock. I can tell you that I had that problem at first. But that was before I realized one important thing. When you feed paper into the manual feed, make sure you wait for the printer to grab it.
In other words, you push it in, then wait until the printer grabs and tugs it. That way, it's held in place and won't misfeed. Since realizing this, I haven't had any misfeeds with cardstock, business cards, etc. So when using the manual feeder with any thickness paper, wait for the printer to tug at it before you let go and print.
FYI, the printer needs to say it's ready before you'll feel that tug. So if it's initializing or doing something else, you won't feel the tug. And that can make you think it's ready to go when it's really not. So this could explain the problem some of you have had.
If you want this same printer, but with a front USB for direct printing and wireless connectivity, then you have the HL-3070CW. It's the same as the 3040CN in terms of speed, output quality, toners, etc. It just adds in the direct printing & wireless. I didn't need them so I chose the cheaper model.
So overall, I would say it's a very nice and decent printer. Well worth the money I paid.Read full review
