by David Batterson
Brother HL-2400CEN Network Color Laser Printer
Rating 95
Businesses today demand a powerful, high-resolution color laser printer that is LAN-ready, so the Brother HL-2400CeN Network Color Laser Printer stepped up to the plate.
No matter what operating system a small office is using, this network printer will fit right in. It not only supports all Windows versions, but it also prints via MS-DOS applications and has a Macintosh driver for Apple users to print via Ethernet. It uses the standard MIO (modular input/output) port, plus bi-directional parallel and serial ports. The optional NC-3100h card allows direct connection to a network.
While the printer is rated at 600 x 600 dpi, Brother uses its CAPT (Color Advanced Photoscale Technology) process to enhance image quality. Using a micro-fine toner, the HL-2400 prints documents at up to 2,400 x 600 dpi resolution. The printer saves both money and energy — it powers down automatically and offers a toner-saving mode. For multi-user printing, try the optional 6GB hard drive that allows print jobs to access applications faster.
During testing we threw tons of Web pages, photographs, and graphics files at the HL-2400CeN, and it came through without any paper jams. Users can create blowups of documents via multiple-page printing, and additional software applications included with the printer are helpful.
Brother’s illustrated guide, along with a video on the CD-ROM, makes setup a snap. The biggest problem with the HL-2400CeN may be keeping employees from printing personal documents on it.
Brother International Corp.
$2,000
877-284-3238
PROS: Outstanding 600 x 600dpi print quality; no smearing; built-in 10/100Base-TX Ethernet
CONS: Unit is heavy (82 pounds) and takes two people to move it safely
