The Brother HL-1112 Compact Mono Laser Printer is an entry-level laser printer which is ideal for use in a small office, working from home or for school homework purposes.
The cost of the actual purchase of printers has fallen dramatically over the last 20 years. My advice when purchasing a new printer is, rather than comparing and considering the cost of purchasing the printer… do some research into the cost of running the unit.
Entry Level Laser Printer
In comparison to other laser printers around the £100 price level, the Brother HL-1112 appears to be one of the most economical to run when calculating cost per page.
The Brother HL-1112 is a mono laser, which means it prints black ink only. This printer retails for approx. £100. At the time of writing this review I can see it listed from £90 in Argos up to £115 on Amazon. This model is available from many other retailers. (No links – this is an independent, non-affiliated review of this product).
I purchased this printer in October 2022. Having now run the printer for a month now, I have to say that I am delighted with this purchase and would recommend it. However, although the printer fits my requirements perfectly, it may not be the right choice for all.
My requirement was for a small, compact laser printer that would be used in a home office. I generally turn out around 500 pages per month. The print jobs are all text based black print on A4 paper. I have no need to print from a smartphone or tablet. The jobs that I need to print are directly from an office computer.
For all of these purposes – the Brother HL-1112 is perfect. It meets these demands and does a fantastic job in printing the type of documents that I need.
If however, you require a printer to be installed on your network for wireless printing and sharing with other members of the household or office, this may not be the printer that will meet your needs.
This printer has no WIFI connectivity. It connects to a computer or laptop the old fashioned way – with a USB cable. (USB cable not included)
That’s not to say that the printer cannot be setup and shared over your home or office network. In order to share this printer over the network, you’d have to setup Printer Sharing on the host computer.
(To setup printer sharing in Windows go to Control Panel / Hardware & Sound / Devices & Printers / Right-click on the printer and select Printer Properties / Sharing).
The only issue with sharing this way is that the host computer would have to be switched on whenever any other user or device wanted to print via this gateway.
Build Quality HL-1112
This is one thing that I do like about Brother printers. They are absolutely solid, robust and well made. Unlike some of the frail, flimsy, cheap-feeling-plastic used by many mainstream printer manufacturers now. The HL-1112 feels robust in comparison to other brands in this entry-level price range.
PPM (Pages Per Minute) Speed & Noise
The Brother HL-1112 can print 21 PPM. The manufacturer claim that it can print “up to 20 ppm”. This is normal for the manufacturer to slightly underestimate this number. Our tests conclude that the actual PPM is 21.
While printing, the unit isn’t any noisier than any other laser printer that I have had over the years.
Size – Dimensions
The Brother HL-1112 is 340mm wide x 189mm height x 238mm depth. This is considered to be a small, compact printer compared to other A4 printers.
Paper Loading & Catch
The paper is front loading. The front loading paper tray can not be inserted inside the unit like a drawer, as is the case with many other printer models. Therefore in order to close the front hatch, the paper has to be removed from the unit.
This may be an issue on where you plan to position the printer. If the printer is on a desk that’s fine. But on a shelf or on certain types of home computer desks, this means that the paper tray may be sticking out.
The paper tray can be loaded with up to 150 sheets of A4 paper.
A4 size paper is the maximum size that this printer can take.
Driver, Software & OS Support
The Brother HL-1112 can be installed on Windows, Mac & Linux.
The minimum (earliest) versions of OS support listed are Mac OS X 10.11 (and later) & Windows 7 (& later). Linux downloads are Linux rpm & Linux deb.
Installation is quick and easy. Rather than using the CD that comes with the printer, I’d recommend heading straight for the Brother support page and download the latest software and drivers. By doing this, you get the latest version of the driver with any previous problems fixed.
Link to Brother Support pages: https://support.brother.com/
In The Box
- HL-1112 Laser Printer
- 1 x Full Toner (1000 pages)
- Warranty, Instruction & Safety Documentation
- (Power cable is hard-wire attached to this unit so no need for detachable power cable or power transformer).
- Note: No USB Cable. You will need to find or purchase your own USB A-B cable. The USB cable is not supplied. To be fair to Brother (the manufacturer) this has become standard practice with most new printers.
Note to printer manufacturers: By not including a USB cable, you risk getting low star ratings on retail websites that are selling your product. Users who are not familiar with the fact that it is no longer standard practice to include a USB cable, will rate your product with 1 star. They may be delighted with the actual quality of the product, but really annoyed that they have to get in the car and make a separate trip to the shops to buy a cable!
Print Quality
I found the print quality to be incredibly good. Nice, clean print every time. This is using genuine original Brother toner. I will update this review once I have tested the unit with less expensive compatible toner.
The dpi (dots per inch) resolution for this printer is up to 2400 x 600dpi.
When we compare this to an HP laser printer in the same price range (the HP LaserJet M110we) it prints up to 600 x 600dpi.
Toner & Drum
Brother laser printers require the drum to be changed as well as the toner being replaced. Some manufacturers integrate the drum within the new toner, so essentially they sell you a new toner & drum assembly unit every time you need to replace the ink. This in the longer term can work out to be more expensive.
The Brother HL-1112 takes the replacement toner cartridge TN-1050 which will print approx. 1000 pages. The replacement drum is the DR-1050 which may need to be replaced every 10,000 pages.
Cheaper, non-brand compatible toner and drum replacements are widely available. Using a compatible replacement toner or drum does not affect the warranty of your printer unless the part is attributable to damage. Furthermore, most reputable sellers will give you the guarantee that if this happens, they will replace your printer.
How To Print Toner Levels On A Brother Printer
On a Brother printer, by pressing the power button 3 times in quick succession, the printer will print out a settings page which includes page count, toner levels, drum health & serial number.
Resolve Paper Jam On Brother Laser Printer
If you get a red error light and / or onscreen message from your Brother Laser Printer that there has been a paper jam, this is easy to resolve.
With the power on, lift out the toner drum and put in back again. This resets the error. If there is any paper jammed inside the unit, this will also allow you the access to gently remove the jammed paper.
Five Star Review But Not For Everyone
I am rating this product with 5 stars because it met my requirements exactly. If you require a printer that is quick, economical and reliable to print high volumes of text based documents, I highly recommend this product.
Pros
- Compact
- Solid, well built
- Fast
- Good quality print
- Economical (page for page great value)
Cons
- No Wifi
- Paper has to be removed from tray before folding up the front
- No USB cable included
Video Review Of Brother HL-1112 Laser Printer
Our video review of the HL-1112 on YouTube.
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