The Brother HL-L2325DW is a budget monochrome laser printer. It's a print-only unit with a 1-line monochrome LCD screen, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity, and it supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. It uses Brother's TN730 toner cartridge and is compatible with the TN760 high-yield and TN770 super high-yield cartridges. It has many variants with slightly different features and performance, including the Brother HL-L2350DW, the Brother HL-L2370DN, the Brother HL-L2370DW, the Brother HL-L2370DWXL, and the Brother HL-L2379DW.
Our Verdict
The Brother HL-L2325DW is a good choice if your household only needs to print black and white documents; however, it isn't ideal if you want to print photos or any color documents since it's a monochrome laser printer. It has USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, making it easy for every household member to access, and its cost-per-print is exceptionally low because its toner cartridge lasts a long time and is relatively cheap. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a scanner.
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Produces high-quality black and white documents.
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High page yield; low cost-per-print.
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Prints low-quality photos.
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No scanner.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is decent for office use. Its toner cartridge yields a lot of pages, which helps reduce maintenance, and it prints high-quality documents very quickly. However, the lack of a scanner and color printing might be limiting to some offices. This model doesn't have Ethernet connectivity, but some variants that do.
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Produces high-quality black and white documents.
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Fast printing speed.
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High page yield; low cost-per-print.
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No scanner.
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Slow to warm up.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is decent for students. It prints very high-quality documents, and although it's slow to warm up and get a single page out, it gets much faster once it starts printing. Its toner cartridge yields a large number of pages before needing replacement and is relatively cheap, which helps keep your maintenance cost low. It has Wi-Fi and USB connectivity and is compatible with Brother's superb mobile app. Sadly, neither this model nor its variants have a scanner.
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Produces high-quality black and white documents.
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Fast printing speed.
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High page yield; low cost-per-print.
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No scanner.
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Slow to warm up.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is good for printing black and white documents. It produces very high-quality documents, and while it takes a while to warm up, it prints very quickly once it gets going. Its toner cartridge yields a lot of prints and is relatively cheap, which helps keep your maintenance costs low over time. Unfortunately, neither this model nor its variants have a scanner.
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Produces high-quality black and white documents.
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Fast printing speed.
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High page yield; low cost-per-print.
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No scanner.
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Slow to warm up.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is bad for photo printing. Because it's a monochrome laser printer, it needs to use halftones to produce different shades of gray, resulting in photos that look grainy and lacking in detail.
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Prints low-quality photos.
- 5.2 Family
- 7.1 Small/Home Office
- 7.2 Student
- 7.7 Black & White
- 1.4 Photo
Performance Usages
- 0 Color Quality
- 9.0 Document Quality
- 0 Scanner
- 8.1 Speed
- 9.1 Recurring Costs
- Updated Mar 15, 2024: Added mention of the Brother HL-L3280CDW as an alternative with color printing in the Color Documents section.
- Updated Mar 08, 2024: We've added a link to the Brother HL-L2460DW in the 'Build Quality' section of the review to provide an alternative that has a detachable power cord.
- Updated Sep 29, 2023: We've added a link to the Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw in the 'Cartridge' section of the review to provide an alternative that uses a higher-yield standard-format toner cartridge.
- Updated Oct 25, 2022: Added mention of the Canon imageCLASS MF3010 as an alternative with a scanner.
- Updated Sep 30, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Sep 28, 2022: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 26, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 23, 2022: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 15, 2022: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Sep 14, 2022: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Brother HL-L2325DW. There are many variants with slightly different features and performance; you can see them in the table below.
| Model | Connectivity | Advertised Printing Speed (Letter) | Additional Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| HL-L2325DW | USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct | 26 PPM | - |
| HL-L2350DW | USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct | 32 PPM | - |
| HL-L2370DN | USB, Ethernet | 36 PPM | - |
| HL-L2370DW | USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet | 36 PPM | - |
| HL-L2370DWXL | USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet | 36 PPM | Includes 1 high-yield (TN760) and 1 super high-yield (TN770) cartridge. |
| HL-L2379DW | USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet | 36 PPM | Includes 1 super high-yield (TN770) cartridge. |
If you come across a different variant not listed above or have a similar Brother HL-L2325DW printer that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it.
You can see our unit's label here.
Compared To Other Printers
The Brother HL-L2325DW is a very good standalone, monochrome laser printer. Its page yield isn't as good as the similarly-priced HP LaserJet Pro M15w or the Pantum P2502W, but it feels more sturdily built and prints significantly faster. Its variant, the Brother HL-L2370DW, is also a great monochrome printer and a good alternative if you need Ethernet connectivity.
For other options, see our recommendations for the best laser printers, the best office printers, and the best all-in-one printers.
The Brother HL-L2325DW and Brother HL-L2460DW are very similar printers. The HL-L2325DW uses TN730 cartridges, whereas the HL-L2460DW uses TN830 cartridges; both offer very similar page yields. The biggest difference between the two regarding physical design is that only the HL-L2460DW has a detachable power cord. However, the HL-L2325DW delivers superior print quality out-of-the-box, requiring no fiddling.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is better than the Pantum P2502W. The Brother has a sturdier build, faster printing speed, and automatic duplex printing capability. It also doesn't have issues with misaligned prints, which the Pantum does. However, the Pantum yields more prints per cartridge, resulting in a slightly lower cost-per-print.
The Brother HL-L2325DW and the HP LaserJet Pro M15w are very similar standalone monochrome laser printers. The HP yields more prints and takes less time to warm up and get a page out; however, the Brother prints faster overall and can perform automatic duplex printing.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is much better than the Canon imageCLASS MF3010. The Brother produces significantly higher-quality documents, prints much faster, and can perform automatic duplex printing. It also has wireless connectivity, which the Canon lacks, and it's accessible through a mobile app. On the other hand, the Canon has a scanner and yields more prints per toner cartridge.
The Brother HL-L2325DW and Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw are both monochrome print-only units with different strengths. The Brother offers noticeably superior print quality for documents that occasionally incorporate photos or graphs. That said, the Canon prints faster, uses toner cartridges with a higher page yield, and incurs lower ownership costs, so it's a better option for bulk printing of text documents.
Test Results
The Brother HL-L2325DW feels very well-built. It's entirely plastic and feels sturdy overall, with strong hinges and no flimsy parts. However, the power cord isn't removable, making it impossible to replace if it gets damaged—you should consider the Brother HL-L2460DW if you want a similar printer with a removable power cord. The input tray is easy to take out and put back in, and the toner cartridge and drum are easily accessible through the top front of the printer. A drawback of the design is that the manual feeder can only hold one page at a time and lacks an extender to hold the page properly, so the paper just hangs off the feeder. Also, accessing paper jams can be difficult for people with large hands because the back panel only opens partially, and even if you try to go through the front by removing the toner cartridge and drum, there's still very little space to maneuver.
The Brother L2325DW doesn't require much maintenance. Unlike inkjet printers, there's no risk of printhead clogging if you don't print for an extended period. You don't need to replace the toner cartridge often as it yields a large number of prints. When you need to change it, the cartridge is easily accessible through the front, and the printer doesn't need to be on for the process. You have to replace the drum separately, although it's usually good for around 12,000 prints, so it's not too bad.
There are a few ways to access paper jams. The first is through the panel on the back of the printer. However, this panel only opens up to 45°, so it might be hard to reach in if you have large hands. You can also remove the paper tray, the toner cartridge, and the drum to access paper jams or remove the duplex feeder in case the jam happens while duplex printing. The main paper tray holds 250 sheets of paper, the output tray holds 100, and the manual feeder holds one.
You can see the user's guide here.
The Brother HL-L2325DW's display is bad. It's a 1-line monochrome LCD that can only display 16 characters. It doesn't allow for tilt or swivel adjustments, but it has good viewing angles, so it's easy to see from all sides. Navigating the settings menu is tedious as the screen can only show a limited amount of text at once, and the buttons have minimal labeling even though they serve multiple functions.
The Brother HL-L2325DW's page yield is excellent, meaning you won't need to replace the cartridge often. The printer stops printing when the toner runs out (tracked through a page counter); however, you can change the settings so that printing continues even when the printer thinks there isn't any toner left. Putting in a partially used toner cartridge prompts a 'Replace Toner' message, so it's likely that the printer can't detect the amount of unused toner in the cartridge and only resets the counter when you put in a new cartridge.
The Brother HL-L2350DW, HL-L2370DN, HL-L2370DW, and HL-L2379DW variants use the same cartridge and yield a similar number of prints.
You can increase the yield further with TN760 high-yield or TN770 super high-yield cartridges. The posted number represents the regular TN730 cartridge's yield. The starter cartridge that comes with the printer typically yields around 700 pages. If you're looking for a monochrome laser printer that uses a higher-yield default-format toner cartridge, consider the Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw.
The Brother HL-L2325DW doesn't have a scanner. If you need a monochrome laser printer with a scanner, check out the Canon imageCLASS MF3010.
- Quick setup guide
- CD-ROM with drivers
- USB-A to USB-B cable
- DR730 drum unit
- Starter toner cartridge
The Brother HL-L2325DW's print quality for black and white documents is outstanding. The text looks very sharp, and all elements are present, even the graph's fine lines and the second page's title. There are some vertical lines, but it isn't too bad.
The Brother HL-L2325DW can only print in black. If you need a print-only color laser printer, check out the Brother HL-L3280CDW.
The Brother HL-L2325DW's cost-per-print is outstanding because it yields a large number of prints from a single toner cartridge. However, keep in mind that you need to replace the drum separately, which is an additional expense not factored into the cost. The drum usually lasts 12,000 prints, so you won't have to do it too often. Having the drum as a separate unit also makes the toner cartridge less expensive and is more eco-friendly since you don't need to replace it as often as the toner.
The Brother HL-L2325DW printer takes a while to warm up and get a single page out, but it gets much faster once it starts printing, exceeding the advertised 26 PPM printing speed. The other variants, like the Brother HL-L2350DW, Brother HL-L2370DW, and Brother HL-L2379DW, have similar printing speeds, between 32 and 36 PPM. However, they all warm up significantly faster, with the Brother HL-L2370DW taking only 11 seconds.
The posted maximum paper weight applies to the manual feeder. The main input tray can only support up to 163 g/m².
Even though the Brother HL-L2325DW has a high print resolution, the image looks awful because monochrome laser printers need to use halftones (dots of various sizes and spacing) to simulate colors.
The Brother HL-L2370DN variant doesn't have wireless connectivity. The Brother HL-L2370DN, HL-L2370DW, HL-L2370DWXL, and HL-L2379DW have an Ethernet port.
The Brother HL-L2325DW is compatible with Brother's iPrint&Scan mobile app. You can use it to print, copy, perform maintenance tasks, order supplies, and update the firmware.