| Brother's separate drum/toner cartridge arrangement makes for a longer life of the toner output equipment overall. Having been the owner of laser printers and inkjet printers for many years, I can say that Brother's solution is very nice. Here's why. In the arrangement used by HP, for example where the toner cartridge and drum are combined, if the drum is scratched, or otherwise damaged, the cartridge is ruined. That's the end; it must be replaced. In this arrangement, however, it is possible to fix the drum. Should a splotch appear, it's possible to wipe it off and even vacuum out the drum, if necessary. Sometimes when a cartridge is about to run out of toner, for example, it burps out a little extra toner. Because you can separate the drum from the cartridge, it's possible to clean this up instead of just throwing out the whole cartridge before it's really worn out. Another advantage along the same lines is being able to remove pieces of paper that get stuck inside the drum should a paper jam occur. Now as far as the economics of laser printer versus inkjet printer go, just figure it out for yourself. Do the math and come up with the best compromise of print yield, resolution, etc. In terms of comparing the cost of combined drum/toner cartridges versus the cost of separate drum/cartridges, I found that there was little difference on a per-print basis. Add to that the convenience of recovering from problems described at the beginning of my comments, and I am forced to conclude that the Brother solution is the best.
Firstly, this drum unit is compatible with the following models, most of which are not listed here on Amazon.
From the Brother web site:
For use with:
DCP1200, DCP1400, HL1230, HL1240, HL1250, HL1270N, HL1435, HL1440, HL1450, HL1470N, INTELLIFAX4100, INTELLIFAX4750, INTELLIFAX4750e, INTELLIFAX5750, INTELLIFAX5750e, MFC8300, MFC8500, MFC8600, MFC8700, MFC9600, MFC9700, MFC9800, MFCP2500
We have four Brother MFC-9700 models at my work, and they have been quite good. After about a year, a few of them have developed a vertical splotchy line. Upon inspection, there was excess toner on the green drum inside the drum unit. After wiping it off it would work for a while but came back soon after.
I learned that the drum unit is a wear and tear item and needs replacing once a year or less if you use it alot. As the reviewer above noted, the separate drum and toner units on the Brother Laser machines prevent you from having to buy both together each time you are out of toner, but you will need to replace the drum unit at some point. This solution is quite elegant as the drum unit has a much longer life than the toner cartridge and makes for cheaper toner cartridges.
This replacement drum will solve the vertical line and other issues. Great price here on Amazon as well, almost half the price our local printer fix-it shop wanted. The DR400 drum for Brother Printers provides crisp and clean printing. Comparing the printing of the Brother HL1240 using the DR400 drum to one of the high-end printers, I really see no difference in quality. One drawback to the DR400 is the pricetag. I have replaced two drums in the last year, but of course I do a high volume of printing. I guess for the money, the DR400 is a good buy. |
