[X4U] Brother 1440 versus Brother 2040 - Reasons?

[Scott McCulloch]

Hmmmm... I've just tuned into this thread and haven't yet been through  
all of the previous posts, but this is bringing up a question for me...

I've got the HL-1850 with the RAM maxed out at 144MB. Overall, I really  
like this printer (especially the built-in duplexing) - however, even  
with all that RAM, it still seems to take forever to print pdfs and any  
other files with any graphics in them. Is this more likely a function  
of something to do with this printer? Or is the USB interface the  
bottleneck?

Scott


On Mar 12, 2005, at 2:18 PM, Randy B.Singer wrote:

> Rod Duncan said:
>
>> And why is the original 1440 so superior to the more recent 2050.
>> Sorry if you have already answered this but I didn't see anywhere the
>> specifics of one versus the other.
>
> The HL-2040 is a toy compared to the HL-1440, even though they both  
> sell
> new for about the same price.
>
> The HL-2040 comes with 8MB of memory, which isn't upgradeable.  If you
> print complex PDF's, large graphics, etc., this printer may not have
> enough memory, or it may take a long time to print.
>
> The HL-1440 comes with 2MB of memory that you can upgrade to 34MB for  
> as
> little as $9 (US).  With it's memory maxed out, I've yet to throw a  
> print
> job at my 1440 that it couldn't or didn't spit out in seconds.
>
> The 2040 is a GDI printer.  Typically a printer based on GDI (sometimes
> also known as a "WinPrinter") is slow compared to printers using other
> printer languages, and sometimes GDI printers choke on sophisticated
> documents.  (The 1440 is a PCL printer.)  See:
> http://www.prepressure.com/ps/whatis/PSalternatives.htm
>
> When I spoke with the Brother rep at Macworld Expo she was almost
> apologetic about the HL-2040 replacing the HL-1440.  The 2040 is a
> printer meant for unsophisticated home users and it has been designed  
> to
> meet a price point.  If your printing needs are very moderate, it might
> be fine.  But the HL-1440 is a far better value.
>
> <http://www.brother-usa.com/printer/ 
> printer_detail_AREA=PRINTER_1&PRODUCTID
> =HL2040.aspx>
>
> <http://www.brother-usa.com/printer/printer_detail.aspx? 
> AREA=PRINTER_2&PROD
> UCTID=HL1440>
>
> If you can only get a good deal on a current Brother printer model, you
> might instead have a look at the HL-5140, which is a dynamite printer,
> but it is in a different price range than the 2040 and 1440.
>
> <http://www.brother-usa.com/printer/ 
> printer_detail_AREA=PRINTER_1&PRODUCTID
> =HL5140.aspx>
>
> You can get one that is refurbished for $140 (US):
> http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?affid=808&item=P25664
>
> Or brand new for $165 (US):
> <http://www.provantage.com/buy-7brtl01a-hl-5140-black-white-laser- 
> printer-b
> rother-printers-shopping.htm>
>
>
>
> Randy B. Singer
> Co-Author of: The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th and 6th editions)
>
> Routine OS X Maintenance and Generic Troubleshooting
> http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
>
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