Brother HL-2240: USB monochrome printing without the D duplex unit review

The missing D changes the printing routine

The Brother HL-2240 fits a compatible USB desktop that needs ordinary monochrome laser printing from a 250-sheet cassette. It also has a one-sheet manual feed for suitable envelopes and other supported media. The deciding distinction is its exact name: bare HL-2240 does not have the automatic duplex unit supplied in the separately named HL-2240D. Two-sided work here involves manual paper handling.

This is an earlier equipment reference grounded in Brother’s exact US support table and original USA/Canada guide. Those records establish the documented configuration, not current stock, the condition of a particular unit or support for every new computer. It is print-only, with no scanner, copier or fax hardware. A generic printer-and-scanner software menu cannot change that physical scope.

A usable cassette and a separate one-sheet path

The main cassette holds up to 250 sheets on the stated 20 lb / 80 g/m² basis. Letter, Legal and A4 are documented ordinary-page sizes. The separate manual feed takes one sheet rather than providing another stack of input capacity. Keeping that distinction clear makes the printer easier to assess for a desk that mostly uses one regular paper stock.

Suitable envelopes go through their documented manual-feed routine with the correct media setting and loading orientation. Other heavier media also need the appropriate instructions. Support for an envelope or a particular paper size in one-sided printing does not establish automatic two-sided support. The exact HL-2240 automatic-duplex field is explicitly unavailable; the shared guide’s duplex-unit instructions apply to named other models.

Manual duplex and the correct speed column

The manual two-sided procedure prints the even-numbered pages first, then asks the user to reload the stack before printing odd-numbered pages. Follow the guide’s paper orientation and supported driver directions. This can serve occasional two-sided work, but it does not meet an unattended automatic-duplex requirement. The driver’s use of the word duplex describes the routine, not necessarily installed hardware.

The original table assigns up to 24 pages per minute for both A4 and Letter to the HL-2230/HL-2240 column. The nearby 27 ppm figure belongs to other variants, and their automatic-duplex rate is another separate condition. These are maker declarations, not speed measurements performed for this review. A shared table is useful only after its column headings and spans have been checked.

USB printing with a compatible desktop driver

Hi-Speed USB 2.0 is included, with 8 MB of memory in the documented HL-2240 configuration. Ethernet and wireless entries elsewhere in the family guide belong to network models. There is no included Ethernet or Wi-Fi arrangement here, and neither AirPrint nor Mopria is established from the read exact material. Do not choose this base device on the expectation of an unlisted network socket or radio.

The original guide names the operating systems and drivers supported at its publication date. Confirm the actual driver and USB arrangement for the computer being used now. A historical compatibility list helps identify the intended environment, but it does not promise support on every later release. If shared network printing is essential, compare an exact networked model with its own supported operating arrangement.

Included toner, replacement supplies and desk space

The original guide specifies a 700-page starter cartridge for this exact model, with TN-420 replacement toner declared at approximately 1,200 pages and TN-450 at 2,600 under ISO/IEC 19752. The separate DR-420 drum declaration is approximately 12,000 pages at one page per job. The HL-2275DW’s different starter supply is not part of the HL-2240 package. These are yield conditions, not remaining-life estimates or current cost-per-page figures.

The US edition specifies 110–120 VAC, 50/60 Hz. The loaded unit measures 14.5 × 14.2 × 7.2 inches and weighs 14.8 lb including drum and toner; unloaded and carton weights are different measurements. Allow room for manual feeding, paper loading and service access. Choose it for compatible local monochrome printing with modest manual handling. Require a specifically documented duplex or network variant when those functions determine the purchase.