Your needs, this model
Does it fit your priorities?
Can the earlier base DN duplex-print A4 over Ethernet with 300 sheets of included A4 input?
Qualifies: the actual USA guide positively supports A4 automatic duplex and the included cassette plus MP tray. The 30 ppm figure is separately the one-sided Letter rating.
Explore this need in the finder →Does this base DN satisfy a 550-sheet included-input requirement?
Fails: its normal included input is 300 sheets. The DNT bundle adds a second cassette, but that different supplied configuration is not included here.
Explore this need in the finder →Can it also scan a signed original on my network?
Fails: this is a print-only laser printer. Its Ethernet interface shares printing rather than supplying scanner hardware.
Explore this need in the finder →A wired duplex printer in the base configuration
The Brother HL-5250DN fits a compatible wired workgroup that needs monochrome laser printing and automatic two-sided output. Its included Ethernet interface and real multipurpose tray make it useful for ordinary shared documents alongside occasional special-media jobs. The deciding configuration detail is the missing T: the base DN includes a 250-sheet cassette and 50-sheet MP tray, not the extra cassette supplied in the distinct DNT bundle.
Brother’s exact support record identifies this as an earlier discontinued model. Its specifications help evaluate existing equipment or an earlier candidate, but they do not establish current stock, condition or software support for every new computer. It is a print-only device; network sharing does not add scanning, copying or fax hardware.
Automatic duplex with three documented page sizes
The USA/Canada guide positively lists A4, Letter and Legal for automatic two-sided printing. It explains installing the duplex tray correctly, closing the back cover and selecting Use Duplex Unit or the corresponding supported driver setting. Suitable regular paper matters: the instructions exclude bond and thin paper from that automatic routine. Support for special media through another feed path does not automatically make that media duplex-compatible.
This is different from Manual Duplex, which prints even pages first and requires the user to reinstall them before the other side prints. Both procedures appear in the shared guide, but the actual 5250DN has an automatic unit. The nearby 5240 does not. A broad family manual should therefore not erase either model’s exact duplex hardware.
Three hundred included sheets, with optional expansion separate
The 250-sheet main cassette and 50-sheet MP tray provide 300 sheets of included ordinary-paper input. Both routes cover Letter, Legal and A4 dimensions on the stated 80g/m² basis. The original table labels that basis 21 lb while the web table says 20 lb; neither is permission to promise the same capacity on every media weight. Select the appropriate source and media settings when keeping different stock in the two paths.
The MP tray handles suitable envelopes, labels and selected thicker media. Optional LT-5300 lower trays are separate purchases. The DNT package’s second cassette is also a different supplied configuration, with different height and weight. A requirement for 550 included sheets therefore does not match this base DN simply because a related bundle or expanded unit reaches that number.
One-sided speed and compatible computer connections
Brother rates the printer at up to 30 one-sided Letter ppm and 28 A4 ppm from the specified normal paths. The highest 1200 dpi quality setting can reduce speed. Automatic duplex is a separate operating condition, so the simplex headline should not be described as a two-sided sheet rate. These figures are manufacturer declarations, not measurements from testing here.
Hi-Speed USB 2.0, IEEE 1284 parallel and 10/100 Ethernet are standard. The original USB support excludes Windows 95 and NT 4 even though those systems appear in other driver or parallel arrangements. Confirm the actual connection and compatible driver for the computer in use. AirPrint, Mopria andbuilt-in Wi-Fi are not inferred from a modern generic support menu or the manual’s broader network terminology.
Supplies and dimensions of the actual DN body
The original toner declarations are approximately 3500 standard pages and 7000 high-yield pages at 5% coverage on Letter or A4, with a separate approximately 25000-page drum declaration at one page per job. Those older conditions are not modern ISO toner yields, remaining life for a particular cartridge or a current cost calculation. Numeric recommended monthly volume is unestablished in the read exact material and is not inferred from rated speed.
The USA/Canada edition uses 110–120 V AC. The base DN body measures 14.6 × 15.1 × 9.7 in., and its actual model column gives 21.6 lb with drum and toner or 19 lb without them. Do not substitute the taller DNT package’s measurements. Allow paper loading, open-tray and service clearance. Choose this base configuration for compatible shared monochrome duplex work; choose a correctly supplied larger-tray bundle or a scanner-equipped model when those are essential requirements.
Key details at a glance
| Color printing | No |
|---|---|
| Scanner | No |
| Copying | No |
| Fax | No |
| Flatbed scanner | No |
| Automatic document feeder | No |
| Automatic two-sided printing | Yes |
| Automatic two-sided scanning | No |
| Single-pass two-sided scanning | No |
| Color scanning | No |
| Instructed envelope handling | Yes |
| Included ordinary-paper capacity | 300 sheets |
| Declared one-sided mono Letter rate | 30 pages/min |
| Unit-body width | 14.6 in |
| Unit-body depth | 15.1 in |
| Unit-body height | 9.7 in |
| Unit weight | 21.6 lb |
| Imaging engine | laser |
Use the exact model’s instructions for operating limits, supplied equipment and version differences.
Paper, software and setup details
Print-rate conditions
The original US guide gives up to 30 one-sided Letter ppm and 28 A4 ppm. Automatic duplex has a separate operating rating; the highest 1200 dpi quality setting can reduce speed.
Paper handling
The base DN includes a 250-sheet cassette and 50-sheet MP tray, totalling 300 sheets at 80 g/m². Web support labels this 20 lb; the original table prints 21 lb. Both paths cover Letter, Legal and A4. The DNT extra cassette and optional LT-5300 expansions are excluded.
Computer and mobile connections
Hi-Speed USB 2.0, IEEE 1284 parallel and 10/100 Ethernet are included. No wireless interface is included. The shared guide’s optional NC-2100p description for the 5240 is separate from the DN standard Ethernet arrangement. AirPrint and Mopria remain unestablished.
Supplies and declared yields
The original standard and high-yield toner declarations are approximately 3500 and 7000 pages at 5% Letter/A4 coverage; the separate drum declaration is approximately 25000 pages at one page per job. No current cost, remaining life or modern ISO toner yield is asserted.
Electrical edition and setup
The USA/Canada edition uses 110–120 V AC, 50/60 Hz. The base DN body measures 14.6 × 15.1 × 9.7 in. The actual page 103 column gives 21.6 lb with drum and toner, or 19 lb without them. The DNT height and weight describe a different configuration.
Sources for this assessment
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