Brother HL-L2390DW: monochrome printing with a flatbed for occasional originals review

A flatbed for the occasional original

The Brother HL-L2390DW makes sense for a compatible home office that prints monochrome documents and occasionally scans a loose page, a book page or another original that belongs on glass. It combines automatic two-sided printing with a color flatbed scanner and standalone monochrome copying. The deciding limit is its flatbed-only document routine: there is no automatic document feeder for processing a stack while you do something else.

Brother marks this exact model discontinued. Its documented functions help assess an existing machine or an earlier replacement option, but they do not establish current condition, stock or universal compatibility with a new computer. The model number deserves attention because the shared manual covers printers with different feeders, connections, displays and print speeds.

Legal printing does not mean Legal scanning

The glass accepts originals up to 8.5 × 11.8 in., covering Letter and A4. A suitable book page or single sheet can be placed directly on it. A full 14 in. Legal original will not fit within that documented length. This model has no feeder route to provide an alternative, so an office regularly capturing full Legal contracts should make a longer glass or a suitable Legal ADF an explicit requirement.

Color scanning is useful for keeping highlights, stamps or illustrations in a file. It does not change the printer or copier into a color-output device. The original specification lists an optical flatbed resolution of 1200 × 1200 dpi, with a larger interpolated figure that depends on the documented software. Higher software settings should not be described as extra optical detail or a guarantee of a better source document.

Paper handling and the correct print-speed branch

The included cassette holds up to 250 sheets of the specified 20 lb plain stock, including Letter, Legal and A4. A single-sheet manual feed accepts occasional suitable envelopes or special media. It is not another full paper tray. Match the stock, paper size and driver settings, and allow the physical access needed for loading and replacing supplies.

The exact 2390 branch is rated at up to 32 one-sided Letter ppm and 30 A4 ppm. The 36-ppm Letter branch in the same family belongs to other named models. Automatic duplex printing is documented, but the US duplex media list includes Letter, Legal and named Folio/Legal variants rather than A4. A4 input support and a broad family speed row should not override the actual US automatic-duplex size list.

Wireless and USB, with a separate scanner requirement

USB and infrastructure Wi-Fi support a compatible desktop printing and color-scanning arrangement. The US product reference also lists AirPrint and Mopria for an appropriate wireless setup. A mobile printing protocol does not establish scanner software on every computer, however. The original supported-function table distinguishes ordinary desktop scanning from Server printing-only support, so check the actual operating system and driver before relying on document capture.

Wi-Fi Direct is a documented separate printing connection. Ethernet is not included on the 2390: the family table names other models for that interface. The 2395’s Ethernet, NFC and color touchscreen should not be imported into this assessment. The 2390 instead has 64 MB of memory and a two-line display; the useful question is whether its simpler controls and actual connections cover your routine.

Monthly volume, supplies and workspace fit

The maker recommends up to 2000 printed pages per month and separately gives a 15000-page maximum duty cycle. The larger maximum is not the normal recommended workload. A purchase requirement for more than 2000 recommended pages therefore needs a different documented recommendation, even if a short burst might fit within the maximum duty figure.

The US package has an approximately 700-page starter toner under ISO/IEC 19752 and a separate DR730 drum with an approximate 12000-page declaration affected by use. TN730 and TN760 are the standard and high-yield replacement identities. No current cost or remaining cartridge life is assumed here. The body is 16.1 in. wide,15.7 in. deep and 10.7 in. high, weighing 22.7 lb with supplies. Allow cover and tray access. Choose an ADF-equipped or Ethernet-equipped printer when either capability is essential to the work.