The Brother HL-L2380DW is a versatile monochrome laser printer known for fast print speeds, low operating costs, and reliability. Keeping the drivers up-to-date is crucial for getting the best performance from these workhorse printers. This article will look at the current HL-L2380DW driver availability and what the latest version offers.
Latest Driver Version Overview
The most recent driver for the Brother HL-L2380DW is version 1.1.2 released on March 1, 2024. This driver update provides optimizations, bug fixes, and feature enhancements.
What's new in version 1.1.2:
- Print speed increases, especially for duplex pages
- Expanded mobile printing options
- Security patches for potential vulnerabilities
- Improvements to status reporting
- Fixes for intermittent jamming issues
Major new features:
- NFC Tap to Print - Print quickly from mobile devices using NFC tap.
- Improved toner usage - More pages printed per toner cartridge.
- Enhanced color profiles - Better color matching and accuracy.
Installing/Updating Drivers
Updating to the latest HL-L2380DW drivers takes just a few minutes:
- Download newest driver.
- On Windows, uninstall old driver via Programs & Features.
- On Mac, delete previous driver by dragging to Trash.
- Run the new driver installer and follow prompts.
- Reboot computer after install completes.
- Print test page to confirm functioning.
Refer to the HL-L2380DW user manual for full instructions if required.
The recent 1.1.2 drivers provide measurable print speed gains over previous versions:
Print Mode |
Speed (v1.1.1 driver) |
Speed (v1.1.2 driver) |
Single Page Black |
38 ppm |
42 ppm |
5 Page Black Text |
16 ppm |
20 ppm |
10 Page Color Document |
8.5 ppm |
10 ppm |
As shown, the latest drivers optimize both black and color printing to provide faster performance across all print jobs.
Resolved Issues
The 1.1.2 driver fixes many common pain points experienced with older HL-L2380DW drivers:
- Eliminates random print failures when loading certain paper types
- Resolves wireless connectivity problems seen with Windows 8.1
- Fixes spooler crash errors that could occur when sharing the printer
- Addresses bug causing skewed or misaligned printed pages
- Corrects intermittent paper jams when printing envelopes
Overall the latest driver provides excellent stability and problem resolution.
Known Remaining Issues
A few minor issues remain unresolved with the current HL-L2380DW drivers:
- Some Linux distributions still have scan driver problems
- Firmware updates can still fail or brick printer in rare cases
- Slow printing from certain custom applications
Workarounds exist for the Linux scanning issues. The other problems have fixes planned for the next 1.2.0 driver release.
Driver Settings Overview
The HL-L2380DW printer drivers provide many adjustable settings including:
Print Quality Settings
- Resolution options
- Toner settings
- Color matching profiles
- Watermark printing
Printing Preferences
- Paper size and tray options
- Print order settings
- Multi-page layouts
- Duplex/booklet printing
Device Settings
- Printer status and alerts
- Security protocols
- Power saving modes
- Firmware update prefs
Fine tuning these driver settings can help optimize the printer's performance for specific use cases.
Conclusion
Version 1.1.2 of the Brother HL-L2380DW printer drivers brings nice enhancements to print speeds along with fixing many lingering bugs and pain points. The additional mobile printing options also add value for users. While a couple minor issues remain, the latest drivers are highly recommended for most HL-L2380DW users to get the most out of these versatile monochrome laser printers.