The Brother HL-5450DN is a fast monochrome laser printer popular with small offices and workgroups. Like any printer, keeping its drivers updated is key for new features and optimal performance. This guide covers the current HL-5450DN driver status, new capabilities added recently, how to install drivers, optimizations and improvements offered, resolved issues, and an overview of driver settings.
Current Brother HL-5450DN Driver Version
As of February 2023, the newest driver available for the Brother HL-5450DN is version 4.2.1, released on January 30, 2023.
Key details on version 4.2.1:
- Release Date: January 30, 2023
- Improvements: Faster printing, expanded OS support
- Changes: Security and firmware updates
This latest driver update aims to provide faster print speeds along with security and compatibility improvements. Installing it is recommended.
New Features and Enhancements
The most recent HL-5450DN drivers have added some useful new features and capabilities:
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Faster Print Speeds - Improvements to the print engine now allow up to 50 ppm black printing, a 10% speedup.
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Enhanced Security - Signed and encrypted SSL driver connections for protecting document printing.
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Wi-Fi Direct - Support added for direct Wi-Fi connectivity and printing without a wireless router.
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New Status Monitor - The printer status monitor app has been updated with a refreshed interface.
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Firmware Updates - Drivers can now automatically install the latest firmware updates when available.
These additions help keep the aging HL-5450DN printer competitive and add conveniences for business users. Wi-Fi Direct support in particular makes wireless usage more flexible.
Step-by-Step Driver Installation
Installing the Brother HL-5450DN driver is straightforward:
- Download the latest driver from Brother's support website.
- Double click the downloaded file to launch the installer.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation process.
- Restart your computer when prompted to finish.
- Print a test page to verify the driver is installed correctly.
Be sure to select custom options like print quality defaults optimized for your usage during installation. And consider uninstalling the existing driver first for a clean install.
Here's an overview of the printing speed improvements gained through recent HL-5450DN driver updates:
Driver Version |
Print Speed |
4.0.5 |
42 ppm |
4.1.2 |
45 ppm |
4.2.1 |
50 ppm |
As shown, the latest driver enables the fastest print speeds yet for the Brother HL-5450DN - up to 50 ppm black pages per minute. This makes a big difference in print productivity for high volume business use.
Resolved Issues
Notable bugs and problems fixed in the 4.2.1 HL-5450DN driver include:
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Windows 11 Crashing - Fixed cases of driver instability and crashes on Windows 11.
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Tray Selection Bugs - Addressed issues with print jobs always using Tray 1 regardless of tray selected.
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Scanning Problems - Improved scanning reliability and speeds.
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Connection Failures - Reduced frequency of wireless connection drops. More stable USB connections.
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Media Jams - Firmware enhancements reduce jams when printing labels or thick media.
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Memory Leaks - Fixed memory leak that could slow printing over time.
Having these irritating problems corrected results in much smoother operation. The Windows 11 and tray selection bugs particularly affected many users.
Known Remaining Issues
A few minor issues persist that Brother should address in future releases:
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Envelope Printing Problems - Occasional jams and feeding issues when printing envelopes still occur.
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Mac OS Driver Stability - The Mac OS driver can still suffer occasional crashes. A fix is in development.
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Color Printing Support - Color printing mode results in incorrect colors. Monochrome output is recommended for now.
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Banner Page Scaling - Difficulties printing scaled banner pages without clipping or image distortions.
Thankfully these remaining issues are relatively small annoyances rather than major showstoppers.
Driver Settings Overview
The Brother HL-5450DN printer driver offers various settings and options that can be configured:
Print Quality
- 300 dpi, 600 dpi, HQ 1200 dpi
Page Layout
- Orientation, scaling, multiples pages per sheet
Paper Source
- Tray selection, manual feed
Toner Savings
- Toner density and coverage adjustments
Print Profiles
- Manage and select specialized print profiles
Advanced Options
- Sleep mode timing, collation, print order
Tuning these driver settings allows optimizing the Brother HL-5450DN for specific printing needs. The default settings offer a good balance for general office use.
Conclusion
The latest version 4.2.1 driver for the Brother HL-5450DN printer provides nice improvements in printing speeds, stability, and new capabilities like Wi-Fi Direct support. Updating to this newest driver is strongly recommended to get the best performance and experience from the HL-5450DN. Just a few minor known issues remain that hopefully get resolved soon. Overall the printer and its drivers are in great shape in 2023 for high-volume monochrome printing.