{"id":343,"date":"2012-12-07T14:48:24","date_gmt":"2012-12-07T22:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalcardboard.com\/blog\/?p=343"},"modified":"2012-12-20T11:21:10","modified_gmt":"2012-12-20T19:21:10","slug":"extend-toner-brother-hl-2270dw-enable-toner-continue-mode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalcardboard.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/07\/extend-toner-brother-hl-2270dw-enable-toner-continue-mode\/","title":{"rendered":"Extend Toner Life on Your Brother HL-2270DW By Enabling Toner Continue Mode"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve got a number of Brother HL-2270DW laser printers around the office, and they’re wonderful. I even have one at home. Wireless-capable with built in duplexing, and on sale the unit is under $100. What’s not to like?<\/p>\n

Toner is fairly inexpensive too, but I like to squeeze as much of the life out of them as I can. By default, the toner life is strictly regulated by the page counter, and once the limit is reached, the printer stops until you replace the toner.<\/p>\n

Enter the all important Toner Continue Mode<\/strong>. If the printer is networked, you can simply bring up the control panel by browsing to your printer’s IP in your browser. Click on Printer Settings<\/em> (log in with username ‘admin’<\/em> and password ‘access’<\/em> if you haven’t changed the defaults) then make sure you set Replace Toner<\/strong>\u00a0to Continue<\/em>. Hit Submit<\/strong> at the bottom to save, and you’re set! You’ll be able to take the cartridge and shake it until you can’t shake it any more, just like the good ol’ days.<\/p>\n

\"Brother<\/a><\/p>\n

Important Note (12\/20\/2012):<\/strong> I just caught my error and updated the screenshot and post, but there’s a difference between the Continue Mode<\/strong> on the settings screen and the Replace Toner<\/strong> option. I think the Continue Mode will toggle the printer for recovering from a printer error, for example, after you unjam the printer. Replace Toner<\/strong> is the option you want to set, and isn’t available on all Brother printers. It’s super confusing because they call them the same thing…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’ve found that after changing toner cartridges, this mode will often be reset, so you’ll need to remember to change it back when swapping cartridges.<\/p>\n

The other method to set this is useful if your printer is in USB mode, directly connected to a computer. I just found out about this today. To quote Brother’s FAQ<\/a>:<\/p>\n

To enable Continue Mode<\/strong>, please follow the steps below:<\/p>\n

Press the\u00a0GO<\/strong>\u00a0button 7 times (quickly). All of the LEDs should flash twice, and the Ready LED should turn on. Continue mode is now enabled.<\/p>\n

To disable Continue Mode<\/strong>, please follow the steps below:<\/p>\n

Press the\u00a0GO<\/strong>\u00a0button 7 times (quickly). All of the LEDs should flash once. Continue mode is now disabled.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I would assume this would also work for a networked printer, but it’s nice to know that this can also be set for a standalone one. There’s no setting in the driver to adjust this option, so here’s how to do it.<\/p>\n

For more information:<\/h3>\n