Having upgraded from Mojave to Big Sur, I find my printer is no longer supported. Instead I'm offered Brother iPrint&Scan an independent piece of software which appears restricted to printing Photos and PDFs. I don't know how that can be but I don't see a way around it. Ideally I would like solution to using my existing printer if such a piece of software is available, getting iPrint&Scan to work for more than PDF files or, as a last resort, finding another budget Mono Laser Printer that will work with OS 11. Brother don't appear to have one.
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Big Sur driver for Brother HL-L2300D printer
- Thread starter mikethebook
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I, too, am interested in this topic. We are currently in the market for a printer and we were going to buy a Brother HL-L2370DW based on a suggestion from a forum member in another thread, but I am now worried since all our Macs are running Big Sur or newer.
Does anyone have a HL-L2370DW working with Big Sur?
Does anyone have a HL-L2370DW working with Big Sur?
I just bought the HL-L2370DW 2 days ago, super easy to setup, I used my iMac running Big Sur for the wifi setup, works like a charm, downloaded the files from the brother support site, also works with Monterey and Win10, no problems at all
The 2370DW supports AirPrint. It’ll work fine with all recent Macs and iPad/iOS devices without any extra drivers.
Brother seems to have stopped creating actual drivers since Catalina. They recommend simply using AirPrint, or their (terrible) iPrint app.
However, I have successfully installed the Catalina drivers on my Big Sur systems for both my HL-2270DW & MFC-J6920DW. They install and work just fine. Just search for them on Brother’s website, and choose the Catalina version for download. I also tested this on Monterey beta a few months ago, and the drivers installed just fine on that as well. Not sure installing them on Big Sur/Monterey works for everyone, but I haven’t had any trouble on the three computers I’ve tried it on.
For any new printer, it should just use AirPrint. My 2270 is pre-AirPrint, and the MFC doesn’t send to the right tray with AirPrint, thus the need for actual drivers. Hope Brother updates the real drivers for newer printers eventually, though, because they make really good printers!
Hope this helps.
However, I have successfully installed the Catalina drivers on my Big Sur systems for both my HL-2270DW & MFC-J6920DW. They install and work just fine. Just search for them on Brother’s website, and choose the Catalina version for download. I also tested this on Monterey beta a few months ago, and the drivers installed just fine on that as well. Not sure installing them on Big Sur/Monterey works for everyone, but I haven’t had any trouble on the three computers I’ve tried it on.
For any new printer, it should just use AirPrint. My 2270 is pre-AirPrint, and the MFC doesn’t send to the right tray with AirPrint, thus the need for actual drivers. Hope Brother updates the real drivers for newer printers eventually, though, because they make really good printers!
Hope this helps.
Pretty hard finding a decent printer for a reasonable price nowadays. Most of the good printers have been scooped up by scalpers and their bots and being resold on Amazon for 50% above MSRP. Pre-pandemic, you would have been nuts to pay MSRP, they always had steep discounts
Switched from 2012 MBP 15“ (Sierra) to MBP 2015 15“ under Monterey (Clean install).
wanted „just“ to print something with my 2340 dw and realized that brother gives a sh*** about customers with MBP under Monterey… No way to print by cable nor by WLAN.
spent an hour to try to install new firmware, then after being unable to print using USB unable to install the „on air“ installer by brother.
I felt being transferred 25 years back to the infamous era of windows … what a shocking experience…
So - no way to just print whatever it might be.
They not even tell you that they haven’t any software for Monterey !
And installing the software for MacOS 11 is worthless.
so no way to just print anything, neither per USB nor per WLAN !
An enterprise acting like that doesn’t merit any confidence of their (former) customers!
wanted „just“ to print something with my 2340 dw and realized that brother gives a sh*** about customers with MBP under Monterey… No way to print by cable nor by WLAN.
spent an hour to try to install new firmware, then after being unable to print using USB unable to install the „on air“ installer by brother.
I felt being transferred 25 years back to the infamous era of windows … what a shocking experience…
So - no way to just print whatever it might be.
They not even tell you that they haven’t any software for Monterey !
And installing the software for MacOS 11 is worthless.
so no way to just print anything, neither per USB nor per WLAN !
An enterprise acting like that doesn’t merit any confidence of their (former) customers!
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Why not use AirPrint on the 2340DW? That doesn't require any additional drivers at all for Mac.
I used the air-Print installer to do that….strictly following the installation Programm… And after the notion „successfully installed“ what happened?
NOTHING.
No way to simply print anything, neither per air-print nor by USB….
I am very disappointed about that.
But since I appreciated the brother printers just until the new installation, I’d love to get help to stay with this printer…. If there is a chance and some help….
but if not, I will not hesitate to change my equipment and NEVER EVER go back to Brother inc.
.
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I have the same printer. You shouldn’t need any driver other than what Apple already provides during setup.
Any specific advice?
the only „software“ the installers of Monterey presents are those of epson, HP and so on… not any single of brother….
please help me to get the chance to print as before…
CHEERS
There is nothing to install to use AirPrint. Open System Preferences, go to the Printers & Scanners preference, and click plus to add the printer if it doesn’t already appear.
If the printer is directly connected via USB the printer should appear automatically without even clicking the plus icon. Otherwise, a network printer may need to be added manually by clicking plus and looking for the printer in the window that appears.
Thank you, but….
I tried all this and nothing was possible!
I connected the printer and the MBP did not see the printer. But he proposed to make a choice for „what software to use“ and proposed just software from epson, HP and so on.
I tried to add a printer, but this was not possible since no printer was proposed.
After using the installing app for air print, it signaled it being successfully installed, but nothing happened.
I am using Macs since 2007 and I am used to just connect the printer, maybe just chose it and then just print.
I really don’t know why this happens now - I feel like being transferred by a time-machine 30 years back in the era of the infamous Microsoft-OS …. And that means being in hell for me.
I tried about a dozen time to chose the printer in system preferences and NOTHING is possible ! Neither air print nor by USB….
cheers
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I suspect the problem is your network. If you type in your printer’s local IP address into a browser, do you get the printer’s web page?
If not, you need to sort out your network, reconfigure the wifi connection ,restart all computers, routers, printers, because Airprint cannot detect the printer if it is not visible on the network.
Airprint is part of macos, there is no Airprint app or any other app or driver to install.
Feels like your frustration is misdirected at the printer. According to Brother your printer supports Airprint, there is even a pdf Airprint guide for it
If not, you need to sort out your network, reconfigure the wifi connection ,restart all computers, routers, printers, because Airprint cannot detect the printer if it is not visible on the network.
Airprint is part of macos, there is no Airprint app or any other app or driver to install.
Feels like your frustration is misdirected at the printer. According to Brother your printer supports Airprint, there is even a pdf Airprint guide for it
Thank you.
I will retry to make my printer work in some hours from now.
hopefully this time I‘ll be more successful….
But why is it that on brothers own homepage which I consulted after my first frustrating tries, they tell me to download this air-Print application, even especially for Mac OS?
and why does the last version of Monterey propose to chose „between software“ of OTHER enterprises???
After the first desperation I branched directly my printer with my MBP, no network, just a cable Printer -> MBP ! There just cannot be any reason to mislead the connection between them if they are connected directly like that… my MBP just did not „see“ ANY printer….
At some point the air-print installation software proposed to get the last firmware for my printer. This is, what I did. „Successfully“ updated my printer. Which also gives prove that the USB connection did work and the firmware was correctly directed from my MBP to the printer plus correctly installed after identification of the printers model…..
But nothing has changed….. neither per WLAN nor by USB..
BTW Someone here in this Thread has used the air-print installer from brothers website as well, since they clearly propose to do this!
just have a look at their website…
But in contrast to my situation, the other user reports that his printer worked „like a charm“ …. Which he does not in my case…
I will retry some hours later on…
cheers
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Here I am again….
first the good news: even updating the firmware my OLD MBPs (still under Sierra) work fine as always with the brother printer.
BUT….
after connecting directly with the MBP 2015 under Monterey 12.2.1 using USB…
definitely IMPOSSIBLE to chose the brother 2340 directly going to preferences-> printer.
The printer gets listed - But then The game Stopps at the moment when I chose the printer by clicking on the listed printer: IMPOSSIBLE ago print. The button „print“ is greyed out.
Because now
apple demands to „chose a driver For the printer„
after clicking to get further by choosing … now apple demands to „chose a software“ „because you have to use the special S/W made by the enterprise„
if you click to choose a software, there are only few listed, namely some of OKI, Epson and some others. NOT A SINGLE SW from brother!
so I found myself trapped in an endless vicious circle.
Now I did a research again on brother‘s own service homepage
There they proposed in case of problems to load directly from apple‘s AppStore their „print&scan“ app.
So, I downloaded brothers app and installed it.
NOW this app works completely separated from the MacOS print posssibilities and has ALLWAYS to be opened and used instead of the well-known button in the MacOS.
At least I can print now - but not anything I want, this brother-App is useless. So I deleted it.
But the problem seems to be caused by apple, not by brother since the MacOS demands a non-existing driver before I can use the printer….
I feel like in my worst windows-experiences long ago with drivers, installations, separate S/W…. What the hell did you do, apple???
first the good news: even updating the firmware my OLD MBPs (still under Sierra) work fine as always with the brother printer.
BUT….
after connecting directly with the MBP 2015 under Monterey 12.2.1 using USB…
definitely IMPOSSIBLE to chose the brother 2340 directly going to preferences-> printer.
The printer gets listed - But then The game Stopps at the moment when I chose the printer by clicking on the listed printer: IMPOSSIBLE ago print. The button „print“ is greyed out.
Because now
apple demands to „chose a driver For the printer„
after clicking to get further by choosing … now apple demands to „chose a software“ „because you have to use the special S/W made by the enterprise„
if you click to choose a software, there are only few listed, namely some of OKI, Epson and some others. NOT A SINGLE SW from brother!
so I found myself trapped in an endless vicious circle.
Now I did a research again on brother‘s own service homepage
There they proposed in case of problems to load directly from apple‘s AppStore their „print&scan“ app.
So, I downloaded brothers app and installed it.
NOW this app works completely separated from the MacOS print posssibilities and has ALLWAYS to be opened and used instead of the well-known button in the MacOS.
At least I can print now - but not anything I want, this brother-App is useless. So I deleted it.
But the problem seems to be caused by apple, not by brother since the MacOS demands a non-existing driver before I can use the printer….
I feel like in my worst windows-experiences long ago with drivers, installations, separate S/W…. What the hell did you do, apple???
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Suggest provide some screenshots of dialog boxes that you are having trouble with. Hard to follow all the text description
The Solution:
After endless tries with neither successfully connection by USB nor WLAN I made a point and just did a reset of my printer and was able to connect it easily to my WLAN.
astonishingly Air Print did work and even my MBP seemed to accept now the brother 2340 by USB-connection Without even any further action from my part.
So my recommendation for everyone in similar situation:
Just RESET your brother printer after updating the newest firmware and follow the installing steps of your brother printer and your WLAN.
Do NOT spend hours like me and waste your time by trying desperately to connect on and on, just do a reset - and do NOT try to understand the weird commands of your Mac OS like „chose a software“ of the enterprise that produced the printer, because there simply is NO „software“ from brother in the very small list which (at least MonteRey) will present you…
Thanks to all those who tried to help me!
cheers
After endless tries with neither successfully connection by USB nor WLAN I made a point and just did a reset of my printer and was able to connect it easily to my WLAN.
astonishingly Air Print did work and even my MBP seemed to accept now the brother 2340 by USB-connection Without even any further action from my part.
So my recommendation for everyone in similar situation:
Just RESET your brother printer after updating the newest firmware and follow the installing steps of your brother printer and your WLAN.
Do NOT spend hours like me and waste your time by trying desperately to connect on and on, just do a reset - and do NOT try to understand the weird commands of your Mac OS like „chose a software“ of the enterprise that produced the printer, because there simply is NO „software“ from brother in the very small list which (at least MonteRey) will present you…
Thanks to all those who tried to help me!
cheers
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This reminds me there is one other command that helps sometimes: right-click on the list of printers in Printers and Scanners and "Reset Printing System..."
This of course means reinstalling all printers again, but I, for example, found it the only way to get my prints to come out portrait instead of defaulting to landscape all the time.
Thanks for reporting back with your resolution.