Industry Trends

Last-Minute Printer Setup: How to Get Your Brother HL-L2370DW Running in Under 30 Minutes

When I first started coordinating emergency print jobs, I assumed any printer could be unpacked and running in 15 minutes. Three failed rush orders later (including one where a client lost a booth placement because their label printer wouldn't connect), I learned the hard way that setup speed depends on preparation. This checklist is for anyone who needs to deploy a Brother HL-L2370DW — or a DCP-T720DW — fast, whether it's for a trade show, a last-minute document run, or a same-day label production.

The steps below take about 25 minutes if you have the right tools. I've added time estimates, warnings, and one step most people skip. Total steps: 7.

Step 1: Unbox and Inspect (2 Minutes)

Sounds obvious, but I've seen teams tear open the box and miss the toner cartridge wrapped in a separate bag. Check your package against the packing slip. For the HL-L2370DW, you should have: the printer, a starter toner cartridge (about 700 pages), a drum unit (already installed), a power cord, a quick setup guide, and a USB cable. For the DCP-T720DW, check for ink bottles instead. If any piece is missing — and I've seen it happen — call Brother support immediately. Don't assume you can borrow a part from another unit; toner cartridges are model-specific (this was back in 2023 when we tried swapping a TN660 into a TN730 and it didn't fit).

Time checkpoint: If anything is missing, stop and call. Otherwise, move on.

Step 2: Remove All Packing Tape and Foam (3 Minutes)

I can't stress this enough: that orange tape on the carton is fine, but the blue tape inside the printer? It'll jam the drum. Every model has at least five pieces of protective tape. The HL-L2370DW has one on the toner cover, one holding the drum lock, and two inside the paper tray. The DCP-T720DW has similar. Remove them all. Then open the front cover, pull the drum out (holding the green handle), shake it gently to distribute toner, and reinstall. This step is non-negotiable — I once watched a new hire skip it and the printer printed blank pages for 10 minutes before we realized.

(Pro tip: save the tape and foam for potential returns. We keep a bin labeled 'Brother packing' near the shipping desk.)

Step 3: Load Paper and Connect Power (2 Minutes)

Use 20 lb bond paper for best results. The HL-L2370DW's rear tray holds 250 sheets. Load it with the printable side up. For the DCP-T720DW, use the front tray. Plug the power into a surge protector — not a cheap power strip that looks like a surge protector but isn't (this caused intermittent shutdowns for a client last year). Press the power button. Wait for the initialization sequence: whir, click, ready. That takes about 45 seconds.

Warning: Do not connect the USB or Ethernet cable yet. The printer needs to finish its startup before it can detect a connection.

Step 4: Connect to the Network (5 Minutes)

This is where most people get stuck. You have three options: USB (fastest but tethering), Ethernet (stable but needs a switch), or Wi-Fi (convenient but sometimes finicky). If you're on a deadline, I recommend Ethernet if a switch is nearby — say a Netgear GS108E. I keep a small one in my kit (the Netgear GS108E manual says it supports auto-negotiation, which means you just plug and go). For Wi-Fi, press the Wi-Fi button on the printer, then within 2 minutes press the WPS button on your router. If your router doesn't have WPS (some business-grade units don't), you'll need to enter the SSID manually via the printer's menu. That's slow. My advice: if you can't get Wi-Fi within 2 tries, switch to USB and deal with network later.

Step 4a (edge case): If you're using a DCP-T720DW, the process is identical. The printer's menu path is Settings → Network → WLAN → Setup Wizard. I've saved this in my phone's notes for the five times I've forgotten the sequence.

Step 5: Install Drivers and Software (8 Minutes)

Skip the installation CD. It's outdated (circa 2020, at least). Go to support.brother.com, type your model — HL-L2370DW or DCP-T720DW — and download the full driver package for your OS. For Windows, it's about 120 MB. While it downloads, check if you need the Brother Printer Label software (P-Touch Editor) if you're printing labels. I mention this because many people assume the printer handles labels natively — it does, but for template-based label printing, you'll want the dedicated app. The driver installation wizard will ask you to choose connection type. Select Ethernet or Wi-Fi (whichever you set up). It'll search for the printer, find it in seconds, and install. Then print a test page.

Common mistake: Don't click 'Add a printer' in Windows Settings first. That bypasses the wizard and can miss the scanning driver. Always use the Brother installer.

Step 6: Set Up Label Printing (2 Minutes)

If your job involves labels — shipping labels, product labels, name badges — load the label sheet into the manual feed slot (not the main tray) to avoid curling. In the print settings, select 'Labels' as the paper type, and set the print quality to 'Standard' — not 'Fast' (which can cause smudging on glossy labels) and not 'Best' (which slows the print to a crawl). For the HL-L2370DW, I've printed hundreds of 2x3-inch labels without issues. For the DCP-T720DW, the inkjet handles labels fine too, but let the ink dry for 30 seconds before stacking.

Also: if you're using the Brother Printer Label software (P-Touch Editor), make sure you have the correct layout template downloaded. I once spent 10 minutes aligning a label that was 3 mm off because I used a template meant for a different model. Save that frustration — download the template specific to your label sheet size.

Step 7: Final Calibration + Emergency Backup (3 Minutes)

Print a test page from the printer menu (press the GO button four times quickly). Check for alignment, density, and any streaks. If the test page shows vertical banding, run the drum cleaning cycle: Menu → Maintenance → Cleaning → Drum. For the DCP-T720DW, run the ink head cleaning if needed. Now print your actual job — but only after you've confirmed the test page is perfect.

Keep a printed copy of the quick setup guide near the printer. Also: save the manual PDF on your phone. I keep the Netgear GS108E manual and the Brother HL-L2370DW manual in the same folder — because when something breaks at 9 PM on a Friday, you won't find the paper manual.

What Most People Forget (and It Costs Them)

After step 5, I always update the printer firmware. New firmware can fix Wi-Fi dropouts and improve label print speed. Go to the Brother support site, find 'Firmware Update', download the tool, and run it. Takes 3 minutes. Every time I skip this step, I regret it — especially when the printer refuses to reconnect after a power cycle.

Notes on Coffee, Water, and Staying Focused

By the way, if you're tackling this at 6 AM before a client demo, you'll need caffeine. How many tablespoons for 1 cup of coffee? Standard ratio: 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 oz of water (or about 1.5 tbsp for a standard 8 oz cup). I keep a stainless water bottle made in USA (my Hydro Flask works fine) with ice water nearby — because printer toner dust makes you thirsty.

Final thought: This checklist works for most Brother laser and inkjet models. The fundamentals haven't changed in 10 years, but the execution has — drivers are now online, firmware updates are essential, and network switches (like the Netgear GS108E) are cheap enough to keep spare. As of January 2025, the HL-L2370DW retails around $200-250 (verify at Brother or Amazon), and the DCP-T720DW around $180-220. Prices go up around back-to-school season, so plan ahead if you can.