I had the surprise of my Brother HL2370 not working on macOS 11. When I searched Brother, it says they recommend to use AirPrint rather than providing a new driver...
My mac is connected through Ethernet and I do not intend to connect it through wifi.
Can I still use airprint in such a setup or do I say goodbye to printing ?
Mac mini 2018 or later
Hello,
Since you mentioned a Wi-Fi button, this seems to be the HL-L2370DW.
https://support.brother.com/g/b/producttop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hll2370dw_us
To begin with, you could try to print a network configuration report (page 75 in the manual below). This will show whether the printer as such is working, and will provide basic network information. Also, have a look at page 171 for troubleshooting steps.
https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc100810/cv_hll2310d_use_oug_c.pdf
Check that AirPrint is enabled (page 132 in the manual). When there is a problem with AirPrint, it may be a good idea to try the following power-cycling sequence as well: Power off the router, the printer, the computer, and all other devices (iPhones, et cetera). Wait two to three minutes. Power on the router. Wait two to three minutes. Power on the printer. Wait a minute or two. Power on the computer. Finally, power on all other devices.
If absolutely necessary, as a temporary workaround, you may want to test a direct USB connection. As VikingOSX mentioned, AirPrint does not work in this case, so you will need drivers. For some other models, a printer driver for macOS Catalina 10.15 has been reported to work even under macOS Big Sur, but that would be experimental. In the specifications for the HL-L2370DW, PCL6 emulation is mentioned, so a generic PCL driver could possibly be an alternative.
Hello,
Since you mentioned a Wi-Fi button, this seems to be the HL-L2370DW.
https://support.brother.com/g/b/producttop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hll2370dw_us
To begin with, you could try to print a network configuration report (page 75 in the manual below). This will show whether the printer as such is working, and will provide basic network information. Also, have a look at page 171 for troubleshooting steps.
https://download.brother.com/welcome/doc100810/cv_hll2310d_use_oug_c.pdf
Check that AirPrint is enabled (page 132 in the manual). When there is a problem with AirPrint, it may be a good idea to try the following power-cycling sequence as well: Power off the router, the printer, the computer, and all other devices (iPhones, et cetera). Wait two to three minutes. Power on the router. Wait two to three minutes. Power on the printer. Wait a minute or two. Power on the computer. Finally, power on all other devices.
If absolutely necessary, as a temporary workaround, you may want to test a direct USB connection. As VikingOSX mentioned, AirPrint does not work in this case, so you will need drivers. For some other models, a printer driver for macOS Catalina 10.15 has been reported to work even under macOS Big Sur, but that would be experimental. In the specifications for the HL-L2370DW, PCL6 emulation is mentioned, so a generic PCL driver could possibly be an alternative.
The Brother HL-L2370DN and HL-L2370DW are supported by AirPrint, whether wired (Ethernet) or Wi-Fi. You should have your Mac mini and your printer both connected to an Ethernet switch that is also connected to your router, or you can connect both Mac and printer to individual ports on your router if it has that availability.
I have my Samsung Laser printer and my Mac both connected to an Ethernet switch, and AirPrint works like a charm. I assigned a reserved DHCP address for the printer below my usual DHCP address range in my router for this purpose.
AirPrint will not work over a USB cable and does support selected Print Servers.
Thank you for the report. Good work!
What happens if you reset the printing system and re-add the printer?
Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem - Apple Support
thank you very much for this. These steps allowed me to push further and discover I has an older firmware which did not work with AirPrint.
The Brother iPrint&Scan app (from App Store) allowed me to connect through a USB cable to set wifi on the printer. After which I was able to update the firmware through wifi, then print!
Now only (smaller) issue remaining is that two instances of the printer appear in Printers & Scanners:
the latter also states “Last Used”
Just wondering if I should remove one ?
I am starting to believe the printer may have been damaged during transpirtation from Canada to Mexico, as the light on the switch remains OFF no matter the cable. The wifi button on printer keep blinking. Seems like the network card of printer does not send signal. As this was coinciding with me updating macOS from Caralina to Big Sur, it was hard to troubleshoot, but just that fact (light off on the switch) really raise something else.
Can I use Airprint if my mac is connected ethernet?
