Brother HL-L5100DN: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother HL-L5100DN right for you?

The HL-L5100DN is a wired workgroup printer from Brother's 2016 business line, rated for 42 ppm and a 50,000-page monthly duty. Its TN-850 high-yield cartridge delivers roughly 8,000 pages, which brought per-page costs down near a cent and made it popular for invoices and reports. There is no Wi-Fi, which for many offices was the point. The 250-sheet tray can be expanded with an optional 250 or 500-sheet lower tray.

Best for: Small offices needing a fast wired mono printer with low running costs

Setting up the Brother HL-L5100DN

Connect Ethernet and install the Full Driver & Software Package or add it via Windows with the Brother PCL/PS driver; AirPrint works over the wired network. Use the Remote Printer Console or the embedded web page to set tray sizes and default duplex. Keep the rear cover closed firmly after clearing duplex jams or the printer will report Cover Open.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the toner cartridge and drum unit, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Brother's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Brother HL-L5100DN uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• TN-820 toner (3,000 pages)
• TN-850 high-yield toner (8,000 pages)
• DR-820 drum unit (30,000 pages)

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications