What Toner Does the Brother HL-2240D Use?

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Shopping for this printer? See all Brother TN450 Toner Cartridges – TN450, TN420 & DR420 Drum → Ships same day by 4 PM ET, 1-year guarantee.

Correction (October 2026): an earlier version of this guide listed only the TN-450 and called it the standard cartridge, said the drum lasts about three toners, and told you to reset the toner counter from a menu. The TN-450 is the high-yield cartridge (about 2,600 pages); the standard TN-420 (about 1,200 pages) also fits. The 12,000-page DR-420 drum lasts four to five TN-450s, and the HL-2240D has no menu: a new cartridge resets itself.

The Brother HL-2240D is a monochrome laser printer with automatic two-sided printing. It uses the standard TN-420 (about 1,200 pages) or high-yield TN-450 (about 2,600 pages) toner cartridge and the DR-420 drum unit (about 12,000 pages). The toner produces the printed image while the drum transfers it to paper — they are two separate consumables on this model.

CastleScore · October 2026

69/100 — Situational

Brother HL-2240D

Pillar (weight)ScoreWhat it is based on
Owner ratings (28%) — No retailer rating with enough reviews to use.
Expert reviews (20%) — No published numeric expert score we could verify.
Cost per page (18%) 93 About 1.3¢ per page all-in with our compatible TN450 toner (2,600 pages) and DR420 drum (12,000 pages).
Reliability (18%) 87 Most-reported problems: blinking Error LED from a paper jam hidden inside the machine that is easy to miss
Features (11%) 53 Auto two-sided printing, fast (20+ ppm). No document feeder, no fax, no touchscreen.
Value (5%) — Running cost and owner satisfaction

Limited data: We could not find enough owner ratings or published expert scores for this printer, so those weights are spread across the other pillars. With neither owner ratings nor a published expert score, we cap this printer at 69 (Situational) until better data is available.

Discontinued. Brother lists the HL-2240D as discontinued, but TN-420 and TN-450 toner and the DR-420 drum are still widely sold.

CastleScore is Castle Ink’s own editorial rating, built from retailer star ratings, expert reviews, real cost per page and owner complaint patterns, checked October 11, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.

The toner, pictured

Our own compatible toner, photographed in-house.

Brother HL-2240D Toner & Drum at a Glance

Consumable Part Number Page Yield Type
Black Toner TN-420 ~1,200 pages Standard
Black Toner TN-450 ~2,600 pages High yield
Drum Unit DR-420 ~12,000 pages About 4 to 5 TN-450s

The TN-450 is also compatible with other Brother models including the HL-2240, HL-2270DW, HL-2280DW, DCP-7060D, DCP-7065DN, MFC-7240, MFC-7360N, MFC-7460DN, and MFC-7860DW. They also take the TN-420, and the DR-420 drum fits all of them. We sell a compatible TN-450 and a compatible DR-420 drum.

How to Replace the Toner and Drum

  1. Power on the Brother HL-2240D and open the front cover.
  2. Pull out the toner/drum assembly as a single unit.
  3. To replace just the toner, push the green lock lever and separate the toner from the drum, then snap in the new TN-420 or TN-450 cartridge.
  4. To replace the drum, install the existing toner into the new DR-420 drum unit.
  5. Slide the assembly back into the printer, close the cover, and reset the drum counter if you replaced the drum.

Troubleshooting Tips

"Replace Toner" or low-toner warning: The HL-2240D has no screen or menu, just four lights (Toner, Drum, Error, Ready) and a Go button. A new TN-420 or TN-450 resets the toner count itself through a small gear on its side. If the Toner light says replace while prints still look fine, Brother's user guide lets you switch to Continue mode: press Go seven times. Press Go seven times again to go back to Stop mode.

Faded or streaky prints: Gently rock the toner cartridge side-to-side to redistribute toner, then reinstall. If streaks remain, clean the corona wire by sliding the green tab back and forth several times.

Drum error: After installing a new DR-420, open the front cover, hold Go for about 4 seconds until all four lights come on, release it and close the cover. Only do this for a new drum, not after a toner change.

Paper jams or smudges: Inspect the paper path and pickup roller for wear. Replacing worn rollers and keeping the printer dust-free prevents repeated print-quality issues.

What HL-2240D owners ask

These are the questions that come up most for this printer on retailer Q&A pages, Brother's support pages and owner reviews, answered in our words.

How do I stop the Drum light blinking after fitting a new DR-420?

Put the toner into the new drum and reinstall it. With the front cover still open, hold Go for about 4 seconds until all four lights come on, release it and close the cover. Don't do this when you have only changed the toner.

The Toner light says replace but prints still look fine. Can I keep printing?

Yes. Press Go seven times to switch to Continue mode (all the lights flash twice). It keeps printing until the toner runs out, though Brother doesn't promise print quality past that point. Press Go seven times again to go back to Stop mode.

Is there a cheaper toner than the TN-450?

The standard TN-420 (about 1,200 pages) costs less up front, but the TN-450 (about 2,600 pages) costs less per page. Both fit.

How does the printer tell a TN-420 from a TN-450?

By the reset gear on the side of the cartridge: three flags for a TN-420, two for a TN-450. A compatible cartridge needs the right gear to be read correctly.

How do I fix a vertical line down every page?

Clean the corona wire. Take out the drum and toner assembly, slide the green tab on the drum back and forth several times, and return it to its home position before reinstalling.

HL-2240D quirks worth knowing

  • The D stands for duplex: the HL-2240D prints on both sides automatically, which the plain HL-2240 can't. Brother USA's spec table says otherwise, but its own description and Brother Europe confirm automatic duplex.
  • Two-sided printing is slow. Brother Europe rates it at up to 5 pages a minute on A4, against up to 24 pages a minute one-sided.
  • There is no screen, only four lights (Toner, Drum, Error, Ready) and a Go button. Three quick presses of Go print a settings page, and holding it for about 4 seconds cancels a job.
  • The starter cartridge in the box is rated for only about 700 pages and has no reset gear. In Europe the same printer takes TN-2210/TN-2220 toner and the DR-2200 drum.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What toner does the Brother HL-2240D use?
A: It uses the TN-420 standard cartridge (about 1,200 pages) or the TN-450 high-yield cartridge (about 2,600 pages), with the separate DR-420 drum.

Q: Does the Brother HL-2240D need a separate drum unit?
A: Yes — the DR-420 drum unit is separate from the toner and is rated for about 12,000 pages. That is four to five TN-450s, or about ten TN-420s.

Q: Can I use compatible TN-420 or TN-450 cartridges?
A: Yes. TN-420 and TN-450 cartridges have no chip, so there is nothing for the printer to reject. It recognizes a new cartridge by a reset gear on its side, so a compatible needs the right gear. Using non-Brother toner doesn't void the warranty, but Brother won't cover damage it attributes to non-Brother supplies. We sell a compatible TN-450 and a compatible DR-420 drum.

Q: How do I reset the toner counter?
A: You don't need to. A new TN-420 or TN-450 resets the toner count itself, through the reset gear, when you close the cover. The only counter you reset by hand is the drum counter, after fitting a new DR-420.

Other printers that use TN420 and TN450 toner

Brother HL-2270DW · Brother MFC-7860DW · Brother MFC-7460DN · Brother HL-2240 · Brother HL-2280DW

More Brother ink guides: Brother DCP-L2640DW · Brother MFC-L2820DW · Brother HL-L2460DW · find any printer

Replacing it? Our highest-rated alternatives

Sources

Ratings and prices were checked on October 11, 2026 and will change over time.

Need replacement Brother TN450 Toner Cartridges – TN450, TN420 & DR420 Drum? Shop Brother TN450 Toner Cartridges – TN450, TN420 & DR420 Drum at Castle Ink. Compatible, up to 70% less than OEM, and shipped the same day when you order by 4 PM ET.

Written and reviewed by — Founder of Castle Ink, 20+ years in the printer & imaging supplies industry.

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