How To Fix Brother Printer That Won’t Print

The Brother printer won’t print issue that you are experiencing can be caused by different factors. There might be a paper jam, the printer driver might be corrupted, or the printer might be offline. To fix this you will have to perform a series of troubleshooting steps.

The Brother Industries of Japan is a well known company that has been operating since 1908. Consumers around the world will probably know the brand as a maker of high quality Brother printers . Initially selling sewing machines their product line now includes printers, desktop computers, fax machines, and typewriters among others.

What to do when your Brother printer won’t print

Brother printers are known all over the world for the quality printing that it offers. Aside from having a great build quality they are also priced competitively. While we would like to make sure that our printers work exactly as they are supposed to there are instances when your Brother printer fails to work.

One such issue that you might experience is the Brother printer not printing problem. This can be a frustrating experience especially if you are in a hurry to print that important document that you need.

Here’s what you need to do to fix the Brother printer not printing problem.

Solution 1: Make sure your Brother printer is switched on

The first thing you should do is to make sure that your printer is powered on. This is usually the first mistake that consumers will make as they try to print a document from their computer.

If the status LED is not lit then chances are the printer is not switched on. Try to check the power cord and make sure that it is plugged directly to a working power outlet.

If the power cord is plugged to a power source then try to unplug it then check if the power source is working with another device.

Once you have confirmed that the outlet is working hold the power button of the printer then plug back the printer cord. Do not release the power button until the printer has turned on.

Solution 2: Check for any error light

You should try checking the LEDs of your Brother printer for any error lights. A common error light is the paper and toner light. Depending on what LED is lit you will have to troubleshoot it accordingly.

Here are some of the common error lights you might experience.

The Error LED will blink once in 1.5 seconds intervals while the Ready LED is on

This means that the Brother printer toner is low and needs to be replaced soon. The printer will continue printing until the LED indicates Toner ended.

The Error LED will blink once in 1.5 seconds intervals while the Ready LED is off

You will need to replace the toner with a new one.

The Error LED will blink 4 times and turn off for 1 second while the The Ready LED is off

This could mean any of the following:

• The drum unit and toner cartridge assembly is not installed correctly.
• The top cover of your Brother printer is not closed.
• The Brother printer memory is full and cannot print full pages of the document. To fix this just press and hold the power button for about 2 seconds until all the LEDs light up and then release it. The machine will cancel the print job and clear it from the memory.

The Error LED will blink 3 times and turn off for 1 second while the Ready LED is on

You will need to replace the Brother printer drum.

The Error LED will blink 3 times and turn off for 1 second while the Ready LED is off

This could mean any of the following:

• The corona wire needs to be cleaned.
• The toner cartridge is installed in the machine without the drum unit or the drum unit and toner cartridge assembly isn’t installed in the machine. If you are using high quality generic cartridges then I suggest you use original Brother ink cartridges as this might be what’s causing the problem.

The Error LED will blink twice and turn off for 1 second while the Ready LED is off

This could mean any of the following:

• There is a paper jam which you will need to clear.
• You are using the wrong paper type for printing.
• There is no paper in the paper tray.

The Error LED is and Ready LED will light up alternately

This means that the machine is canceling the print job.

The Error LED is blinking while the Ready LED is blinking

This means that the Brother printer has an error that can’t be cleared by the user. The printer will have to be repaired at a service center.

Some of the common factors that lead to this error are:

• Main PCB failure
• Fuser unit failure
• Laser unit failure
• Main motor failure
• High voltage failure
• Zero cross error

Solution 3: Verify the Brother printer connection to the access point or router

Depending on your setup and printer model, the printer will be connected to your computer or router. you might be using a wireless Brother printer or a wired one. Whatever model you are using you should check its connection.

If you are using a wireless printer then make sure that it is connected to a wireless router. You should also make sure that this is the same router that your computer is connected to.

If you are using a wired printer then make sure to check all the cables. If you are using a USB cable to connect the printer to the computer then try to disconnect this cable and reconnect it. If you are using an ethernet cable to connect the printer to the router then try to disconnect this cable and reconnect it.

Solution 4: Reinstall the Brother printer

There’s a possibility of the Brother printer connected to your computer but it is not printing. You can fix this by removing the printer from your computer then adding it again.

To remove the Brother printer

Type “control panel” on the search bar on the lower left of your computer.
Click on Control Panel.
Click on Devices and Printers.
Right-click your Brother printer icon then click on Remove device.

To add the Brother printer

You can add the printer to your Windows 10 computer by doing a restart. When your computer boots up it will automatically detect the printer and let you add it. In case it doesn’t get added automatically then here’s what you need to do.

Type “control panel” on the search bar on the lower left of your computer.
Click on Control Panel.
Click on Devices and Printers.
Click Add a printer.
Select the type of printer you want to add then click on next.
When you see your Brother printer on the list click on Add device.

After performing these steps try to check if you still experience the Brother printer won’t print problem.

Solution 5: Make sure that the Brother printer driver is installed and updated

In order for your Brother printer to work properly with your computer it should have the necessary latest driver installed. These drivers are unique for each printer model and will let your computer know how to operate the device attached to it. Sometimes, your computer might have an outdated printer driver installed which could lead to this issue.

The quickest way to fix any driver related problems is to go to the Brother driver download page. You just need to enter your printer model number to get the correct driver. After you have downloaded the correct driver just run the file and follow the onscreen instructions to install it.

Once the driver has been installed check if the Brother printer won’t print issue still occurs.

Solution 6: Brother Printer is not set as default printer

One of the common causes of the Brother printer won’t print issue is that the computer you are using to print has a different default printer set.

You can fix this by going to the Devices & printers section of your computer then look for your Brother printer model. You can right click on the printer name then set this as default.

Once the printer is set as the default printer option then you should be able to use it.

Solution 7: Brother printer is offline

When your Brother printer stops printing then there’s a possibility that it could be offline.

Here’s how to fix this on Windows 10

Type “control panel” on the search bar on the lower left of your computer.
Click on Control Panel.
Click on Devices and Printers.
Right-click your Brother printer icon and click on the See What’s Printing option on your screen.
Click on the Printer option at the top of the window, look for the check mark in front of the Use Offline option.
Remove the check mark. Your documents will start printing again.

Additional troubleshooting steps

If you have already performed all of the steps mentioned above and the Brother printer not printing issue still occurs then here are some additional steps you can do.

Try restarting your computer, printer, and router if the printer is connected to it. This refreshes the connection between the devices and will usually fix Brother printer errors.

Your last option is to contact technical support for further assistance. This is in case the hardware status of your Brother machine is failing.