Brother Printer Error Codes List: Every Code Explained
Every Brother printer error code we could verify against Brother's own documentation — what it means, what usually causes it, and the first fix to try — in one table. Codes differ between model series, so treat your model's tech sheet as the final word.
How to read and retrieve error codes on Brother printers
Brother's user-level diagnostics are reports and information screens, not a test mode. The network models print a WLAN Report (Settings/All Settings > Print Reports > WLAN Report on touchscreen models; Menu > Print Reports > WLAN Report on two-line models) whose TS error code is the diagnosis for a failed wireless setup, and a Network Configuration Report that carries the machine's MAC address and connection status — both are referenced by name in Brother's own troubleshooting tables. Supply and parts state lives under Machine Information in the menus (Brother's manuals document checking the serial number and parts life there), which is where drum and toner life questions are answered before ordering parts. The two-character machine error behind an 'Unable' message is the third diagnostic: Brother's inkjet guides print the code as part of the message itself (Unable to Print 46, Unable to Scan AF), and quoting that code — not the sentence around it — is what a service technician works from. The service-level machine-error history and maintenance-mode functions exist in Brother's service documentation but are documented there for service personnel; owners are not directed into them by any Brother user document checked for this batch.
The complete Brother printer error code list
| Code | Meaning | Most likely cause | First fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | Inkjet: Abnormal stop of the head/carriage unit — service table code 3B, the 'other than paper jam, ink discharge' member of the abnormal-stop group (3C is its 'paper jam, ink discharge' counterpart) | The carriage stopped abnormally in a state the machine classifies as not jam-caused while ink discharge was involved: obstruction, encoder-strip or encoder-sensor problems are the service manual's listed checks | User level: remove any jammed paper/foreign objects, clean the encoder strip per Brother's FAQ, power-cycle. The service steps beyond that (switching lever guide, encoder sensor, main PCB) are technician work |
| 4F | Inkjet: Head voltage drops too quick — during self-diagnosis the head drive voltage falls from high to low in an abnormally short time, or fails to rise properly (service table code 4F; its neighbours 49 'head voltage does not raise' and 42 'head voltage does not turn OFF' are the same voltage family) | Per the service manual: the head flat cable, carriage flat cable, carriage PCB, the head itself (a defective piezoelectric actuator is the classic 4F mechanism), the power supply PCB or the main PCB; its user check notes cold surroundings can contribute, so it also says to use the machine in a warmer temperature | Warm the room if the machine is cold-soaked, power-cycle once. A standing 4F is a hardware service fault in the head/voltage chain — there is no cartridge, cleaning or counter fix, and Brother's user guides route every persistent 'Unable' code to Brother Customer Service |
| 5A | Inkjet: Abnormal stop of the purge cam being driven (service table code 5A, in the 5A/5B/5D/5E maintenance-unit group) | The purge cam stopped mid-drive: foreign material in the mechanism, PF encoder disk/sensor problems, ink supply tube routing interference, the paper feed motor, the maintenance unit or the main PCB | Clear any visible obstruction with the power off, then power-cycle. Persistent 5A is technician work on the maintenance unit/drive — owner disassembly of the purge unit is not a Brother-published procedure |
| 5B | Inkjet: Pump of the maintenance unit stopped abnormally (service table code 5B) — the suction pump that draws ink during cleaning has stalled | The same group checks as 5A: foreign material, PF encoder disk/sensor, ink supply tubes, paper feed motor, maintenance unit, main PCB | As for 5A: obstruction check and one power-cycle at user level; a returning 5B is a service call on the maintenance unit. A machine whose cleaning pump has stalled will degrade print quality quickly if kept in use, because head cleaning is how an inkjet clears its nozzles |
| 8A | Inkjet: PF encoder sensor cannot detect rotation of the paper feed motor (service table code 8A) — the machine is driving (or trying to drive) paper feed and sees no encoder rotation | A jam locking the feed path, foreign material, motor or sensor harness faults, a slipped paper feed roller belt, the PF encoder sensor/disk, the paper feed motor itself, or the main PCB — the service manual's check order | User level: remove the jam/obstruction completely and power-cycle. A returning 8A means the feed drive or its encoder is not turning or not being seen — service work, not a settings problem |
| 15 | Inkjet (MFC-J service table): Paper jam during duplex ejecting — the manual adds the paper was too long | A sheet jammed on its way out during two-sided printing/ejecting, or a sheet longer than the machine allows (the service manual's user check caps the length and asks for the jam to be removed and the paper specification checked) | Remove the jammed sheet, check the paper matches the model's specification and is loaded correctly, then power the machine back on. A 15 that returns with correct paper is a paper-path/main-PCB diagnosis for a technician, per the service manual's step list |
| 25 | Inkjet: Cannot communicate with the ink cartridge IC chip (cartridge side) — service table code 25, in the 20-2F cartridge-detection block | The machine cannot talk to the fitted cartridge's chip: an incompatible cartridge, a cartridge seated too fast or incorrectly, or a failed chip contact on the cartridge side (the machine-body-side counterpart is code 2E in the same table) | Remove and reinstall the cartridge slowly until it clicks; if the code stands, replace the cartridge with a genuine Brother cartridge for the model. Brother's user guidance for the Cannot Detect family is the same reseat-then-replace path; a code that survives a known-good cartridge is service work (ink sensor flat cable / cartridge IC PCB / main PCB) |
| 30 | Inkjet: Carriage does not move — detected by the CR (carriage) encoder sensor (service table code 30) | The print-head carriage is physically blocked or its movement is not being sensed: jammed paper or a foreign object in the carriage path, a dirty or damaged CR encoder strip, a timing-belt or carriage-motor problem | Brother's user-level check is the jam hunt: power off, open the scanner cover, remove any jammed paper, scraps or foreign objects from under and around the print head, then reconnect power. The service manual's deeper list (encoder strip cleaning/replacement, carriage motor, main PCB) is technician work |
| 32 | PLATFORM SPLIT — Inkjet (MFC-J service table): Head capping is unable — the maintenance unit cannot cap the print head. Colour LASER (Brother's own Print Unable 32 FAQ for MFC-9840CDW/DCP-9040CN class machines): 'Print Unable 32' / 'Machine Error 32' appears if paper or labels are stuck inside the machine or drum unit | Inkjet: a jam or foreign material around the maintenance unit stops the capping action. Laser: paper, scraps or a label stuck inside the machine or in the drum unit | Inkjet: remove jammed paper and any foreign material near the maintenance unit, power-cycle, and treat a returning 32 as service (maintenance unit / main PCB). Laser: power off, open the front cover, pull the drum unit out, remove every scrap of paper or label from inside the machine and the drum unit, remove and check each toner cartridge, refit and power on — Brother's laser FAQ procedure. Same two digits, two unrelated faults: identify the platform first |
| 35 | Inkjet: Abnormal stop of the head/carriage unit — the service table pairs 35 with 'non-ink discharge, paper jam' (its mirror 38 is 'paper jam, non-ink discharge'; the pair record which condition the machine sensed first) | The carriage stopped mid-travel: jammed paper or a foreign object, a dirty CR encoder strip the sensor can no longer read, or an encoder-sensor fault | Remove jammed paper and foreign objects and clean the encoder strip exactly as Brother's 'Unable to...' FAQ directs (dry lint-free cloth, never paper products), then reconnect power. Persistent 35 is technician diagnosis of the encoder strip/sensor and main PCB |
| 38 | Inkjet: Abnormal stop of the head/carriage unit — service table code 38, the 'paper jam, non-ink discharge' member of the 35/38 abnormal-stop pair | As for 35: the carriage halted abnormally, with a paper jam the sensed lead condition — obstruction, encoder-strip contamination, or encoder-sensor failure | As for 35: clear the paper path completely (including scraps under the print head), clean the encoder strip with a dry lint-free cloth per Brother's FAQ, power back on. A returning 38 after a proven-clear path is service work |
| 40 | Inkjet: Casing internal thermistor defective — the machine's internal temperature sensor reads out of range (service table code 40; the same sensor drives the user messages High Temperature / Low Temperature in the manual's message table) | A failed internal thermistor or its connection to the main PCB — the service manual's step list is exactly 'thermistor and main PCB' | No owner procedure cures a defective thermistor: note whether the display actually says High/Low Temperature (a genuinely extreme room — move the machine to a normal room temperature and retry) versus a standing 40 with a normal room, which is a service call for thermistor/main-PCB diagnosis |
| 44 | Inkjet: Head driver IC detects abnormal temperature — the print head's driver electronics are overheating or misreporting temperature (service table code 44) | Per the service manual's checks: the carriage flat cable, the head property information stored in the machine, the head thermistor, the head itself, or the main PCB | Power the machine off and let it cool in a normal-temperature room, then retry once. A 44 that returns is not a cleaning or reset problem — it is technician work on the head/cable/PCB chain, and continuing to drive an overheating head risks turning a cable fault into a head replacement |
| 46 | Inkjet: Ink Absorber Full — the purge count or flushing count has overflowed (service table code 46). Brother's own Print Unable 46 FAQ words it for users: the message 'is an indication that the machine's ink absorbers are almost full' — the absorbers hold the liquid and dried ink purged from the print head during cleaning | Normal life, counted: every initial purge, every automatic cleaning (on wake, after a jam, after long idle, when the head was left uncapped) moves ink into the absorber box until its counted capacity is reached. Frequent power on/off cycling and heavy cleaning histories fill it faster — Brother's FAQ lists those exact triggers | This is a service replacement, not a counter trick: the ink absorber box/flushing box must be physically replaced and the counters reset by service (the service manual's step), or the main PCB replaced. Resetting the counter alone, as third-party videos urge, leaves a physically full absorber that can leak ink inside the machine |
| 48 | Inkjet: Head flat cable detected to be not correctly inserted (service table code 48) — the cable carrying the head's signals is not seated as the machine expects | A head flat cable (or the connected carriage flat cable / carriage PCB path) loose, mis-seated or damaged; the service checks run cable, carriage PCB, head, main PCB in that order | Owner level is a power-cycle and nothing more — the head cable sits inside the carriage assembly and reseating it is service work. Report 48 verbatim when booking: it tells the technician the fault is in the head-connection chain before a panel is opened |
| 50 | Inkjet: Purge cam switch is not switching ON/OFF (service table code 50, paired with 52 'failed to detect the origin of the purge cam') — the cleaning/purge mechanism's cam position is not being reported. SCOPE WARNING: this is the inkjet meaning; do not read third-party 'E50 = laser fuser' lists onto it, and do not read this row onto a laser (see UNVERIFIED for the laser E50/E51 position) | Foreign material around the maintenance unit, the purge cam switch harness, the paper feed motor / PF encoder path that drives the mechanism, the maintenance unit itself, or the main PCB — the service manual's check list | User level: power off, check for and remove any paper scraps or foreign objects inside the machine, power back on. A returning 50 is service work on the maintenance unit — the purge mechanism is what caps and cleans the head, so a machine that cannot purge should not be forced to keep printing |
| 52 | Inkjet: Failed to detect the origin of the purge cam (service table code 52, the partner of code 50) — the purge mechanism cannot find its home position | The same maintenance-unit chain as 50: foreign material, purge cam switch harness, paper feed motor / PF encoder sensor, maintenance unit, main PCB | As for 50: clear any obstruction, power-cycle once, and book service if it returns. 50 and 52 arriving together or alternating point at the shared cam/switch mechanism rather than at two separate faults |
| 67 | Inkjet: Paper tray #1 not detected — the switchback sensor detects no paper tray 1 (service table code 67; the manual's message table maps 'Paper tray #1 not detected' to 67, and tray #2's equivalent is 66) | Tray 1 not inserted or not fully seated, or a switchback actuator / sensor harness / sensor PCB fault behind a tray that is visibly in place | Remove tray 1 completely and reinsert it firmly until it seats (Brother's user check for the group is simply 'set paper tray 1'). If the message stands with the tray proven seated, the sensor chain is service work |
| 76 | Inkjet: Head/carriage unit cannot shift to the head uncapping position (service table code 76; 75 is the mirror fault, cannot shift to the capping position) | The carriage cannot complete its move off the cap: a dirty CR encoder strip, foreign material in the travel path, the carriage motor, the maintenance unit, or the main PCB — the service manual's list for the 75/76 pair | Power off, remove any jammed paper or foreign object from the carriage path, clean the encoder strip per Brother's FAQ, power on. A returning 76 is service work — and a head that cannot uncap or cap correctly should not be left sitting, because capping is what keeps the nozzles from drying out |
| 82 | Inkjet: Paper jam — the paper width sensor cannot detect the leading edge of the paper (service table code 82, in the 82/84/88 sensor-jam group) | A jam the width sensor never saw arrive: paper specification problems (the manual's user check warns dark paper can defeat the sensors), a dirty platen, foreign material in the path, or a failed paper width sensor / feed roller | Remove the jam, check the paper specification and loading, clean the platen as the manual directs, and retry with plain standard paper. An 82 on paper that visibly fed is a sensor diagnosis for a technician |
| 84 | Inkjet: Paper jam — the registration sensor stays in the paper feeding state after ejection (service table code 84) | The registration sensor still believes paper is passing after the sheet should have ejected: a real retained sheet or scrap holding the actuator, a stuck registration or switchback actuator, roller problems, or the main PCB | Hunt for the retained scrap — including small torn pieces around the registration area — and remove it; power-cycle. If the path is provably clear and 84 returns, the actuator/sensor chain is service work |
| 88 | Inkjet: Paper jam — the switchback sensor cannot detect paper feeding during printing (service table code 88; 87 is its mirror, the switchback sensor staying in the feeding state after ejection) | Paper is moving (or should be) but the switchback sensor sees none of it: a jam upstream, a failed switchback actuator, a sensor harness/PCB fault, roller problems, or the main PCB | Remove any jam and power-cycle. An 88 that recurs with a clear path is technician diagnosis of the switchback actuator and sensor chain |
| A1 | Inkjet MFP: Document scanner sensor detects the open state (service table code A1; the manual's message table maps 'Cover is Open' to A1 and the ink-cover code 2F) — the machine believes the document scanner/cover is open | The scanner unit genuinely not closed and latched, or the scanner sensor / its harness has failed behind a closed cover | Open the document scanner fully and close it firmly until it latches (Brother's user check: 'close document scanner'). A standing A1 with a latched cover is a sensor/harness service check |
| A2 | Inkjet MFP: First side document scanning position sensor detects a document length of 90 cm or more (service table code A2; the message table files A2/A3 under 'Document Jam') | A document too long for the ADF, a jammed document holding the sensor, or an ADF feed problem (scanning position actuator, sensor, ADF motor, document feed roller) | Remove the document/jam from the ADF, check the document length against the model's ADF specification, and reload a supported document. Recurrence on normal-length paper is ADF sensor/motor service |
| A3 | Inkjet MFP: Document detection problem — the document detection sensor detects the document being pulled out during scanning, or the first side sensor cannot detect the document within the set time (service table code A3) | A document that slipped, was pulled, or never reached the sensor: a jam or foreign material in the ADF, detection/scanning-position actuator problems, a worn pick-up roller, or the ADF motor/sensor chain | Remove the jam, reload the document stack squarely in the ADF, and retry. A3 on a clean, correctly loaded ADF is service diagnosis of the ADF feed path |
| A5 | Inkjet MFP: Level of the first side CIS scan result is abnormal — first try (service table code A5; A6 is the same abnormal result after re-try, and AC/BC are the second-side equivalents) | The scanner's CIS unit produced an out-of-range scan level: contaminated or damaged white/black reference data or film, a failing CIS unit, or the main PCB | Power the machine off and on once. A standing A5/A6 is not a dirty-glass problem the user can clean their way out of — the service steps are the reference data, white reference film, CIS unit and main PCB, which is technician territory |
| A6 | Inkjet MFP: Level of the first side CIS scan result is abnormal — after re-try (service table code A6; the retry partner of A5) | As for A5, now confirmed across a retry: the CIS scan level is genuinely out of range (reference data/film, CIS unit, main PCB) | As for A5: one power-cycle, then service. The A5-then-A6 sequence is the machine telling you it already retried and got the same answer — further retries add nothing |
| A7 | Inkjet MFP: CIS unit type and input value mismatch (service table code A7) — the scanner unit fitted does not match the type value stored in the machine | A configuration/part mismatch: the service steps are to identify the CIS type correctly or replace the main PCB — typically seen after a board or scanner-unit replacement with the type value not set | No user fix: A7 is a service-configuration fault. Quote it verbatim — it tells the technician the stored CIS type and the fitted unit disagree before any part is swapped |
| AF | Inkjet MFP: CIS positioning abnormal — the scanner's home position cannot be found (service table code AF) | The CIS unit cannot travel home: scanner belt, scanner motor or its harness, CIS flat cable, black reference film, the CIS unit itself, or the main PCB | Power-cycle once (a scanner that was interrupted mid-travel can re-home cleanly). A standing AF is service work on the scanner drive — do not force the scanner bar by hand |
| Cannot Print XX | Laser message family on newer HL/MFC-L/DCP-L models — the current wording of the laser 'Print Unable ##' report (the HL-L5200 User's Guide table: 'Print Unable ## — The machine has a mechanical problem'; newer Online User's Guides title the same entry 'Cannot Print'). Brother's documented action is platform-level, not code-level: the guides deliberately do not publish a per-number laser table for users | A mechanical/electrical fault the laser engine detected — on lasers the two digits do not carry the inkjet meanings in this table, and Brother's laser FAQ shows why flattening them is wrong (laser Print Unable 32 = paper/labels stuck in the machine or drum unit, a fault with no relation to inkjet code 32) | Brother's laser procedure: press and hold the power key to turn the machine off, wait a few minutes, turn it on again; if the problem continues, contact Brother Customer Service. On fax models, transfer stored faxes first if the machine allows. Do not apply inkjet fixes (encoder strip, purge) to a laser — it has neither |
| Drum End Soon | Laser message: the drum unit is near the end of its life (the DCP-7040 User's Guide lists 'Drum End Soon — The drum unit is near the end of its life' as a routine-maintenance message, and Brother's drum FAQ groups Drum End Soon with Replace Drum / Drum Near End / Drum Stop as messages cleared by replacing the drum and resetting its counter) | The drum counter approaching its rated page life — a warning stage, not a stop: the machine keeps printing while the drum nears the count at which Replace Drum appears | Plan the replacement: have a new drum unit ready, keep printing until print quality fades or Replace Drum/Drum Stop appears, then replace the drum unit and reset the drum counter per Brother's procedure. If Drum End Soon appears immediately after a drum replacement, the counter was not reset — reset it rather than replacing a new drum twice |
| E2 | Inkjet: Wired LAN MAC address not registered (service table code E2) — the machine's stored wired-network identity is missing | The service manual's step for E2 is blunt: replace the main PCB. The MAC registration lives on the board, so this is a board-level data fault, not a router or cable problem | No network troubleshooting will cure E2 — changing cables, routers or settings cannot register a MAC address the board has lost. Book service and quote E2; expect main-PCB replacement |
| E3 | Inkjet: Wireless LAN MAC address acquisition error (service table code E3) — the machine cannot obtain its wireless module's MAC address. NOT the WLAN-report TS family: E3 is an internal hardware/data fault, while TS codes are printed on the WLAN Report for connection problems | A wireless LAN PCB connection problem, a failed wireless LAN PCB, or the main PCB — the service manual's check order | Service work (wireless PCB connection/module, then main PCB). If wireless setup is what failed, print the WLAN Report and follow its TS code instead — E3 on the LCD is hardware, not a password or router problem |
| EC | Inkjet: LCD disconnection detected (service table code EC) — the control panel display is no longer communicating with the machine | An LCD flat cable problem, a failed control panel assembly, or the main PCB — the service manual's step order | Service work: cable, panel assembly, main PCB in that order. A power-cycle is a reasonable single test; a panel that stays disconnected is not a settings fault |
| ED | Inkjet: Touch panel initialization failed (service table code ED) | Brother's user check for ED is specific: check for foreign material trapped between the touch panel and its frame (the user guides give the same check for 'Touchscreen Initialisation Failed' — nothing touching or resting on the screen at power-on, and debris slid out with a piece of stiff paper). Behind that, a failed control panel assembly or main PCB | Power off, make sure nothing rests on the touchscreen, slide a stiff piece of paper between the panel's lower edge and the frame to push out debris, and power on. ED that survives a clean, untouched panel is a panel/main-PCB service call |
| F0 | Inkjet: Flash file system error (service table code F0) — the machine's internal flash storage has a file-system fault | Corrupted internal storage — the class of fault the service documentation groups with the ROM/firmware data errors (its neighbour FE is 'ROM data acquisition error', cured by re-loading firmware or replacing the main PCB) | One power off/on cycle is the only user step Brother's documentation supports here. A standing F0 is service work (firmware re-load or main-PCB replacement) — do not attempt third-party firmware or maintenance-mode procedures from forums |
| No Toner | Laser message (support.brother.com 'No Toner' article and MFC-L2740DW User's Guide, same definition): the toner cartridge for the colour indicated on the LCD is not installed correctly — the guide's wording adds 'or the toner cartridge and drum unit assembly is not installed correctly'. Despite its name, No Toner is an installation report, not an empty-cartridge report (empty is Replace Toner) | A cartridge not locked into the drum unit, or the whole toner-and-drum assembly not seated in the machine — typically immediately after a cartridge change | Brother's procedure: pull out the drum unit, take out the indicated toner cartridge, put it back into the drum unit until it locks, and reinstall the assembly. If the problem continues, the guides say to replace the toner cartridge. Do not order toner for a No Toner message until the reseat has been tried — the cartridge in the machine may be full |
| Replace Drum | Laser message: it is time to replace the drum unit (MFC-L2740DW User's Guide table: 'Replace Drum — It is time to replace the drum unit. / The drum unit counter was not reset when a new drum was installed.'). Brother's drum FAQ lists the message family that shares one cure: Replace Drum, Drum End Soon, Drum Near End and Drum Stop all continue to appear if the drum counter was not reset when the drum unit was replaced | The drum page counter reached the drum unit's rated life — or a new drum was fitted without its counter being reset, so the machine still believes the old drum is installed. Brother stresses the two consumables are separate: the toner cartridge clicks into the drum unit, and replacing one does not replace the other | If the drum is genuinely at end of life, replace the drum unit and reset the drum counter as part of the replacement. If the drum was already replaced, reset the counter using Brother's model procedure (representative documented flow: machine on, front cover open, hold OK about two seconds to show Drum Unit, press OK, then the Up arrow to select Reset — keypad models on other variants press Clear/Clear-Back then 1). Brother's warning: reset the counter only when you replace the drum unit, or the remaining-life display will be wrong |
| Replace Toner | Laser message (HL-L5200 and MFC-L2740DW User's Guide tables, same wording): 'Replace Toner — The toner cartridge is at the end of its life. The machine stops all print operations.' On fax models the MFC table adds that incoming faxes are stored in memory while memory is available | The toner cartridge reached the end of its rated life by the machine's toner measurement — a supply state, not a malfunction. It is the end of the sequence that begins with Toner Low | Replace the toner cartridge with a new one for the model (Brother's guides: replace only the toner cartridge, not the drum unit — they are separate consumables). If Replace Toner survives a genuinely new cartridge, work Brother's toner-replacement troubleshooting (cartridge seated in the drum correctly, protective material removed) before suspecting the machine |
| Self-Diagnostic | Laser message (HL-L5200 User's Guide table, verbatim in substance): 'Self-Diagnostic — The temperature of the fuser unit does not rise to a specified temperature within the specified time. / The fuser unit is too hot.' This — not an E-code — is how current Brother laser documentation reports the fuser temperature fault | The fuser is not heating as commanded, or has overheated: a failing fuser, its thermistor/power path, or a machine that was power-cycled rapidly or run in an unsuitable environment | Brother's documented action: turn the machine off, wait a few seconds, turn it on again, and leave the machine idle for 15 minutes with the power on. A Self-Diagnostic that returns after that rest is a fuser service call — and repeated immediate restarts are exactly what the 15-minute idle instruction exists to prevent |
| TS-01 | WLAN Report code (Brother Online User's Guides, Wireless LAN Report Error Codes table): TS-01 — The WLAN (Wi-Fi) is not enabled | Wireless is switched off in the machine's settings, or a wired network cable is connected (Brother's table makes the cable a named check, because a plugged-in network cable disables the wireless path on these models) | Per Brother's table: enable the WLAN setting on the machine, and if a network cable is connected to the machine, disconnect it — then set up the wireless connection again |
| TS-02 | WLAN Report code: TS-02 — The wireless router/access point cannot be detected | The machine cannot find the network at all: router off, machine too far from the router during setup, MAC address filtering on the router blocking the machine, or a manually entered Network Name (SSID)/security information that is incorrect | Brother's documented checks: make sure the router/access point is on; temporarily place the machine closer to it while configuring; if MAC filtering is used, confirm the machine's MAC address is allowed (print the Network Configuration Report to find it); re-check a manually entered SSID/security entry; restart the router. If the SSID/security information cannot be found, Brother directs you to the router's documentation, its manufacturer, your administrator or your ISP |
| TS-03 | WLAN Report code: TS-03 — The wireless enterprise network and security settings you entered may be incorrect (the enterprise/WPA-Enterprise variant of the wrong-settings report; it appears only on models that support enterprise wireless) | The enterprise authentication details entered for a workplace/school network (network name, security method, user ID/certificate settings as the model requires) do not match what that network expects | Re-check the enterprise settings against the network administrator's specification and set up again — Brother's table treats TS-03 as an information problem, not a range or hardware problem, so moving the machine or restarting the router is not its cure. Home-network users should not see TS-03; if it appears, the machine was likely set up in enterprise mode by mistake |
| TS-04 | WLAN Report code: TS-04 — The authentication method used by the wireless router/access point is not supported by the machine (Brother's table's sense: the router's security type is one this model cannot use) | A router security setting beyond the model's supported list — Brother's guides list supported methods per model (Open, Shared Key/WEP, WPA/WPA2-Personal generations, and WPA3-Personal on newer models), so an enterprise-only or newest-only router mode can produce TS-04 on an older machine | Change the router/access point to an authentication method the machine's Online User's Guide lists as supported, then set up again. Confirm the model's list first — TS-04 is a compatibility verdict, and no amount of password re-typing changes it |
| TS-05 | WLAN Report code: TS-05 — The Network Name (SSID) and Network Key (Password) are incorrect (Brother's MFC-L3755CDW table wording) | The SSID or password entered does not match the router's — including case errors, since Brother's checks stress that a Network Key containing upper- and lower-case letters must be typed exactly | Brother's documented checks: confirm the SSID and Network Key; type mixed-case keys exactly; if the router uses WEP with multiple WEP keys, write down and use only the first WEP key; if the information cannot be found, use the router's documentation/manufacturer, administrator or ISP |
| TS-06 | WLAN Report code: TS-06 — The wireless security information (authentication method / encryption method / Network Key (Password)) is incorrect (Brother's table wording) — the broader sibling of TS-05, covering a mismatch in the method or encryption as well as the key | Any element of the security set disagreeing with the router: wrong key, or an authentication/encryption method entered that differs from the one the router is actually using | Brother's documented checks: confirm the Network Key (exact case); confirm the authentication method entered matches the router's method; if key, method and encryption are all confirmed, restart both the router/access point and the machine; if the router's Stealth Mode is on, disable it to connect. Router documentation/manufacturer, administrator or ISP are Brother's route if the true settings cannot be found |
| TS-07 | WLAN Report code: TS-07 — The machine cannot detect a wireless router/access point that has WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) enabled | A WPS setup was attempted but no WPS-enabled router was found: the router does not support WPS, WPS was not started on the router, or the two devices were not operated within the WPS window | Brother's documented checks: confirm the router supports WPS (look for the WPS symbol) and operate both the machine and the router as the WPS procedure requires, then start again; if you do not know how to operate the router's WPS, Brother directs you to the router's documentation, its manufacturer or your network administrator. WPS failure does not block the manual SSID/password setup path |
| TS-08 | WLAN Report code: TS-08 — Two or more wireless routers/access points that have WPS enabled are detected | WPS is active on more than one access point within range (a router plus an extender, or a neighbour's equipment), so the machine cannot tell which one it should join | Brother's documented checks: confirm that only one wireless router/access point within range has WPS active, then try to connect again — and try again after a few minutes to avoid interference from the other access points. This is an environment problem, not a machine fault |
| Toner Low | Laser message (support.brother.com 'Toner Low' article): when the LCD shows 'Toner Low: X', the machine has nearly run out of toner — X shows the colour near the end of its life (BK=Black, C=Cyan, M=Magenta, Y=Yellow) — and you can still print. The HL-L5200 guide table words it the same way: you can still print, the cartridge is near the end of its life, order a new one now so it is ready when Replace Toner appears | Normal toner consumption approaching the cartridge's rated yield (yields are measured per ISO/IEC 19798; Brother notes starter cartridges yield less, and graphics-heavy printing uses toner faster — both are named in its article as reasons Toner Low can legitimately appear 'early') | No repair: order the replacement cartridge in the indicated colour and keep printing. Replace only the toner cartridge when Replace Toner follows — not the drum unit. Toner Low for one colour says nothing about the others |
| Unable to Clean XX | Inkjet message family (Brother User's Guides, MFC-J4620DW table): 'Unable to Clean XX' — the machine has a mechanical problem, OR a foreign object such as a paper clip or a piece of ripped paper is in the machine. The two characters XX are the machine error code (the numbered rows in this table), and Brother's support FAQ groups Unable to Clean / Init / Print / Scan together: the machine 'may have a mechanical problem, a dirty encoder strip or a foreign object such as a clip or ripped paper inside the machine' | Whatever the XX code names — most often an obstruction, encoder-strip contamination, or a maintenance-unit (cleaning/purge) fault, because this wording is used when the failure surfaced during the cleaning cycle | Follow Brother's FAQ order: disconnect power, lift the scanner cover, remove jammed paper/foreign objects (checking under the print head and in both corners with a flashlight), clean the encoder strip with a dry lint-free cloth if dirty, close up and reconnect. If the message continues, Brother's guide instruction is to disconnect for several minutes, reconnect, and then call Brother Customer Service if it still stands |
| Unable to Init XX | Inkjet message family: 'Unable to Init. XX' (Init Unable) — the machine failed its power-on initialisation with machine error XX; Brother's guides give it the same cause wording as the whole Unable family (mechanical problem or a foreign object inside) and the same FAQ grouping as Unable to Clean/Print/Scan | Initialisation exercises the carriage, capping and feed systems in sequence, so an Init failure is usually the same obstruction/encoder/maintenance fault a Print or Clean code would name — read the XX code for which system stopped | As for Unable to Clean: full obstruction hunt and encoder-strip clean per Brother's FAQ, disconnect for several minutes, reconnect. On fax models Brother also recommends transferring stored faxes before extended power-off troubleshooting. Persistent Init XX = service, quoting the XX code |
| Unable to Print XX | Inkjet message family: 'Unable to Print XX' (Print Unable) — Brother's User's Guide wording is identical to the rest of the family: the machine has a mechanical problem, or a foreign object such as a paper clip or ripped paper is inside it. XX is the machine error code and is the diagnostically useful part — 'Print Unable 46' and 'Print Unable 32' are different faults that happen to share a sentence | Named by the XX code: printhead/carriage codes in the 30s-40s, purge/maintenance codes at 46/50/52/5A/5B, paper-feed sensor codes in the 80s on inkjets — see the numbered rows | Brother's FAQ procedure (obstruction hunt, encoder-strip clean, power disconnect for several minutes) clears the obstruction-caused share of these. If the message returns, the XX code — not the sentence — decides the repair, and Brother's guides route it to Customer Service |
| Unable to Scan XX | Inkjet MFP message family: 'Unable to Scan XX' (Scan Unable) — Brother's User's Guide gives it the family's cause (a mechanical problem) with a shorter action: disconnect the machine from the power for several minutes, then reconnect it; the XX code is a scanner-side machine error (the A-family and AF codes in this table) | A scanner mechanism or CIS fault found during scan initialisation or a scan job — carriage-of-the-scanner (CIS) travel, positioning, or scan-level problems | Power disconnect for several minutes and reconnect, per the guide. If it continues, Brother's instruction is to call Customer Service — quote the XX code, because A1 (cover sensor) and AF (CIS positioning) are very different repairs |
How to reset / clear error codes on Brother printers
Brother publishes no universal 'master reset' for its printers, and its guides are consistent about what the reset step actually is: a full power cycle. For the inkjet Unable family, Brother's User's Guides and its 'Unable to...' FAQ direct you to disconnect the machine from the power for several minutes, then reconnect it — after first removing any jammed paper or foreign objects and cleaning the encoder strip if it is dirty, because the power cycle only re-tests the machine, it does not clear the obstruction that failed the test. For laser 'Print Unable ##' / 'Cannot Print' messages the laser guides word it as: press and hold the power key to turn the machine off, wait a few minutes, and turn it on again. The fuser message Self-Diagnostic has its own documented variant: turn off, wait a few seconds, turn on, then leave the machine idle for 15 minutes with the power on. Two counter resets are user-documented because they are part of replacing a supply, not fault-clearing: the drum counter reset (only when the drum unit is replaced — Brother warns the remaining-life display is wrong if you reset it at any other time) and the toner replacement itself, which needs no counter action. Everything beyond this — maintenance mode, purge counters, absorber counters — Brother's service documentation reserves for service personnel, and this site publishes none of it as a user procedure.
How to diagnose any Brother printer code
Work the problem in this order: (1) write the code down exactly as displayed — photograph it, because opening a cover or pressing a button can clear it, and note whether it appeared at power-on, mid-page, or when a job was sent, because printers report in families (paper path, ink or toner delivery, printhead or laser, firmware) and the moment of failure names the family; (2) decide which side of the cable the fault is on — a code shown on the printer's own display is the machine reporting on itself, while a message that exists only on the computer (a driver or "not activated" message) is the operating system reporting, and no printer part will fix it; (3) run the external checks for the family first: paper path codes get the full path inspected and cleared by the manufacturer's own route, ink codes get the cartridges reseated and their contacts cleaned, network codes get the connection the printer itself reports checked before the router is blamed; (4) clear the code the way the brand documents (usually a power reset) and print the shortest job that exercises the same function — one plain test page — while you watch; a code that returns at the same point is an active fault, not a glitch; (5) only then follow the brand's documented route for the component the code monitors. Counters are not faults to defeat: ink-absorber and maintenance counters exist because the parts genuinely fill and wear, and the manufacturer's remedy — a replaceable maintenance box where the model has one, service where it does not — is the fix, not a workaround.
Message first, number second: how Brother actually reports a fault
Brother is a message-first reporter, and understanding that order prevents most misdiagnosis. The display leads with a plain-language sentence a non-technical owner can act on — Unable to Print, Unable to Clean, Replace Drum, Toner Low, No Toner — and the diagnostic precision rides behind it, as a two-character machine error code appended to the Unable sentences (Unable to Print 46), as a colour letter appended to a supply message (Toner Low: BK), or as a separate report altogether (the TS code printed on the WLAN Report, which never appears as a live display error at all). Brother's own User's Guides make the hierarchy explicit: their error tables give the Unable family a single shared entry — 'the machine has a mechanical problem, OR a foreign object, such as a paper clip or a piece of ripped paper, is in the machine' — repeated for Clean, Init, Print and Scan alike, because at user level the sentence is the instruction (open it, clear it, power-cycle it) and the number is for the next level down. That is why this site's Brother table is organised the way Brother's documentation is: the sentence families and supply messages as their own rows, and the two-character codes as separate rows whose meanings come from Brother's service table, where 30 (carriage does not move), 46 (ink absorber full) and A1 (scanner cover sensor) finally say which system stopped. Two habits follow. First, never search or report the sentence alone: 'Print Unable' without its number is compatible with a dozen different repairs, while 'Print Unable 46' is one specific service job. Second, never borrow a number's meaning across Brother's platforms — Brother itself documents code 32 as a head-capping failure in its inkjet service table and as paper or labels stuck inside the machine or drum unit in its colour-laser FAQ, so the same two digits are a printhead-mechanism fault on an MFC-J and a jam hunt on an MFC-9840CDW. The platform is part of the code.
The WLAN Report: Brother's second reporting channel
A failed Brother wireless setup produces no error on the display worth searching for — the machine instead prints its diagnosis on paper. The WLAN Report (Print Reports in the menus) ends a failed connection attempt with a TS code, TS-01 through TS-08 in the tables Brother prints identically across its Online User's Guides, and each code names a different layer of the setup: TS-01 the radio itself is off (or a LAN cable is plugged in), TS-02 the router cannot be detected at all, TS-05 and TS-06 the credentials and security information do not match, TS-03 and TS-04 the enterprise or security-method compatibility layer, TS-07 and TS-08 the WPS pairing layer. Brother's tables give each code its own check list, and the lists are deliberately unglamorous — router on, machine moved closer during setup, MAC filtering checked against the address on the Network Configuration Report, mixed-case passwords typed exactly, only the first WEP key used, stealth mode off, only one WPS access point active — because Brother is documenting an environment diagnosis, not a machine fault: no TS code in the table describes a broken printer, and none of Brother's TS procedures ends at a service call. The contrast inside Brother's own documentation is worth keeping straight, because the two systems sit one menu apart: the inkjet service table's code E3, 'wireless LAN MAC address acquisition error', IS a hardware report (wireless PCB or main PCB), filed through the Unable/code channel. A Brother that cannot connect is a TS code and a router-side afternoon; a Brother that shows E3 has a board problem. Reading one channel's codes with the other channel's table is the WLAN equivalent of reading inkjet codes onto a laser.
Less common and model-specific codes
Search data shows owners also meet these codes on Brother printers: 0B, 49, A9, E1. They are not part of the core code list Brother publishes for most models — several are series-specific, abbreviated display readings, or codes carried over from a sister platform — so we do not publish meanings for them rather than guess. Treat them by symptom: note what the machine was doing when the code appeared (filling, draining, heating, spinning), run one full power cycle (5 minutes off), and if the code returns, match the symptom to the closest documented family in the table above and check the tech sheet stored inside your machine for the model-specific definition.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a reset button on a brother printer?
Brother publishes no universal 'master reset' for its printers, and its guides are consistent about what the reset step actually is: a full power cycle. For the inkjet Unable family, Brother's User's Guides and its 'Unable to...' FAQ direct you to disconnect the machine from the power for several minutes, then reconnect it — after first removing any jammed paper or foreign objects and cleaning the encoder strip if it is dirty, because the power cycle only re-tests the machine, it does not clear the obstruction that failed the test. For laser 'Print Unable ##' / 'Cannot Print' messages the laser guides word it as: press and hold the power key to turn the machine off, wait a few minutes, and turn it on again. The fuser message Self-Diagnostic has its own documented variant: turn off, wait a few seconds, turn on, then leave the machine idle for 15 minutes with the power on. Two counter resets are user-documented because they are part of replacing a supply, not fault-clearing: the drum counter reset (only when the drum unit is replaced — Brother warns the remaining-life display is wrong if you reset it at any other time) and the toner replacement itself, which needs no counter action. Everything beyond this — maintenance mode, purge counters, absorber counters — Brother's service documentation reserves for service personnel, and this site publishes none of it as a user procedure.
Related guides
Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: manuals.plus · support.brother.com · support.brother.com · support.brother.com · support.brother.com · support.brother.com · support.brother.com · support.brother.com · www.manualshelf.com · www.manualshelf.com · www.manualshelf.com · www.manualsdir.com · manualsfile.com · www.manualshelf.com