After installing a new cartridge
- Remove the shipping tape and orange clips. Most new cartridges have a seal tab that must be pulled out completely.
- Reseat it. Take it out, check the contacts, and push it in until it clicks.
- Check the part number. A cartridge for a different model can fit physically but not be recognized. Find the right one.
- Restart the printer.
- Update the firmware. Old firmware sometimes rejects newer or compatible cartridges.
With the old cartridge still installed
"Toner low" is an early warning, and you can usually keep printing. Remove the cartridge, rock it gently side to side to spread the toner, and reinstall it. Order the replacement now so you're not caught out.
Brother: "Replace toner" right after a new one
Brother printers count toner with a sensor and a reset gear. Make sure the cartridge is fully seated in the drum unit, and that the drum's corona wire is clean (slide the green tab back and forth a few times).
Still stuck? Send us your printer model and the exact message.
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