Brother Printer Not Printing? 5 Reasons (How to Repair)

Your Brother printer was working, but now it isn’t printing? Here’s how to troubleshoot the problem, and get back to printing. Below are five possible reasons for your printer’s issue and a guide to how you can make repairs.

Your Brother printer not printing could be caused by these issues: no or wrong power supply, wireless problems, printer gone offline, physical errors (like paper jam, ink problems) or trouble with pending jobs. Here’s how to fix each one.

Is your Brother printer unresponsive? Here’s how to fix a Brother printer not responding issue.

1. No Power Supply (Brother Printer Not Printing)

If your Brother printer isn’t printing (link opens pdf), always troubleshoot the most fundamental issues. In this case, you can start by checking your power cables to assess if the device connects to the power supply.

Sometimes, the power cable might disconnect from the wall socket. In other instances, the wall socket connected to your Brother printer may be faulty and could cut the power supply short.

Or, you may have a damaged power adapter, which limits its efficiency in supplying power to the printer.

Also, your Brother printer may only print if you have fully inserted the power connector in the printer. Therefore, you should check your printer for any of these issues to identify why it isn’t printing.

How to Fix

You can only resolve the power supply problem if the printer receives its required power. In this regard, check if the wall socket is functioning. The easiest way to check is to plug in a lamp or another appliance that you know is working. If it lights up, then you have power to that outlet.

If not, you should contact your electrician to make the necessary repairs to your socket. 

Also, you should check your printer’s power adapter, ensure it is free from any damage, and replace it where necessary. Lastly, you should fully insert the power connector into your Brother’s power inlet.

2. Wireless Router is Glitching

The wireless router provides a network connection between your printer and PC. Therefore, your Brother printer may be experiencing issues due to a faulty router. 

As you assess possible hardware issues, ensure you switch your attention to the router to evaluate if there is a glitch or short-term error in your router that could affect your printer’s functioning.

How to Fix

One of the most effective ways to repair an issue with the wireless router is to power cycle the printer and the router. It is an off-and-on test, which can help to reboot the device.

You can do a power cycle manually using the switch on the device or automatically using another system, device, or network monitoring system.

Here is how to connect your Brother printer to WiFi.

On the contrary, you can perform the test remotely or through a communication channel. Usually, you can conduct this process over a TCP/IP in the data center environment through a power distribution system. In this case, a power cycle will allow the printer and the PC to reestablish their connections fresh, resolving any short-term errors.

3. Printer is Offline

Your Brother printer requires an internet connection for printing. Thus, failure to perform its duties maybe because it is in offline mode. Ideally, you may have set your printer to an offline mode, or in other instances, it has lost its connection to your home network.

The main reason for a network disconnection is the device being out of the network’s range. In other instances, it may be due to obstacles that block the signal. As a result, there is a disconnection between your PC and printer, and you can’t send the documents to the device for printing.

How to Fix

The first step in troubleshooting this problem is to check your printer’s settings and ensure the device is online. However, if the settings are okay but your printer is still experiencing printing issues, consider rebooting to renew its connection. Additionally, you can remove any obstacles that could interfere with the signal.

4. Physical Printing Errors

Another possible reason for your Brother printer’s failure is active printing errors. These errors may include software glitches, a paper jam, insufficient or old ink, or hardware failure.

In this case, you have to resolve these issues for your printer to work again.

How to Fix

Fixing printing errors is dependent on the specific issue you are facing. For instance, you should fill your ink tanks for a seamless printing experience if you have insufficient ink. Additionally, remove any paper jams affecting your printer’s performance.

If you have a software problem, consider reinstalling your printer software to resolve any issues. However, if none of these steps can resolve the issue, consult a qualified repair technician to troubleshoot any hardware problems beyond you.

Here’s how to fix a Brother printer that prints blank pages.

5. Paused Printer or Pending Jobs

Your Brother printer may have printing issues because it is on pause mode or has other pending jobs. Your printer often allows you to manage documents how you want them printed. In this case, you can queue several jobs or pause the queue if you aren’t ready to print the documents.

However, having pending jobs or pausing the print queue may hinder your printer from printing. Your printer may also have too many printing requests, contributing to its printing problems. You can identify this problem by checking the printer status in the printer’s settings.

How to Fix

After you have established the problem, you should unpause the print queue. On the contrary, you can delete or move the documents waiting to the bottom of the queue to ensure that the document you want to print comes first.

Here’s more about how to reset your Brother printer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some quick questions and answers to help troubleshoot your Brother printer.

Can I connect multiple computers to my Brother printer?

Yes, depending on its model, you can connect more than one device to your printer. Therefore, refer to your manual to identify how many computers your printer can allow.

Do I have to plug my Brother printer into the router?

Not all models require plugging into the router. Depending on your model, you can connect your router wirelessly, which allows devices on the same network to access your printer.

Wireless connection is simpler and faster. Try to connect via WiFi whenever possible.

How do I check if the Brother printer driver is installed?

Right-click on your device and then left-click on the printing preferences. Confirm if the driver has an advanced or support button. The printer driver is fully installed if it has any of the above.

Several issues could be the reason why your Brother printer isn’t printing. While your printer is prone to failures, you should have troubleshooting skills to solve minor problems on your printer. However, ask help from your technician to repair critical issues and ensure your printer works correctly.

Your Turn

How did this work for you? I would love to hear what problem you were having and how you fixed it.