How to Troubleshoot the Brother MFC-5840CN

During the course of your printer's life you may experience any number of common technical malfunctions, from fading and streaks to a total inability to print anything at all. If your Brother MFC-5840CN is giving you problems, your have several options for troubleshooting the problem and finding the cause. The troubleshooting process is handled differently depending on whether the problem you are experiencing is caused by a software or hardware issue.

Instructions

Software

1. Open the "Start" menu and click the "Devices and Printers" button. Right-click the icon labeled "Brother MFC-5840CN Printer." Check to see if the "Resume Printing" option is listed. Click the option if it is present, or choose none of the options and exit the popup menu if the "Pause Printing" option is listed instead.

2. Double-click the icon for your MFC-5840CN printer to open the print job queue window. Open the "Printer" menu at the top of the window and click "Cancel all documents." Close the window and restart your computer.

3. Navigate your Web browser to Brother's support center Web page for the MFC-5840CN model. Click the "Downloads" link and choose your computer's operating system from the "Select OS" menu. Click the blue "Search" button.

4. Scroll to the "Full Driver and Software Package" heading and click the "Download and Information" link. Click the blue "Download" button, then click "I Accept." Click "Save File" to download the driver installation file.

5. Navigate to the folder where you saved the driver installation file. Double-click the file and click "Next" at each prompt. Click "Finish" to install the most recent driver version available.

Hardware

1. Reach behind the printer and unplug the power cable. Grip the protruding plastic feed tray at the bottom of the printer, pull it toward you and set it aside so the inside of the printer is visible.

2. Grab an edge of any paper visibly stuck inside the machine and firmly pull it toward you until it comes loose from the printer. Set the paper tray back inside the printer. Turn the printer around so the back side is facing you.

3. Grip the plastic paper cover door at the bottom of the printer and pull the door off the machine. Check inside the printer for any additional sheets of jammed paper and pull the paper out of the machine. Set the plastic cover door back onto the printer.

4. Turn the printer around so the front end is facing you again. Lift up the plastic cover at the top of the printer until the cover locks into place and the interior of the printer is visible. Remove any jammed paper and close the plastic cover. Plug in the printer's power cable.

5. Tap the "Ink" button on the control panel at the front of the printer. Tap the "down arrow" key until the "Cleaning" option is highlighted. Press the "Menu" button to open the Cleaning menu. Tap the down arrow key until "All" is highlighted and tap "Menu" again to perform a manual print head cleaning.

Tips & Warnings

• The MFC-5840CN may stop printing and display a "High Temperature" error message on the control panel if the print head is overheating. If this is the case, wait 15 minutes for the print head to cool down before attempting to print again.

References

• Brother: MFC-5840CN User's Guide
• Brother: The Printer Status Is Offline or Paused
• Brother: How Can I Clear the "Paper Jam" or "Printer Jam" Error Message?

Resources

• Brother: MFC-5840CN Solution Center