My Brother Printer HL-2140 Is Offline After an Ink Change

If you are not able to print documents on your Brother HL-2140 after you change the toner cartridge, check the printer status on your computer. Sometimes, when you open the door on the printer to change the toner, the computer will no longer recognize the printer as being online. With a few clicks of the mouse, you will be back in business if this is the cause of your issue.

Instructions

1. Use the mouse to click on your Windows start button. If you are using Windows XP, select "Printers and Faxes" to see the installed printers. For Windows Vista, select "Hardware and Sound," followed by "Printers" to view the printer status.

2. Locate the Brother HL-2140 printer. Next to the icon for the printer, you will see a message saying "Offline" if the printer is offline or a message saying "Ready" if the printer is ready for printing.

3. Right-click on the icon for the printer if the status is now offline. Select the option for "Use Printer Online" to resume normal printing operations.

4. Remove and reinstall the toner cartridge if you can not change the status of the printer. When you reinstall the cartridge, make sure you hear a click when the cartridge locks into place. If the cartridge does not lock into place, you will not be able to change the printer status.

References

• Brother Solutions Center: The Printer Status is Offline or Paused