Wrong or missing colors on a Brother color laser or inkjet usually mean one supply is out or misregistered. On a color laser check each toner cartridge, since the machine has one each for cyan, magenta, yellow and black, plus a drum unit and a belt unit, and Brother's guidance is to use brand new unused toner, seat each cartridge fully and confirm both toner and drum are installed.
The checks in more detail
Brother machines include color calibration and registration routines in the menu, run them after replacing a drum or belt, and they correct offset or off-color output. Clean the corona wires, since a dirty wire on the drum affects one color, and check the drum counter is reset only when a drum was replaced. Choose the right paper type and color mode in the driver: grayscale, or a black-only setting, gives no color.
On INKvestment inkjets run the nozzle check and head cleaning from the maintenance menu, and check each tank is filled. Compare the print with the screen using the same file: a screen is brighter and uses a different color space. Brother recommends genuine supplies because its machines are matched to their toner formulations, and non-Brother supplies can affect quality. Update the firmware and driver.
Print a color test page after any toner or drum change, and file it, since a bad color later is much easier to diagnose when you have a known-good page to compare. Print the same page at two quality settings on the correct paper to learn whether the setting or the machine is at fault. A color laser that is cold in a cool room can take a few minutes to reach a stable state, so test colors after the machine has warmed up and not from a cold start.
Differential
Likely causes of “Brother printers (MFC, DCP, HL and QL series) prints the wrong colors”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
An empty or unseated color toner
What separates it One color is wrong because a color toner is empty or not seated
How to confirm Replace or reseat the color toner, and print again
- 2
Needs calibration
What separates it The colors are off or offset because the machine needs calibration
How to confirm Run color calibration and registration, from the machine's menu
- 3
A dirty corona wire
What separates it One color is faint because the corona wire is dirty
How to confirm Clean the corona wire for that color, using the green tab
- 4
Color mode off
What separates it The pages have no color because color mode is switched off
How to confirm Choose color in the driver settings, and print again
- 5
Non-genuine supplies
What separates it The colors are off because non genuine supplies are in use
How to confirm Use genuine supplies, and see whether the colors improve
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- A color test page that shows the fault
- Which color looks wrong on the page
- The color settings that you chose in the driver
Try in this order
0 of 8 completedPrint a test page
ReversiblePrint a test page, and find the color that looks wrong, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Check that toner
ReversibleCheck that toner, and replace it if it is low, or reseat it, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Run color calibration
ReversibleRun color calibration and registration, from the machine's menu, and then print again, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Clean the corona wire
ReversibleClean the corona wire for that color, using the green tab, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Check the driver
ReversibleCheck the driver, and make sure that color is switched on, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Use genuine supplies, and see whether the colors improve
ReversibleUse genuine supplies if you are in doubt, since others can change the colors, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Update firmware
ReversibleUpdate the firmware, and then retest the colors on a new page, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Run the color calibration and registration
ReversibleFrom the machine's menu, run the color calibration and then the registration. Calibration corrects the density of each color, and registration lines the colors up so that edges do not show a colored fringe.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Color laser
- MFC-L3780CDW, MFC-L5915DW and MFC-L8905CDW have four toners.
- Mono
- HL-L2460DW and DCP-L2640DW print in black only.
- A laser, not an inkjet
- The MFC-L3780CDW is a color laser, so wrong colors come from toner, drums, the belt or the calibration, not from clogged print heads. Advice written for inkjets, such as running head cleanings, does not apply to this machine, and following it wastes supplies.
- Calibrate before you replace anything
- Brother's color laser machines can run a color calibration and a registration from the settings menu. A color shift that appears after the machine has been moved, or after a long idle period, often responds to calibration at no cost, so try it before you buy toner.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit models L5915DW, L8905CDW, L3295CDW, L2460DW, L2640DW, J1010DW, J4535DW, J5855DW, QL-820NWB label printer.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If a color stays wrong after calibration and new toner, contact Brother
- !If the belt or drum is worn, replace it
- !If inkjet colors stay wrong after cleaning, the head may need service
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
New toner, installation, drum and corona wire.
Resetting the drum counter.
Firmware Update Tool and iPrint&Scan.
Power, connection, Recover WLAN and Windows checks.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is one color wrong?+
An empty, unseated or dirty toner or drum.
What does calibration do?+
Calibration corrects the color and the alignment, so that the colors match.
When should I run it?+
After replacing a drum or belt.
Can grayscale be selected?+
Yes, grayscale can be selected, so check the driver settings.
Does the screen differ?+
Yes, the screen differs from print, since screens use light and printers use toner.
Should I use genuine toner?+
Brother recommends genuine toner, which gives the most reliable colors.
Can inkjets have this?+
A blocked head or empty tank.
Does a head cleaning help a Brother color laser?+
No. The head cleaning option belongs to inkjet printers, and a laser prints with toner and drums, so the checks are the toner level, the drum, the belt and a calibration.
How often should I calibrate?+
Run a calibration after you move the machine, change a drum or belt, or notice color drift, and not every day.