Brother MFC 260C User Manual

							
Safety and Legal81
A
Legal limitations for copyingA
It is an offence to make reproductions of certain items or documents with the intent to commit 
fraud. This memorandum is intended to be a guide rather than a complete list.We suggest you 
check with relevant legal authorities if in doubt about a particular item or document.
The following are examples of documents which should not be copied:„ Money
„ Bonds or other certificates of indebtedness
„ Certificates of Deposit
„ Armed Forces Service or Draft papers.
„ Passports
„ Postage Stamps (cancelled or uncancelled)
„ Immigration Papers
„ Welfare documents
„ Cheques or Drafts drawn by Governmental Agencies
„ Identification Documents, badges or insignias
„ Licences and Certificates of Title to motor vehicles
Copyrighted works cannot be copied. Sections of a copyrighted work can be copied for ‘fair 
dealing’. Multiple copies would indicate improper use.
Works of art should be considered the equivalent of copyrighted works.
Licenses and Certificates of Title to motor vehicles may not be copied under certain 
state/provincial laws.
 
						

							
82
TrademarksA
The Brother logo is a registered trademark of Brother Industries, Ltd.
Brother is a registered trademark of Brother Industries, Ltd.
Multi-Function Link is a registered trademark of Brother International Corporation.
© 2007 Brother Industries, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other 
countries.
Windows Vista is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United 
States and/or other countries.
Macintosh and TrueType are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
Nuance, the Nuance logo, PaperPort and ScanSoft are trademarks or registered trademarks of 
Nuance Communications, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.
Presto! PageManager is a registered trademark of NewSoft Technology Corporation.
Microdrive is a trademark of International Business Machine Corporation.
CompactFlash is a registered trademark of SanDisk Corporation.
Memory Stick is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
SecureDigital is a trademark of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., SanDisk Corporation and 
Toshiba Corporation.
SanDisk is a licensee of the SD and miniSD trademarks.
MultiMediaCard is a trademark of Infineon Technologies and licensed to the MultiMediaCard 
Association.
xD-Picture Card is a trademark of Fujifilm Co. Ltd., Toshiba Corporation and Olympus Optical Co. 
Ltd.
PictBridge is a trademark.
Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Duo and MagicGate are trademarks of 
Sony Corporation.
FaceFilter Studio is a trademark of Reallusion, Inc.
Each company whose software title is mentioned in this manual has a Software License 
Agreement specific to its proprietary programs.
All other brand and product names mentioned in this Users Guide and the Software Users 
Guide are registered trademarks of their respective companies.
 
						

							
83
B
B
TroubleshootingB
If you think there is a problem with your machine, check the chart below and follow the 
troubleshooting tips. 
Most problems can be easily resolved by yourself. If you need additional help, the Brother 
Solutions Center offers the latest FAQs and troubleshooting tips. Visit us at 
http://solutions.brother.com
.
If you are having difficulty with your machineB
Troubleshooting and Routine 
Maintenance
B
Printing
DifficultySuggestions
No printout Check the interface cable connection on both the machine and your computer.  (See the Quick Setup Guide .)
Make sure the machine is plugged in and not in Power Save mode.
One or more ink cartridges are empty. (See  Replacing the ink 
cartridges on page 96.)
Check to see if the LCD is showing an error message. (See  Error 
messages on page 89.)
Check that the correct printer driver has been installed and chosen.
Make sure the machine is online. Click  Start and then  Printers and Faxes . 
Right-click and choose ‘ Brother MFC-XXXX (where XXXX is your model name)’, 
and make sure that ‘Use Printer Offline’ is unchecked.
Poor print quality Check the print quality. (See  Checking the print qualityon page 101.) 
Make sure that the Printer Driver or Paper Type setting in the menu matches the 
type of paper you are using. (See Printing in the Software Users Guide on the 
CD-ROM and  Paper Typeon page 18.) 
Make sure that your ink cartridges are fresh. The following may cause ink to clog:
„ The expiration date written on the cartridge package has passed. (Cartridges 
stay usable for up to two years if kept in their original packaging.)
„ The ink cartridge was in your machine over six months.
„ The ink cartridge may not have been stored properly before use.
Try using the recommended types of paper. (See  Acceptable paper and other 
media on page 8.) 
The recommended environment for your machine is between 20 ° C to 33 ° C.
White horizontal lines appear in text 
or graphics. Clean the print head. (See 
Cleaning the print headon page 101.)
Try using the recommended types of paper. (See  Acceptable paper and other 
media on page 8.) 
The machine prints blank pages. Clean the print head. (See  Cleaning the print headon page 101.)
Characters and lines are stacked. Check the printing alignment. (See  Checking the print alignmenton page 103.)
 
						

							
84
Printed  text  or images are skewed. Make sure the paper is loaded properly in the paper tray and the paper side guide is adjusted correctly. (See Loading paper and other media on page 12.)
Make sure the Jam Clear Cover is set properly.
Smudged stain at the top center of 
the printed page. Make sure the paper is not too thick or curled. (See 
Acceptable paper and other 
media on page 8.) 
Printing appears dirty or ink seems 
to run. Make sure you are using the recommended types of paper. (See 
Acceptable 
paper and other media on page 8.) Dont handle the paper until the ink is dry.
Stains appear on the reverse side 
or at the bottom of the page. Make sure the printer platen is not dirty with ink. (See 
Cleaning the machine printer 
platen on page 100.)
Make sure you are using the paper support flap. (See  Loading paper and other 
media on page 12.)
The machine prints dense lines on 
the page. Check 
Reverse Order  in the Basic tab of the printer driver.
The printouts are wrinkled. In the printer driver  Basic tab, click  Settings, and uncheck  Bi-Directional 
Printing .
Cannot perform ‘2 in 1
 ’ or ‘4 in 1 ’ 
printing. Check that the paper size setting in the application and in the printer driver are the 
same.
Print speed is too slow.  Try changing the printer driver setting. The highest resolution needs longer data  processing, sending and printing time. Try the other quality settings in the printer 
driver Basic tab. Also, click the  Settings, and make sure you uncheck  Colour 
Enhancement .
Turn the borderless feature off. Borderless printing is slower than normal printing. 
(See  Printing  for Windows
® or Printing and Faxing  for Macintosh® in the Software 
Users Guide on the CD-ROM.)
Colour Enhancement is not 
working properly. If the image data is not full colour in your application (such as 256 colour), Colour 
Enhancement will not work. Use at least 24 bit colour data with the Colour 
Enhancement feature.
Machine feeds  multiple  pages Make sure the paper is loaded properly in the paper tray. (See  Loading paper and 
other media on page 12.)
Check that more than two types of paper are not loaded in the paper tray at any 
one time.
Printed pages are not stacked 
neatly. Make sure you are using the paper support flap. (See 
Loading paper and other 
media on page 12.)
Printed pages refeed and cause a 
paper jam. Make sure you pull out the paper support until it clicks and unfold the paper 
support flap.
Machine does not print from Paint 
Brush. Try setting the Display setting to ‘256 colours.’
Machine does not print from Adobe 
Illustrator. Try to reduce the print resolution. (See 
Printing for Windows
® or Printing and 
Faxing  for Macintosh® in the Software Users Guide on the CD-ROM.)
The machine cannot print full pages 
of a document.
Out of Memory  message occurs. Reduce the printing resolution. (See 
Printing for Windows
® or Printing and Faxing  
for Macintosh® in the Software Users Guide on the CD-ROM.)
Reduce the complexity of your document and try again. Reduce the graphic 
quality or the number of font sizes within your application software.
Printing (continued)
DifficultySuggestions
 
						

							
Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance85
B
Printing Received Faxes
DifficultySuggestions
Condensed print and white streaks 
across the page or the top and 
bottom of sentences are cut off. You probably had a bad connection, with static or interference on the telephone 
line. Ask the other party to send the fax again.
Vertical black lines when receiving. The senders scanner may be dirty. Ask the sender to make a copy to see if the  problem is with the sending machine. Try receiving from another fax machine.
Received colour fax prints only in 
black and white. Replace the colour ink cartridges that are empty or nearly empty, and then ask the 
other person to send the colour fax again. (See 
Replacing the ink 
cartridges on page 96.)
Left and Right margins are cut off or 
a single page is printed on two 
pages. Turn on Auto Reduction. (See 
Printing a reduced incoming fax on page 33.)
Telephone Line or Connections
DifficultySuggestions
Dialling does not work. (No dial 
tone) Check that the machine is plugged in and switched on.
Check the line cord connection.
Change the Tone/Pulse setting. (See 
Quick Setup Guide.)
Lift the external telephone’s handset, (or the machine’s handset or cordless 
handset if available), and then dial the number to send a manual fax. Wait to hear 
fax receiving tones before pressing  Mono Start or Colour Start .
The machine does not answer 
when called. Make sure the machine is in the correct receiving mode for your setup. (See 
Receive modes
on page 30.) Check for a dial tone. If possible, call your machine 
to hear it answer. If there is still no answer, check the telephone line cord 
connection. If there is no ringing when you call your machine, ask your telephone 
company to check the line.
Receiving Faxes
DifficultySuggestions
Cannot receive a fax Make sure the machine is in the correct receiving mode for your setup. (See  Receive modeson page 30.) 
If you often have interference on the telephone line, try changing the menu setting 
of Compatibility to  Basic. (See Telephone line interference on page 96.)
If you connect your machine to PBX or ISDN, set the menu setting of Telephone 
Line Type to your telephone type. (See  Setting the telephone Line 
Type on page 36.)
Sending Faxes
DifficultySuggestions
Cannot send a fax Make sure that the Fax   key is illuminated. (See  Entering Fax 
mode on page 24.)
Ask the other party to check that the receiving machine has paper.
Print the Transmission Verification Report and check for an error. (See 
Reports on page 48.)
 
						

							
86
Transmission Verification Report 
says ‘Result:NG’ or 
‘Result:ERROR’.There is probably temporary noise or static on the line. Try sending the fax again. 
If you send a PC FAX message and get ‘Result:ERROR’ on the Transmission 
Verification Report, your machine may be out of memory. If the problem continues, 
ask the telephone company to check your telephone line.
If you often get transmission errors due to possible interference on the telephone 
line, try changing the menu setting of Compatibility to 
Basic. (See Telephone line 
interference on page 96.)
If you connect your machine to PBX or ISDN, set the menu setting of Telephone 
Line Type to your telephone type. (See  BT Call Sign (For U.K. only)on page 36.)
Poor fax send quality. Try changing your resolution to  Fine or S.Fine . Make a copy to check your 
machines scanner operation. If the copy quality is not good, clean the scanner. 
(See  Cleaning the scanner on page 99.)
Vertical black lines when sending.
(MFC-260C only) If the copy you made shows the same problem, clean the scanner. (See 
Cleaning 
the scanner on page 99.)
Handling Incoming Calls
DifficultySuggestions
The machine ‘Hears’ a voice as a 
CNG Tone. If Fax Detect is set to on, your machine is more sensitive to sounds. It may 
mistakenly interpret certain voices or music on the line as a fax machine calling 
and respond with fax receiving tones. Deactivate the machine by pressing 
Stop/Exit
. Try avoiding this problem by turning Fax Detect to off. (See  Fax 
Detect on page 33. )
Sending a Fax Call to the machine. If you answered at the machine, press  Mono Start and hang up at once. If you 
answered on an external or extension telephone, press your Remote Activation 
Code (default setting is  l51). When your machine answers, hang up.
Custom features on a single line. If you have Call Waiting, Call Waiting/Caller ID, an alarm system or any other  custom feature on a single telephone line with your machine, it may create a 
problem sending or receiving faxes.
For example: If you subscribe to Call Waiting or some other custom service and 
its signal comes through the line while your machine is sending or receiving a fax, 
the signal can temporarily interrupt or disrupt the faxes. Brothers ECM feature 
should help overcome this problem. This condition is related to the telephone 
system industry and is common to all devices that send and receive information 
on a single, shared line with custom features. If avoiding a slight interruption is 
crucial to your business, a separate telephone line with no custom features is 
recommended.
Menu Setting Difficulties
DifficultySuggestions
The machine beeps when you try to 
access the Setup Receive menu. If the Fax   key is not illuminated, press it to turn on Fax mode. The Setup 
Receive setting is available only when the machine is in Fax mode.
Sending Faxes (continued)
DifficultySuggestions
 
						

							
Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance87
B
Copying Difficulties
DifficultySuggestions
Cannot make a copy Make sure that the Copy   key is illuminated. (See  Entering Copy 
mode on page 50.)
Vertical streaks appear on copies If you see vertical streaks on copies, clean the scanner. (See  Cleaning the 
scanner on page 99.)
Poor copy results when using the 
ADF (MFC-260C only) Try using the scanner glass. (See 
Using the scanner glasson page 7.)
Vertical black line appears in 
copies (MFC-260C only) Black vertical lines on copies are typically caused by dirt or correction fluid on the 
glass strip. Clean the glass strip. (See 
Cleaning the scanneron page 99.)
Scanning Difficulties
DifficultySuggestions
TWAIN/WIA errors appear when 
starting to scan. Make sure the Brother TWAIN/WIA driver is chosen as the primary source. In 
PaperPort™ 11SE with OCR, click 
File, Scan or Get Photo  and click Select to 
choose the Brother TWAIN/WIA driver.
Poor scanning results when using 
the ADF. (MFC-260C only) Try using the scanner glass. (See 
Using the scanner glasson page 7.)
Software Difficulties
DifficultySuggestions
Cannot install software or print Run the  Repair MFL-Pro Suite program on the CD-ROM. This program will repair 
and reinstall the software.
‘Device Busy’  Make sure the machine is not showing an error message on the LCD.
Cannot print images from 
FaceFilter Studio.  To use FaceFilter Studio, you must install the FaceFilter Studio application from 
the CD-ROM supplied with your machine.  To install FaceFilter Studio see the 
Quick Setup Guide
.
Also, before you start FaceFilter Studio for the first time, you must make sure your 
Brother machine is turned On and connected to your computer.  This will allow you 
to access all the functions of FaceFilter Studio.
 
						

							
88
PhotoCapture Center™ Difficulties
DifficultySuggestions
Removable Disk does not work 
properly. 1 Have you installed the Windows
® 2000 update? If not, do the following:
1) Unplug the USB cable.
2) Install the Windows
® 2000 update using one of the following methods.
„ Install MFL-Pro Suite from the CD-ROM. (See the  Quick Setup 
Guide .)
„ Download the latest service pack from the Microsoft Web site.
3) Wait about 1 minute after you restart the PC, and then connect the USB  cable.
2 Take out the memory card or USB Flash memory drive and put it back in  again.
3 If you have tried ‘Eject’ from within Windows
®, take out the memory card or 
USB Flash memory drive before you continue.
4 If an error message appears when you try to eject the memory card or USB  Flash memory drive, it means the card is being accessed. Wait a while and 
then try again.
5 If all of the above do not work, turn off your PC and machine, and then turn  them on again. (You will have to unplug the power cord of the machine to turn 
it off.)
Cannot access Removable Disk 
from Desktop icon.  Make sure that you have correctly inserted the memory card or USB Flash 
memory drive. 
 
						

							
Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance89
B
Error messagesB
As with any sophisticated office product, errors may occur. If this happens, your machine identifies 
the error and shows an error message. The most common error messages are shown below.
You can correct most errors by yourself. If you need more help, the Brother Solutions Center offers 
the latest FAQs and troubleshooting tips.
Visit us at http://solutions.brother.com
.
Error MessageCauseAction
BT Call Sign
On
(For UK only) BT Call Sign is set to ON. You 
cannot change the Receive Mode 
from Manual to another mode.
Set BT Call Sign to OFF. (See 
BT Call Sign (For 
U.K. only) on page 36.)
Clean Unable
XX The machine has a mechanical 
problem.
—OR—
A foreign objects such as a clip or 
ripped paper is in the machine. Open the scanner cover and remove any foreign 
objects inside the machine. If the error message 
continues, see 
Transferring your faxes or Fax 
Journal report on page 92 before disconnecting 
the machine so you will not lose any important 
messages. Then, disconnect the machine from 
the power for several minutes and then 
reconnect it.
Comm.Error Poor telephone line quality caused 
a communication error. Try sending the fax again or try connecting the 
machine to another telephone line. If the 
problem continues, call the telephone company 
and ask them to check your telephone line.
Cover is Open The scanner cover is not closed 
completely. Lift the scanner cover and then close it again.
The ink cartridge cover is not 
completely closed. Firmly close the ink cartridge cover until it clicks.
Data RemainingPrint data is left in the machines 
memory.Re-start printing from your computer.
Print data is left in the machines 
memory. The USB cable was 
unplugged while the computer was 
sending the data to the machine. Press 
Stop/Exit . The machine will cancel the job 
and clear it from the memory. Try to print again.
Disconnected The other person or other persons 
fax machine stopped the call. Try to send or receive again.
Document Jam The document was not inserted or 
fed properly, or the document 
scanned from the ADF was too 
long. See 
Using the ADF (MFC-260C only) on page 6.
See  Document jam (MFC-260C 
only) on page 93.
High TemperatureThe print head is too warm. Allow the machine to cool down.
Hub is Unusable.A Hub or USB Flash memory drive 
with Hub has been connected to the 
USB direct interface. A Hub or USB Flash memory drive with Hub are 
not supported. Unplug the device from the USB 
direct interface.
 
						

							
90
Init Unable XXThe machine has a mechanical 
problem.
—OR—
A foreign object such as a clip or 
ripped paper is in the machine.Open the scanner cover and remove any foreign 
objects inside the machine. If the error message 
continues, see 
Transferring your faxes or Fax 
Journal report on page 92 before disconnecting 
the machine so you will not lose any important 
messages. Then, disconnect the machine from 
the power for several minutes and then 
reconnect it.
Ink Empty Black
Ink Empty 
Yellow
Ink Empty 
Cyan
Ink Empty 
Magent The indicated ink cartridge is 
empty. The machine will stop all 
print operations. While memory is 
available, black and white faxes will 
be stored in the memory. If a 
sending machine has a colour fax, 
the machines 
‘handshake’ will ask 
that the fax be sent as black and 
white. If the sending machine has 
the ability to convert it, the colour 
fax will be stored in the memory as 
a black and white fax. Replace the empty ink cartridges. (See 
Replacing the ink cartridges
on page 96.)
Low TemperatureThe print head is too cold. Allow the machine to warm up.
Media Error The memory card is either 
corrupted, improperly formatted, or 
there is a problem with the memory 
card. Put the card firmly into the slot again to make 
sure it is in the correct position. If the error 
remains, check the media drive (slot) of the 
machine by putting in another memory card that 
you know is working.
Near Empty 
Black
Near Empty 
Yellw
Near Empty 
Cyan
Near Empty 
Mgent The indicated ink cartridge is 
running out of ink. If a sending 
machine has a colour fax, the 
machines 
‘handshake’ will ask that 
the fax be sent as black and white. 
If the sending machine has the 
ability to convert it, the colour fax 
will be received into memory as a 
black and white fax. Order a new ink cartridge. 
No Caller ID  
(U.K. and Ireland 
only) There is no incoming call history. 
You have not received any calls, 
you have not activated the Caller ID 
feature on your machine, or you 
have not subscribed to the Caller ID 
service from your telephone 
company. If you want to use the Caller ID feature call your 
telephone company. (See 
Caller ID (For U.K. 
and Ireland only) on page 37.) 
No Cartridge An ink cartridge is not installed 
properly. Take out the ink cartridge and put it in again 
seating it properly. (See 
Replacing the ink 
cartridges on page 96.)
No File The memory card or USB Flash 
memory drive in the media drive 
does not contain a .JPG file. Put the correct memory card or USB Flash 
memory drive into the slot again.
Error MessageCauseAction