Brother MFC 290C User Manual

							
Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance107
B
Document is jammed inside the ADF 
unit
B
aTake out any paper from the ADF that is 
not jammed.
bLift the document cover.
cPull the jammed document out to the 
left.
 
dClose the document cover.
ePress Stop/Exit .
Printer jam or paper jamB
Take out the jammed paper depending on 
where it is jammed in the machine. 
aPull the paper tray (1) out of the 
machine.
 
bPull out the jammed paper (1) and press 
Stop/Exit.
 
cReset the machine by lifting the scanner 
cover from the front of the machine and 
then close it.
„ If you cannot remove the jammed 
paper from the front of the machine, 
or the error message still appears on 
the LCD after you have removed the 
jammed paper, please go to the next 
step.
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dOpen the Jam Clear Cover (1) at the 
back of the machine. Pull the jammed 
paper out of the machine.
 
 
eClose the Jam Clear Cover.
Make sure the cover is set properly.
 
fLift the scanner cover (1) from the front 
side of the machine until it locks 
securely into the open position.
Make sure that there is no jammed 
paper left in the corners of the machine 
under the plastic covers.
 
CAUTION 
Before you unplug the machine from the 
power source, you can transfer your faxes 
that are stored in the memory to your PC or 
another fax machine so you will not lose 
any important messages. (See Transferring 
your faxes or Fax Journal report  
on page 106.)
 
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Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance109
B
Note
• If the paper is jammed under the print head, unplug the machine from the power 
source, and then move the print head to 
take out the paper.
• If the print head is at the right corner like  the illustration, you cannot move the print 
head. Press  Stop/Exit till print head 
moves to the middle. Then unplug the 
machine from the power source, and take 
out the paper.
 
• If ink gets onto your skin or clothing,  immediately wash it off with soap or 
detergent.
 
gLift the scanner cover to release the 
lock (1). Gently push the scanner cover 
support down (2) and close the scanner 
cover (3) using both hands.
 
hPush the paper tray firmly back into the 
machine. While holding the paper tray in 
place, pull out the paper support until it 
clicks and unfold the paper support flap.
Note
Make sure you pull out the paper support 
until it clicks.
 
 
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110
Routine maintenanceB
Replacing the ink cartridgesB
Your machine is equipped with an ink dot 
counter. The ink dot counter automatically 
monitors the level of ink in each of the 4 
cartridges. When the machine detects an ink 
cartridge is running out of ink, the machine 
will tell you with a message on the LCD.
The LCD will tell you which ink cartridge is low 
or needs replacing. Be sure to follow the LCD 
prompts to replace the ink cartridges in the 
correct order.
Even though the machine tells you that an ink 
cartridge is empty, there will be a small 
amount of ink left in the ink cartridge. It is 
necessary to keep some ink in the ink 
cartridge to prevent air from drying out and 
damaging the print head assembly.
CAUTION 
Brother strongly recommends that you do 
not refill the ink cartridges provided with 
your machine. We also strongly 
recommend that you continue to use only 
Genuine Brother Brand replacement ink 
cartridges. Use or attempted use of 
potentially incompatible ink and/or 
cartridges in the Brother machine may 
cause damage to the machine and/or may 
result in unsatisfactory print quality. Our 
warranty coverage does not apply to any 
problem that is caused by the use of 
unauthorized third party ink and/or 
cartridges. To protect your investment and 
obtain premium performance from the 
Brother machine, we strongly recommend 
the use of Genuine Brother Supplies.
 
aOpen the ink cartridge cover.
If one or more ink cartridges are empty, 
for example Black, the LCD shows 
Cannot Print and 
Replace BK Ink .
bPress down to unlock the release lever 
and take out the ink cartridge for the 
color shown on the LCD.
 
 
cOpen the new ink cartridge bag for the 
color shown on the LCD, and then take 
out the ink cartridge.
 
						

							
Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance111
B
dTurn the green knob on the protective 
yellow cap clockwise until it clicks to 
release the vacuum seal, then remove 
the cap (1).
 
 
eEach color has its own correct position. 
Insert the ink cartridge in the direction of 
the arrow on the label.
 
fGently push the ink cartridge in until it 
clicks, and then close the ink cartridge 
cover.
 
gThe machine will automatically reset the 
ink dot counter.
Note
• If you replaced an ink cartridge, for example Black, the LCD may ask you to 
verify that it was a brand new one 
(Did You Change Blck? ). For each 
new cartridge you installed, press  1 ( Yes ) 
to automatically reset the ink dot counter 
for that color. If the ink cartridge you 
installed is not a brand new one, be sure 
to press  2 ( No ).
• If the LCD shows  No Cartridge or 
Cannot Detect  after you install the ink 
cartridges, check that the ink cartridges 
are installed properly.
 
WARNING 
If ink gets in your eyes, wash them out with 
water at once and call a doctor if you are 
concerned.
 
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CAUTION 
DO NOT take out ink cartridges if you do 
not need to replace them. If you do so, it 
may reduce the ink quantity and the 
machine will not know the quantity of ink left 
in the cartridge.
  
DO NOT touch the cartridge insertion slots. 
If you do so, the ink may stain your skin.
  
If ink gets on your skin or clothing 
immediately wash it off with soap or 
detergent. 
  
If you mix the colors by installing an ink 
cartridge in the wrong position, clean the 
print head several times after correcting the 
cartridge installation.
  
Once you open an ink cartridge, install it in 
the machine and use it up within six months 
of installation. Use unopened ink cartridges 
by the expiration date written on the 
cartridge package.
  
DO NOT dismantle or tamper with the ink 
cartridge, this can cause the ink to leak out 
of the cartridge.
 
Cleaning the outside of the 
machineB
CAUTION 
Use neutral detergents. Cleaning with 
volatile liquids such as thinner or benzine 
will damage the outside surface of the 
machine.
  
DO NOT use cleaning materials that 
contain ammonia.
  
DO NOT use isopropyl alcohol to remove 
dirt from the control panel. It may crack the 
panel.
 
Clean the outside of the machine as 
follows:
B
aPull the paper tray (1) completely out of 
the machine.
 
bWipe the outside of the machine with a 
soft cloth to remove dust.
 
cLift the paper tray cover and remove 
anything that is stuck inside the paper 
tray.
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Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance113
B
dWipe the inside and outside of the paper 
tray with a soft cloth to remove dust.
 
eClose the paper tray cover and put the 
paper tray firmly back in the machine.
Cleaning the scannerB
aLift the document cover (1). Clean the 
scanner glass (2) and the white 
plastic (3) with a soft lint-free cloth 
moistened with a non-flammable glass 
cleaner.
 
bIn the ADF unit, clean the white bar (1) 
and the glass strip (2) with a soft lint-free 
cloth moistened with a non-flammable 
glass cleaner.
 
Note
In addition to cleaning the scanner glass 
and glass strip with a non-flammable glass 
cleaner, run your finger tip over the 
scanner glass and glass strip to see if you 
can feel anything on it. If you feel dirt or 
debris, clean the scanner glass and glass 
strip again concentrating on that area. You 
may need to repeat the cleaning process 
three or four times. To test, make a copy 
after each cleaning.
 
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114
Cleaning the machine printer 
platenB
WARNING 
Be sure to unplug the machine from the AC 
power outlet before cleaning the printer 
platen (1).
  
If ink is scattered on or around the printer 
platen, wipe it off with a soft, dry, lint-free 
cloth.
 
aLift the scanner cover until it locks 
securely into the open position.
bClean the machine printer platen (1). 
Cleaning the paper pick-up 
rollerB
aPull the paper tray completely out of the 
machine.
bUnplug the machine from the AC power 
outlet and open the Jam Clear Cover (1) 
at the back of the machine.
 
cClean the Paper Pick-up Roller (1) with 
isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab.
 
dClose the Jam Clear Cover back.
Make sure the cover is set properly.
ePut the paper tray firmly back in the 
machine.
fRe-connect the power cord.
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Troubleshooting and Routine Maintenance115
B
Cleaning the print headB
To maintain good print quality, the machine 
will automatically clean the print head. You 
can start the cleaning process manually if 
there is a print quality problem.
Clean the print head and ink cartridges if you 
get a horizontal line or blank text in the text or 
graphics on your printed pages. You can 
clean Black only, three colors at a time 
(Yellow/Cyan/Magenta), or all four colors at 
once.
Cleaning the print head consumes ink. 
Cleaning too often uses ink unnecessarily.
CAUTION 
DO NOT touch the print head. Touching the 
print head may cause permanent damage 
and may void the print heads warranty.
 
aPress Menu, 7, 2 .
bPress  aor b to choose  Black, Color  or 
All .
Press  OK.
The machine cleans the print head. 
When cleaning is finished, the machine 
will go back to standby mode 
automatically.
Note
If you clean the print head at least five 
times and the print has not improved, try 
installing a new Genuine Brother Brand 
replacement cartridge for each problem 
color. Try cleaning the print head again up 
to five more times. If the print has not 
improved call Brother Customer Service 
(See  Brother numbers  on page i).
 
Checking the print qualityB
If faded or streaked colors and text appear on 
your output, some of the nozzles may be 
clogged. You can check this by printing the 
Print Quality Check Sheet and looking at the 
nozzle check pattern.
aPress Menu, 7,  1.
bPress  aor b to choose 
Print Quality .
Press  OK.
cPress  Color Start .
The machine begins printing the Print 
Quality Check Sheet.
dCheck the quality of the four color blocks 
on the sheet.
 
Is Quality OK?
 
1.Yes 2.No
eDo one of the following:
„ If all lines are clear and visible, 
press 1 to choose  Yes, and go to 
step i.
„ If you can see missing short lines as 
shown below, press  2 to choose  No.
fThe LCD asks you if the print quality is 
OK for black and the three colors.
 
Black OK?
 
1.Yes 2.No
Press  1 ( Yes ) or 2 ( No ).
OK Poor
 
 
 
						

							
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gThe LCD asks you if you want to start 
cleaning.
 
Start Cleaning?
 
1.Yes 2.No
Press  1 ( Yes ).
The machine starts cleaning the print 
head.
hAfter cleaning is finished, press 
Color Start .
The machine starts printing the Print 
Quality Check Sheet again and then 
returns to step d. 
iPress  Stop/Exit .
If you repeat this procedure at least five 
times and the print quality is still poor, 
replace the ink cartridge for the clogged 
color. 
After replacing the ink cartridge, check 
the print quality. If the problem still 
exists, repeat the cleaning and test print 
procedures at least five times for the 
new ink cartridge. If ink is still missing, 
call Brother Customer Service (See 
Brother numbers  on page i).
CAUTION 
DO NOT touch the print head. Touching the 
print head may cause permanent damage 
and may void the print heads warranty.
 
Note
 
Checking the print alignmentB
You may need to adjust the print alignment 
after transporting the machine, or if your 
printed text becomes blurred or images 
become faded.
aPress Menu, 7 , 2.
bPress  aor b to choose  Alignment .
Press  OK.
cPress  Black Start  or Color Start .
The machine starts printing the 
Alignment Check Sheet.
 
Is Alignment OK?
 
1.Yes 2.No
dCheck the 600 dpi and 1200 dpi test 
prints to see if number 5 most closely 
matches number 0. 
„ If the number 5 samples of both the 
600 dpi and 1200 dpi test prints are 
the best matches, press  1 ( Yes ) to 
finish the Alignment Check, and go to 
step g.
„ If another test print number is a 
better match for either 600 dpi or 
1200 dpi, press  2 ( No ) to choose it.
 
i
 
When a print head 
nozzle is clogged 
the printed 
sample looks like 
this. After the print 
head nozzle is 
cleaned, the 
horizontal lines 
are gone.