Brother MFC 8420 User Manual

							TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE   22 - 9
WARNING
After you have just used the MFC, some internal parts of the MFC 
are extremely HOT! Wait for the MFC t o cool down before you touch 
the internal parts of the MFC.
6O pen the jam clear cover (fuser cover). Pull the jammed paper 
out of the fuser unit .
7Close the jam clear cover. Close the back out put tray.
HOT!
Back view
Jam Clear Cover
(Fuser Cover)
 
						

							22 - 10   TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
8Push the lock lever down and take the toner cartridge out of the 
drum unit  assembly. Take out the jammed paper if there is any 
inside the drum unit.
9Put the drum unit assembly back in the MFC.
10Put the paper tray in the MFC.
11Close the front cover.
 
						

							TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE   22 - 11
Paper is jammed in the duplex tray (For MFC-8820D and 
MFC-8820DN)
1Pull the duplex tray and paper tray out of the MFC.
2Pull the jammed paper out of t he MFC.
3Put the duplex tray and paper tray back into the MFC.
 
						

							22 - 12   TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
■The Jam Duplex message appears if you remove a sheet 
of paper from the Face Down Output Tray after only one side 
has printed.
■If t he Paper Adjustment Lever for Duplex Printing is not set 
correctly for the paper size, paper jams may occur and the 
printing will be out of position on the page.  (See To use 
Automatic Duplexing for fax, copy and print operations  (For 
MFC-8820D and MFC-8820DN) on page 2-10.)
 
						

							TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE   22 - 13
If you are having difficulty with your MFC
If you think there is a problem with the way your faxes look, make a 
copy first. If the copy looks good, the problem is probably not your 
MFC. Check the chart below and follow t he troubleshooting t ips.
DIFFICULTYSUGGESTIONS
Printing or Receiving Faxes
Condensed print  and 
horizontal streaks or the top 
and bottom of sentences are 
cut off.
I f  y ou r c op y l oo ks  go od,  yo u pr ob ab l y ha d a ba d c onn ec t i on , wi th  s t at i c  o r 
i n te rf er en c e on  t he  te l ep ho ne  l i ne.  I f  th e c o py  l oo ks  b ad,  c l ea n t h e s ca nn er  
area. If there is still problem, call Brother Customer Service at 
1 -8 00- 28 4- 43 29  (
in  USA)  or 1-877-BROTHER (i n Ca nada).
Poor quality print. See I m pr o v in g t h e  pr in t  qu a lit y on page 22-18.
Vertical black lines when 
receiving.Sometimes you may see verti cal streaks/black lines on the faxes you 
receive. Your MFC’s primary corona wire for printing may be dirty, or the 
sending party’s fax scanner may be dirty. Clean your primary corona 
wire (S ee Cleaning the drum unit on page 22-27), or ask the sender to 
make a copy to see if the problem is with the sending machine. Try 
receiving from another fax machine. If the problem continues,  call 
Brother Customer Service at 
1-800-284-4329 (In USA) or 1-877-BROTHER (In C anada).
Horizontal streaks; lines are 
missing.You may get a fax with horizontal streaks or with missing lines. Usually 
this is caused by a poor telephone connection. Ask the other party to 
send the fax again.
Received faxes appear as split 
or blank  pages.If the received data is divided and printed on two pages or if you get an 
additional blank page, your Paper Size setting may not be correct for the 
paper you are using (See Type and size of paper on page 2-1). Make 
sure that auto reduction function setting is turned on. (See Printing a 
reduced incoming fax (Auto Reduction) on page 5-5.)
Phone Line or Connections
Dialing does not work Check for a dial tone. Change Ton e/ Pul se setting. (See Setting Tone 
and Pulse dialing mode (For Canada only) on page 4-4.) Check all line 
cord connections. Check power cord connection.  Send a manual fax by 
pressi ng Hook, or by lifting the external handset and dialing the number. 
Wait to hear fax receiving tones before pressing Start.
The MFC does not answer 
when called.Make sure the MFC is in the correct receiving mode for your setup. (See 
Basic sending operations on page 6-6.) Check for a dial tone. If 
possible, call your MFC 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 MFC, ask your telephone company to check the line.
Sending Faxes
Poor sending quality. Try changing your resolution to Fine or S. Fin e. Make  a  copy to check 
your MFC’s scanner operation. If copy quality is not good, clean the 
scanner. (See Cleaning the scanner on page 22-25.)
Transmission Verification 
Report says ‘RESULT:NG’ or 
‘RE SULT:E RROR’.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:NG’ or,  on 
the Transmission Verification Report,  your MFC may be out of memory. 
To gain extra memory, you can turn off Fax Storage (See Setti ng F ax 
Storage on page 8-3), print fax messages in memory (See Polling on  
page 5-9) or cancel a Delayed Fax or Polling Job (See Canceling a job 
while scanning  the original on page  6-11). If the problem continues, ask 
the telephone company to check your phone line.
 
						

							22 - 14   TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
Vertical black lines when 
sending.If the copy you made shows the same problem, your scanner is dirty. 
(See Cleaning the scanner on page 22-25.)
Handling Incoming C alls
MFC ‘Hears’ Voice as CNG 
Tone.If your MFC is set to Easy Receive ON, it is more sensitive to sounds. 
Your MFC may mistakenly interpret certain voices or music on the line 
as a calling fax machine and respond with fax receiving tones. 
Deactivate the fax by pressing Stop /Exit. Try avoiding this problem by 
turning Easy R eceive to OFF. (See Easy R eceive on page 5-4.)
Sending a Fax Call to the 
MF C.If you answered at the MFC, press Start and hang up immediately. If 
you answered on an external or extension phone, press your Fax 
Receive Code (default setting is ( 51). When your MFC answers, 
hang up.
Custom features on a single 
line.If you have Call Waiting, C all  W aiting/Caller ID, Caller ID, RingMaster, 
Voice Mail, an answering machine, an alarm system or other custom 
feature on a single phone line with your MFC, it may create a problem 
sending or receiving fax data.
Fo r E xa m ple : Your Brother MFC handles the Caller ID subscriber 
services. However, if you subscribe to Call Waiting or some other 
custom service and  its signal comes through  the  line while your MFC  is 
sending or receiving a fax, the signal can temporarily interrupt or disrupt 
the fax data.  Brother’s 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 line with no custom features is 
recommended.
Menu Setting Difficulties
The MFC beeps when you try 
to access the Setup R eceive 
and Setup Send menus.Make sure that MFC is in Fax mode. If the Fax   key is not 
illuminated, press it to turn  on  Fax mode. S etup Receive  setting (Me n u, 
2, 1) and Setup Send setting (Me n u, 2, 2) are available only when the 
MFC is in Fax mode.
Copy Quality Difficulties
Vertical streaks appear in 
copies.Sometimes you may see vertical streaks on your copies. Either the 
scanner or the primary corona wire for printing is dirty.  Clean them both. 
(See Cleaning the scanner on page 22-25 and Cleaning the drum unit 
on page 22-27.)
DIFFICULTYSUGGESTIONS
 
						

							TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE   22 - 15
Printer Difficulties
The MFC does not print. Check the following:
 The MFC is plugged in and the power switch turned On. (See the 
Quick Setup Guide on page 7.) 
 The toner cartridge and drum unit are installed properly. (See 
Replacing the  drum unit on page 22-34.)
 The interface cable is securely connected between the MFC and 
computer. (See the Quick Setup Guide.) 
 Check to see if LCD is showing an error message. (See Error 
messages on page 22-1.)
The MFC prints unexpectedly 
or it prints garbage.Reset the MFC or turn it off and then on again. Check the primary 
settings in your application software to make sure it is set up to work with 
your MFC.
The MFC prints first couple of 
pages correctly, then some 
pages have text missing.Your computer is not recognizing the printer’s input buffer full signal. 
Please make sure to connect the MFC cable correctly.
The MFC cannot print full 
pages of a document.
O ut Of Me mor y message 
occurs.Reduce the printing resolution. Reduce the complexity of your 
document and try again. Reduce the graphic quality or the number of 
font sizes within your application software. 
My headers or footers appear 
when I view my document on 
the screen but do not appear 
when I print them.Most laser printers have a restricted area that will not accept print. 
Usually these are the first two lines and last two lines, leaves 62 
printable lines. Adjust the top and bottom margins in your document to 
allow for this.
Scanning Difficulties
TWAIN errors appear while 
scanning.Make sure the Brother TWAIN driver is selected as the primary source. 
In PaperPort
®, click Scan in the File menu and select the Brother 
TWAIN driver.
DIFFICULTYSUGGESTIONS
 
						

							22 - 16   TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
Software Difficulties
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.
Cannot print when using 
Adobe Illustrator.Try  to reduce  the print resolution.
When using ATM fonts, some 
characters are missing or 
some characters are printed in 
their place.If you are using Windows
® 95/98/98SE/Me, select ‘Printer Settings’  from 
the ‘Start’ menu. Select the properties of the ‘Brother MFC-8420 or 
MFC-8820D (USB) Printer’. Click ‘Spool Setting’ on the ‘Details’ tab. 
Select ‘RAW’ from ‘S pool Data Format.’
“Unable to write to LPT1” or 
“LPT1 already in use” Error 
Message appears.1. Make sure the MFC is on (plugged into the AC power outlet and 
turned the power switch on) and that it is connected directly to the 
computer using the bundled IEEE-1284 bi-directional parallel cable. 
The cable must not go through another peripheral device (such as a 
Zip Drive, External CD-ROM Drive, or Switch box).
2. Make sure the MFC is not displaying an error message on the LCD 
Display.
3. Make sure no other device drivers, which also communicate through 
the parallel port, are running automatically when you boot up the 
computer (such as, drivers for Zip Drives, External CD-ROM Drive, 
etc.) Suggested areas to check: (Load=, Run=command lines in the 
win.ini file or the Setup Group)
4. Check with you computer manufacturer to confirm that the computer’s 
parallel port settings in the BIOS are set to support a bi-directional 
machine; i.e. (Parallel Port Mode – ECP) “MFC is Busy” or “MFC 
Connect Failure” Error 
Message appears.
MFC  Connect  Failure If the MFC is not connected to your PC and you have loaded the Brother 
software, the  PC  will show MFC  Connect Failure each  time you restart 
Windows
®. You can ignore this message or you can turn it off as follows. 
Double-click \tool\WarnOFF.REG from the supplied CD-ROM.
The Scan key on the MFCs control panel will not work unless you restart 
your PC with the MFC connected. To turn it back on, Double-click 
\tool\WarnON.REG from the supplied CD-ROM.
Paper Handling Difficulties
The MFC does not load paper. 
The LCD shows Ch ec k 
Pa per or  Pa per  J am.Check to see if the Ch eck  Pa per or Pa pe r J am message appears on 
the LCD. If it is empty, load a new stack of paper into the paper tray. If 
there is paper in the paper tray, make sure it is straight. If the paper is 
curled, you should straighten it. Sometimes it is helpful to remove the 
paper, turn the stack over and put it back into the paper tray. Reduce the 
amount of paper in the paper tray, and then try again. Check that the 
manual feed  mode or MP  tray  or  MP mode  is not selected  in the printer 
driver.
The MFC does not feed paper 
from the manual feed tray.Reinsert the paper firmly, load one sheet at a time. Make sure that 
manual feed mode or MP mode is selected in the printer driver.
How can I load envelopes? You can load envelopes from the manual feed or MP tray. Your 
application software must be set up to print the envelope size you are 
using. This is usually done in  the Page Setup or  Document Setup menu 
of your software. Refer to your software application manual. 
What  paper  can  I  use? You can use  plain paper, envelopes, transparencies and  labels that are 
made for laser machines. (For information on paper you can use,  see 
Printer operation keys on page 11-16.)
How can I clear paper jams? See Paper jams on page 22-6.
DIFFICULTYSUGGESTIONS
 
						

							TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE   22 - 17
Print Quality Difficulties
Printed pages are curled. Thin or thick paper below the standard can cause this problem. Make 
sure you select the Paper Type that suits the media type you use. (See 
Setting the Paper Type on page 4-5 and Media Type on page 12-4.)
Printed  pages  are  smeared. The  Paper Type  setting may be incorrect  for the type of print media you 
are using—OR—The print media may be too thick or have a rough 
surface. (See Setting the Paper Type on page 4-5 and Media Type on  
page 12-4.)
Printouts  are  too  light. Set Toner Save mode to off in the Advance tab in the printer driver. (See 
Toner Save on page 12-6.)
Network Difficulties
I cannot print over the Network Make sure that your MFC is powered on and is On Line and in Ready 
mode. Press the Test switch. Then the current settings of the NC-9100h 
are  printed.Verify that the  cabling and  Network connections are  good.  If 
possible, try connecting the MFC to a different port on your hub using a 
different cable.  Check  to see if  there  is any LED activity. The  NC-9100h 
has a two color LED for diagnosing problems.
DIFFICULTYSUGGESTIONS
 
						

							22 - 18   TROUBLESHOOTING AND ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
Improving the print quality
This section provides information on the following topics:
Examples of poor print 
qu a lit yRecommendation
FaintCheck the printer’s environment. Conditions such as humidity, high 
temperatures, and so on may cause this print fault. (See Choosing a 
location on page ix .)
If the whole page is too light, Toner Save mode may be on. Turn off 
To ne r  Sa ve mode in the printer Properties tab of the driver.
—OR—
If your MFC is not connected to a computer, turn off Toner Save mode 
in the MFC itself. (S ee Toner Save on page 4-9.)
Try installing a new toner cartridge. (See Replacing the toner cartridge 
on page 22-28.)
Try installing a new drum unit. (See Replacing the drum unit on page 
22-34.)
Gray backgroundMake sure that you use paper that meets the recommended 
specifications. (S ee About paper on page 2-1.)
Check the printer’s environment - high temperatures and high humidity 
can increase the amount of background shading. (See Choosing a 
location on page ix .)
Use a new toner cartridge. (See Replacing the toner  cartridge on page 
22-28.)
Use a new drum unit. (See Replacing the drum unit on page 22-34.)
GhostMake sure you use paper that meets our specifications. Rough-surfaced 
paper or thick print media may cause this problem.
Make sure that you choose the appropriate media type in the printer 
driver. (See About paper  on page 2-1.)
Try using a new drum unit. (See Re pl ac in g  t h e d r um  u ni t on page 
22-34.)
Toner specksMake sure that you use paper that meets our specifications. 
Rough-surfaced paper may cause the problem. (See About paper on 
page 2-1.)
The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See Replacing 
t h e d r um  u ni t on page 22-34.)
H ollow printMake sure that you use paper that meets our specifications. (See About 
paper on page 2-1.)
Choose Th ic k p a pe r mode in the printer driver, or use thinner paper 
than you are currently using.
Check the printer’s environment because conditions such as high 
humidity can cause hollow print. (See Choosing a location on page ix .)
All blackYou may clear the problem by cleaning the primary corona wire inside 
the  drum unit  by  sliding the blue tab. Make  sure  you  return the blue tab 
to the home position (
▲).  ( Se e Cleaning the drum unit on page 22-27.)
The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See Replacing 
t h e d r um  u ni t on page 22-34.)
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