Brother MFC 8890DW User Manual

							110
Installing extra memoryB
aTurn off the machine’s power switch. 
Unplug the telephone line cord.
bDisconnect the interface cable from the 
machine, and then unplug the power 
cord from the electrical socket.
Note
Be sure to turn off the machine’s power 
switch before you install or remove the 
SO-DIMM.
 
cRemove the SO-DIMM cover and 
interface access cover.
 
 
dUnpack the SO-DIMM and hold it by its 
edges.
IMPORTANT
To prevent damage to the machine from 
static electricity, DO NOT touch the 
memory chips or the board surface.
 
eHold the SO-DIMM by the edges and 
align the notches in the SO-DIMM with 
the protrusions in the slot. Insert the SO-
DIMM diagonally (1), then tilt it toward 
the interface board until it clicks into 
place (2).
 
fPut the interface access cover and the 
SO-DIMM cover back on.
gPlug the machine’s power cord back into 
the electrical socket first, and then 
connect the interface cable. 
hPlug in the telephone line cord. Turn on 
the machine’s power switch.
Note
To make sure that you have installed the 
SO-DIMM properly, you can print the user 
settings page that shows the current 
memory size. (See How to print a report 
on page 76).
 
1
2
 
						

							111
C
C
TroubleshootingC
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 machineC
If you think there is a problem with the way your faxes look, make a copy first. If the copy looks 
good, the problem may not be your machine. Check the chart below and follow the troubleshooting 
tips.
Printing or receiving faxesC
Troubleshooting and routine 
maintenance
C
DifficultiesSuggestions
„Condensed print
„Horizontal streaks
„Top and bottom sentences are 
cut off
„Missing linesUsually this is caused by a poor telephone connection. If your copy looks good, 
you probably had a bad connection, with static or interference on the telephone 
line. Ask the other party to send the fax again.
Poor print quality See Improving the print quality on page 118.
Vertical black lines when receiving The corona wire for printing may be dirty. Clean the corona wire. (See Cleaning 
the corona wire on page 141.)
The sender’s 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. 
If the problem continues, call your dealer for service.
Received faxes appear as split or 
blank pages.If the received faxes are divided and printed on two pages or if you get an extra 
blank page, your paper size setting may not be correct for the paper you are using. 
(See Paper Size on page 24.) 
Turn on Auto Reduction. (See Printing a reduced incoming fax on page 50.)
Telephone line or connections
DifficultiesSuggestions
Dialling does not work. Check for a dial tone.
Change Tone/Pulse setting. (See the Quick Setup Guide.)
Check all line cord connections.
Check that the machine is plugged in and switched on.
If an external phone is connected to the machine, send a manual fax by lifting the 
handset of the external telephone and dialling the number. Wait to hear the fax 
receiving tones before pressing Start.
 
						

							112
Sending faxesC
Handling incoming callsC
The machine does not answer 
when called.Make sure the machine is in the correct receive mode for your setup. (See 
Receiving a fax on page 46.) 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 you do not hear ringing when you call your machine, ask your 
telephone company to check the line.
DifficultiesSuggestions
Poor sending quality. Try changing your resolution to Fine or S.Fine. Make a copy to check your 
machine’s scanner operation. If the copy quality is not good, clean the scanner. 
(See Cleaning the scanner on page 139.)
Transmission Verification Report 
says ‘RESULT:ERROR’.There is probably temporary noise or static on the line. Try sending the fax again. 
If you are sending a PC Fax message and get ‘RESULT:ERROR’ on the 
Transmission Verification Report, your machine may be out of memory. To free 
up extra memory, you can turn off fax storage (See Turning off Remote Fax 
Options on page 68), print fax messages in memory (See Printing a fax from the 
memory on page 51) or cancel a delayed fax or polling job (See Checking and 
cancelling waiting jobs on page 44). 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 Compatibility setting to Basic(for VoIP). (See 
Telephone line interference on page 125.)
Vertical black lines when sending. Black vertical lines on faxes you send are typically caused by dirt or correction 
fluid on the glass strip. (See Cleaning the scanner on page 139.)
DifficultiesSuggestions
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 49.)
Sending a Fax Call to the machine. 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, Caller ID, Voice Mail, an 
answering machine, an alarm system or 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. 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.
Telephone line or connections (continued)
DifficultiesSuggestions
 
						

							Troubleshooting and routine maintenance
113
C
Menu access difficultiesC
Copy difficultiesC
DifficultiesSuggestions
Key operations do not work. Check the control panel is fitted correctly on the machine.
Reinstall the control panel.
The machine beeps when you try to 
access the Setup Receive and 
Setup Send menus.If Fax   is not illuminated, press it to turn on Fax mode. The Setup Receive 
setting (Menu, 2, 1) and Setup Send setting (Menu, 2, 2) are available only when 
the machine is in Fax mode.
DifficultiesSuggestions
Cannot make a copy.
„Make sure that Copy   is illuminated. (See Entering copy mode 
on page 78.)
„Contact your administrator to check your Secure Function Lock Settings.
Vertical black line appears in 
copies.Black vertical lines on copies are typically caused by dirt or correction fluid on the 
glass strip, or the corona wire for printing is dirty. (See Cleaning the scanner 
on page 139 and Cleaning the corona wire on page 141.)
Printing difficulties
DifficultiesSuggestions
No printout.„Check that the machine is plugged in and the power switch is turned on.
„Check that the toner cartridge and drum unit are installed correctly. (See 
Replacing the drum unit on page 149.)
„Check the interface cable connection on both the machine and your computer. 
(See the Quick Setup Guide.)
„Check that the correct printer driver has been installed and chosen.
„Check to see if the LCD is showing an error message. (See Error and 
maintenance messages on page 126.)
„Check the machine is online: (Windows Vista
®) Click the Start button, 
Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, and then Printers. Right-click 
Brother MFC-XXXX Printer. Make sure that Use Printer Offline is 
unchecked. (Windows
® XP and Windows Server® 2003) Click the Start 
button and choose Printers and Faxes. Right-click 
Brother MFC-XXXX Printer. Make sure that Use Printer Offline is 
unchecked. (Windows
® 2000) Click the Start button and choose Settings and 
then Printers. Right-click Brother MFC-XXXX Printer. Make sure that 
Use Printer Offline is unchecked.
„Contact your administrator to check your Secure Function Lock settings.
The machine prints unexpectedly 
or it prints garbage.„Pull out the paper tray and wait until the machine stops printing. Then turn off 
the machine and disconnect from the power for several minutes. (The 
machine can be turned off for up to 60 hours without losing faxes stored in the 
memory.)
„Check the settings in your application to make sure it is set up to work with 
your machine.
„If you are using the parallel port connection, check that the port is BRMFC and 
not LPT1.
 
						

							114
Scanning difficultiesC
Software difficultiesC
The machine prints the first couple 
of pages correctly, then some 
pages have text missing.„Check the settings in your application to make sure that it is set up to work with 
your machine.
„Your computer is not recognising the machine’s input buffer’s full signal. Make 
sure that you connected the interface cable correctly. (See the Quick Setup 
Guide.)
The headers or footers appear 
when the document displays on the 
screen but they do not show up 
when it is printed.There is an unprintable area on the top and bottom of the page. Adjust the top and 
bottom margins in your document to allow for this.
The machine does not print on both 
sides of the paper even though the 
printer driver setting is Duplex.Check the paper size setting in the printer driver. You need to choose A4 size of 
paper.
The machine is not printing or has 
stopped printing and the machine’s 
status LED is yellow.Press Job Cancel.
As the machine cancels the Job and clears it from the memory it may produce an 
incomplete printout.
DifficultiesSuggestions
TWAIN errors appear while 
scanning.Make sure that the Brother TWAIN driver is chosen as the primary source. In 
PaperPort™ 11SE, click File, Scan or Get Photo and choose the 
Brother TWAIN driver.
OCR does not work. Try increasing the scanning resolution.
Network scanning does not work. See Network difficulties on page 115.
DifficultiesSuggestions
Cannot install software or print. Run the Repair MFL-Pro Suite program on the CD-ROM. This program will repair 
and reinstall the software.
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.
The machine does not print from 
Adobe
® Illustrator®. Try to reduce the print resolution. (See Advanced tab in the Software User’s Guide 
on the CD-ROM.) 
Printing difficulties (continued)
DifficultiesSuggestions
 
						

							Troubleshooting and routine maintenance
115
C
Print quality difficultiesC
Paper handling difficulties
DifficultiesSuggestions
The machine does not load paper.
The LCD shows No Paper or a 
Paper Jam message. „If there is no paper, 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 MP tray mode is not chosen in the printer driver.
„If the LCD shows Paper Jam message and you still have a problem, see 
Paper jams on page 132.
The machine does not feed paper 
from the MP tray.„Fan the paper well and put it back in the tray firmly.
„Make sure that MP tray mode is chosen in the printer driver.
How do I print on envelopes? You can load envelopes from the MP tray. Your application 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 application. (See your application’s manual for 
more information.)
What paper can I use? You can use thin paper, plain paper, thick paper, bond paper, recycled paper, 
envelops, labels and transparencies that are made for laser machines. (For 
details, see Acceptable paper and other print media on page 15.)
There is a paper jam. (See Paper jams on page 132.)
DifficultiesSuggestions
Printed pages are curled.„Low quality thin or thick paper or not printing on the recommended side of the 
paper could cause this problem. Try turning over the stack of paper in the 
paper tray.
„Make sure that you choose the Paper Type that suits the print media type you 
are using. (See Acceptable paper and other print media on page 15.)
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 Acceptable 
paper and other print media on page 15 and Basic tab in the Software User’s 
Guide on the CD-ROM.)
Printouts are too light.„If this problem occurs when making copies or printing received faxes, set 
Toner Save mode to Off in the machine menu settings. (See Toner Save 
on page 27.)
„Set Toner Save mode to Off in the Advanced tab in the printer driver. (See 
Advanced tab in the Software User’s Guide on the CD-ROM.)
Network difficulties
DifficultiesSuggestions
Cannot print over a wired Network. If you are having Network problems see the Network Users Guide on the CD-
ROM for more information.
Make sure your machine is powered on and is on-line and in the Ready mode. 
Print the Network Configuration list to see your current Network settings. (See 
How to print a report on page 76.) Reconnect the LAN cable to the hub to verify 
that the cable and network connections are good. If possible, try connecting the 
machine to a different port on your hub using a different cable. If the connections 
are good, the lower LED of the back panel of the machine will be green.
 
						

							116
The network scanning feature 
does not work.
The network PC Fax Receive 
feature does not work.
The network printing feature does 
not work.(Windows®) The firewall setting on your PC may be rejecting the necessary 
network connection. Follow the instructions below to configure Windows® 
Firewall. If you are using other personal firewall software, see the User’s Guide 
for your software or contact the software manufacturer.
 (Windows
® XP SP2)
aClick the Start button, Control Panel, 
Network and Internet Connections and then Windows Firewall. Make 
sure that Windows Firewall on the General tab is set to On.
bClick the Advanced tab and Settings... button of the 
Network Connection Settings.
cClick the Add button.
dTo add port 54925 for network scanning, enter the information below:
1. In Description of service: Enter any description, for example “Brother 
Scanner”.
2. InName or IP address (for example 192.168.0.12) of the computer
hosting this service on your network: Enter “Localhost”.
3. In External Port number for this service: Enter “54925”. 
4. In Internal Port number for this service: Enter “54925”.
5. Make sure UDP is chosen.
6. Click OK.
eClick the Add button.
fTo add port 54926 for network PC Fax, enter the information below:
1. In Description of service: Enter any description, for example “Brother 
PC Fax”.
2. InName or IP address (for example 192.168.0.12) of the computer
hosting this service on your network: Enter “Localhost”.
3. In External Port number for this service: Enter “54926”.
4. In Internal Port number for this service: Enter “54926”.
5. Make sure UDP is chosen.
6. Click OK.
gIf you still have trouble with your network connection, click the Add button.
hTo add port 137 for network scanning, network printing and network PC 
Fax receiving, enter the information below:
1. In Description of service: - Enter any description, for example “Brother 
PC Fax receiving”
2. InName or IP address (for example 192.168.0.12) of the computer
hosting this service on your network: Enter “Localhost”.
3. In External Port number for this service: Enter “137”.
4. In Internal Port number for this service: Enter “137”.
5. Make sure UDP is chosen.
6. Click OK.
iMake sure if the new setting is added and is checked, and then click OK.
Network difficulties (continued)
DifficultiesSuggestions
 
						

							Troubleshooting and routine maintenance
117
C
The network scanning feature 
does not work.
The network PC Fax Receive 
feature does not work.
The network printing feature does 
not work.
(continued)(Windows Vista®):
aClick the Start button, Control Panel, Network and Internet, 
Windows Firewall and click Change settings.
bWhen the User Account Control screen appears, do the following.
„Users who have administrator rights: Click Continue.
„For users who do not have administrator rights: Enter the 
administrator password and click OK.
cMake sure that Windows Firewall on the General tab is set to On.
dClick the Exceptions tab.
eClick the Add port... button.
fTo add port 54925 for network scanning, enter the information below:
1. In Name: Enter any description. (for example “Brother Scanner”)
2. In Port number: Enter “54925”.
3. Make sure UDP is chosen. Then click OK.
gClick the Add port... button.
hTo add port 54926 for Network PC Fax, enter the information below:
1. In Add port... Enter any description. (for example “Brother PC Fax”)
2. In Name: Enter “54926”.
3. Make sure Port number: is chosen. Then click UDP.
iMake sure that the new setting is added and is checked, and then click 
OK.
jIf you still have trouble with your network connection such as network 
scanning or printing, check File and Printer Sharing box in the 
Exceptions tab and then click Apply.
Your computer cannot find your 
machine.(Windows
®) The firewall setting on your PC may be rejecting the necessary 
network connection. (For details, see the instructions above.)
(Macintosh
®) Re-select your machine in the Device Selector application located 
in Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/DeviceSelector or from 
the Model pop-up menu of ControlCenter2.
Network difficulties (continued)
DifficultiesSuggestions
 
						

							118
Improving the print qualityC
Examples of poor print 
qualityRecommendation
 
White lines across the page„Make sure that you use paper that meets our specifications. A rough 
surfaced paper or thick print media can cause the problem. (See 
Acceptable paper and other print media on page 15.)
„Make sure that you choose the appropriate media type in the printer 
driver or in the machine’s Paper Type menu setting. (See Acceptable 
paper and other print media on page 15 and Basic tab in the Software 
User’s Guide on the CD-ROM.)
„The problem may disappear by itself. Print multiple pages to clear this 
problem, especially if the machine has not been used for a long time.
„The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See 
Replacing the drum unit on page 149.)
 
White lines down the page„Wipe the laser scanner windows with a dry, lint-free soft cloth. (See 
Cleaning the laser scanner window on page 140.)
„Make sure that a torn sheet of paper is not inside the machine 
covering the scanner window.
„The toner cartridge may be damaged. Put in a new toner cartridge. 
(See Replacing a toner cartridge on page 146.)
„The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See 
Replacing the drum unit on page 149.)
 
Hollow print„Make sure that you use paper that meets our specifications. (See 
Acceptable paper and other print media on page 15.) 
„Choose Thick paper mode in the printer driver, choose Thick in the 
machine’s Paper Type menu setting or use thinner paper than you 
are currently using. (See Paper Type on page 23 and Basic tab in the 
Software User’s Guide on the CD-ROM.)
„Check the machine’s environment. Conditions such as high humidity 
can cause hollow print. (See Choosing a location on page 98.)
„The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See 
Replacing the drum unit on page 149.)
 
Grey background„Make sure that you use paper that meets our specifications. (See 
Acceptable paper and other print media on page 15.) 
„Check the machine’s environment. Conditions such as high 
temperatures and high humidity can increase the amount of 
background shading. (See Choosing a location on page 98.)
„The toner cartridge may be damaged. Put in a new toner cartridge. 
(See Replacing a toner cartridge on page 146.)
„The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See 
Replacing the drum unit on page 149.)
ABCDEFGH
abcdefghijk
ABCD
abcde
01234
ABCDEFGH
abcdefghijk
ABCD
abcde
01234
ABCDEFGH
abcdefghijk
ABCD
abcde
01234
 
						

							Troubleshooting and routine maintenance
119
C
 
Page skewed„Make sure that the paper or other print media is loaded correctly in 
the paper tray and that the guides are not too tight or too loose 
against the paper stack.
„Set the paper guides correctly. (See Loading paper in the standard 
paper tray on page 11.)
„If you are using the MP tray, see Loading paper in the multi-purpose 
tray (MP tray) on page 12.
„The paper tray may be too full.
„Check the paper type and quality. (See Acceptable paper and other 
print media on page 15.)
 
Ghost„Make sure that you use paper that meets our specifications. Rough-
surfaced paper or thick paper may cause the problem. (See 
Acceptable paper and other print media on page 15.)
„Make sure that you choose the correct media type in the printer driver 
or in the machine’s Paper Type menu setting. (See Acceptable paper 
and other print media on page 15 and Basic tab in the Software 
User’s Guide on the CD-ROM.) 
„The drum unit may be damaged. Put in a new drum unit. (See 
Replacing the drum unit on page 149.)
„The fuser unit may be contaminated. Call your Brother dealer for 
service.
 
Wrinkles or creases„Check the paper type and quality. (See Acceptable paper and other 
print media on page 15.)
„Make sure that paper is loaded correctly. (See Loading paper in the 
standard paper tray on page 11.)
„Turn over the stack of paper in the tray or rotate the paper 180° in the 
input tray.
Examples of poor print 
qualityRecommendation
ABCDEFGH
abcdefghijk
ABCD
abcde
01234
B DEFGH
abc efghijk
ACD
bcde
134