Brother Printer Printing Blank Pages? Find the Cause
If your Brother printer printing blank pages is a problem, the cause may be something as simple as an empty ink or toner supply, a clogged print head, incorrect print settings, or a document that is not being sent to the printer correctly.
The right fix depends on whether the printer produces a completely blank page, prints faintly, or prints only part of the document. Start with the printer itself, then move on to the print settings and software.
Quick Diagnosis: Start Here
| What you’re seeing | Start here |
|---|---|
| Completely blank page comes out | Go to Fix 1 |
| Pages are very faint or almost blank | Go to Fix 2 |
| Printer was recently fitted with new ink or toner | Go to Fix 3 |
| Only some colours are missing | Go to Fix 4 |
| Printer prints a blank page from the computer but works otherwise | Go to Fix 5 |
| Only one particular document prints blank | Go to Fix 6 |
| Printer suddenly started producing blank pages | Go to Fix 7 |
| Nothing changes after basic checks | Go to Fix 8 |
Why This Happens
A Brother printer can produce blank pages for several different reasons:
- Ink cartridges are empty or not supplying ink properly.
- Toner is empty or incorrectly installed.
- The print head is clogged on an inkjet model.
- The printer has been sitting unused for a long period.
- The cartridge or toner was recently replaced but is not seated correctly.
- Print settings are incorrect.
- The document itself contains little or no printable content.
- A driver or software problem is preventing the print data from being processed correctly.
The first thing to determine is whether the problem occurs with every print job or only with a particular document.
Fix 1: Check the Ink or Toner
Start with the most obvious possibility: the printer may not have enough consumable material to produce the page.
For an inkjet Brother printer, check the ink levels and make sure the cartridges are recognised correctly.
For a laser printer, check the toner level and make sure the toner cartridge is installed correctly.
If the printer reports that ink or toner is empty or extremely low, replace the affected supply with the appropriate cartridge or toner for your model.
After replacing it, try printing a simple test page.
If the printer still produces a blank page, continue with the next fix rather than repeatedly replacing cartridges.
Fix 2: Run the Printer’s Cleaning or Maintenance Function
If you have a Brother inkjet printer and the ink levels appear normal, a clogged print head can prevent ink from reaching the paper.
Use the printer’s built-in maintenance or print-head cleaning function.
After cleaning, print a test page or print-quality check.
If some colours are missing, faded or broken, another cleaning cycle may be necessary.
Avoid repeatedly running cleaning cycles without checking the result, because cleaning uses ink.
If the printer has been unused for a long time, clogged nozzles are more likely to be the cause.
Fix 3: Check a Newly Installed Cartridge or Toner
If the blank-page problem started immediately after replacing ink or toner, check the installation before looking elsewhere.
Remove and reinstall the cartridge or toner according to the printer’s instructions.
Make sure:
- The correct cartridge or toner is being used.
- Any protective packaging or sealing material has been removed where applicable.
- The cartridge is fully seated.
- The printer recognises the new supply.
- The toner cartridge and drum assembly are correctly positioned on compatible laser models.
Then print another test page.
If the printer does not recognise the replacement supply correctly, the problem may be with the installation rather than the print mechanism.
Fix 4: Check Whether a Colour Is Missing
If the page is not completely blank but one or more colours are missing, the problem may be more specific.
Print a print-quality or nozzle-check pattern from the printer’s maintenance menu, where supported.
Look for:
- Missing colour sections
- Broken lines
- Very faint colours
- Uneven printing
If only one colour is missing, check that cartridge first.
For inkjet printers, run the appropriate cleaning procedure and check the result again.
If the missing colour does not return after normal maintenance, the issue may require further printer-specific troubleshooting.
Fix 5: Print a Test Page Directly From the Printer
This is one of the most useful ways to separate a printer problem from a computer problem.
If your Brother model provides a built-in print-quality check, test page or printer report, print it directly from the printer.
If the printer’s own page also comes out blank, the problem is probably within the printer, ink or toner system rather than the computer.
If the printer produces a normal test page but documents from your computer are blank, focus on the computer, document, print settings or printer driver.
This distinction can save you from changing settings that have nothing to do with the actual problem.
Fix 6: Check the Document You’re Printing
If only one document produces a blank page, the printer itself may be working correctly.
Try printing:
- A different document
- A simple text file
- A web page
- A printer test page
If those print normally, check the original document.
For example, the document may contain white text on a white background, hidden content, unsupported elements or a problem with the application used to create it.
You can also try saving the document as a PDF and printing the PDF instead.
If the PDF prints correctly, the issue may be with the original application or document rather than the Brother printer.
Fix 7: Check the Printer Driver and Print Settings
If the printer’s own test page works but computer documents come out blank, check the printer setup on your computer.
Make sure the correct Brother printer is selected before printing.
Then check the print settings for unusual options that could affect the output.
If the problem continues across different applications, the printer driver may need attention.
Check whether the correct Brother driver or printer software is installed for your exact model and operating system.
If you’ve recently updated Windows, changed computers or reinstalled the printer, a driver or printer setup problem becomes more likely.
Fix 8: Restart the Printer and Try a Simple Print Job
If you’ve checked the ink or toner, run the relevant maintenance procedure and confirmed that the printer is correctly installed, restart everything.
- Turn off the Brother printer.
- Close the application you’re printing from.
- Restart the computer.
- Turn the printer back on.
- Open a simple document.
- Print one page.
If the printer still produces blank pages, compare the result with a printer-generated test or quality page.
If the printer’s own page is also blank, the issue is likely within the printer’s ink, toner or printing system and may require model-specific service.
How to Prevent Brother Printer Blank-Page Problems
A few simple habits can reduce the chances of blank-page problems:
- Avoid leaving an inkjet printer unused for very long periods.
- Check ink or toner levels before important print jobs.
- Use the correct supplies for your Brother model.
- Make sure replacement cartridges or toner are installed properly.
- Run normal print-quality maintenance when necessary.
- Keep the Brother printer software and driver appropriate for your computer.
- If a document prints blank, test another document before changing printer settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Brother printer printing completely blank pages?
The most common areas to check are ink or toner, cartridge installation, print-head condition on inkjet models, and the printer’s own test page. If the printer’s test page is also blank, focus on the printer rather than the computer.
Why is my Brother printer printing blank pages after changing the ink?
Check that the correct cartridge is installed, any required protective material has been removed and the cartridge is seated correctly. If the printer recognises the cartridge but still prints blank pages, run the appropriate print-quality maintenance.
Why is my Brother laser printer printing blank pages?
Check that the toner is installed correctly and that the toner cartridge and drum assembly are properly fitted on models that use a separate drum. If the printer’s own test page is blank, the problem is likely related to the printing system rather than the computer document.
Why does my Brother printer print a blank page from my computer but a test page normally?
If the printer’s own test page is normal, the printer hardware is at least producing output correctly. Check the document, application, selected printer and Brother printer driver on the computer.
Why is only one colour missing from my Brother printer?
A missing colour can indicate a cartridge or print-head/nozzle problem on an inkjet model. Check the affected cartridge and run the printer’s appropriate print-quality maintenance.
Can a clogged print head cause blank pages?
Yes. On compatible Brother inkjet printers, clogged nozzles can prevent ink from reaching the paper. A print-quality check and the printer’s normal cleaning function can help determine whether this is happening.
Should I replace the ink if my Brother printer is printing blank pages?
Not automatically. First check the reported ink level and print a test or quality page. If the printer has sufficient ink, the cause may instead be a clogged print head, cartridge installation issue, print settings or software problem.
