Brother MCF-J285DW Operating and maintenance manual

Basic User’s Guide
MFC-J285DW
Version 0
USA/CAN

If you need to call Customer Service
Please complete the following information for future
reference:
Model Number: MFC-J285DW
Serial Number: 1
Date of Purchase:
Place of Purchase:
1The serial number is on the back of the unit. Retain
this User's Guide with your sales receipt as a
permanent record of your purchase, in the event of
theft, fire or warranty service.
Register your product on-line at
http://www.brother.com/registration/
By registering your product with Brother, you will be recorded as the
original owner of the product. Your registration with Brother:
may serve as confirmation of the purchase date of your product
should you lose your receipt;
may support an insurance claim by you in the event of product loss
covered by insurance; and,
will help us notify you of enhancements to your product and special
offers.
The most convenient and efficient way to register your new product is
on-line at http://www.brother.com/registration/.
© 2013 Brother Industries, Ltd. All rights reserved.

i
Brother numbers
NOTE
For technical help, you must call the country where you bought the machine. Calls must be
made from within that country.
Register your product
By registering your product with Brother International Corporation, you will be recorded as the
original owner of the product. Your registration with Brother:
may serve as confirmation of the purchase date of your product should you lose your receipt;
may support an insurance claim by you in the event of product loss covered by insurance; and,
will help us notify you of enhancements to your product and special offers.
For your convenience and most efficient way to register your new product, register on-line at
http://www.brother.com/registration/
FAQs (frequently asked questions)
The Brother Solutions Center is our one-stop resource for all your Fax Machine/Multi-Function
Center needs. You can download the latest software documents and utilities, read FAQs and
troubleshooting tips, and learn how to get the most from your Brother product.
http://solutions.brother.com/
NOTE
• You can check here for Brother driver updates.
• To keep your machine performance up to date, check here for the latest firmware upgrade.
For Customer Service
In USA: http://www.brother-usa.com/support (Self-Service/Email/Chat)
1-877-BROTHER (1-877-276-8437)
1-901-379-1215 (assistance via fax)
1-877-268-9575 (test your fax-sending and fax-receiving operations)
In Canada: 1-877-BROTHER
[phone] (assistance via fax)

ii
Service Center Locator (USA only)
For the location of a Brother authorized service center, call 1-877-BROTHER (1-877-276-8437)
or visit us at http://www.brother-usa.com/service/.
Service Center Locations (Canada only)
For the location of a Brother authorized service center, call 1-877-BROTHER.
Ordering accessories and supplies
For best quality results use only genuine Brother accessories, which are available at most Brother
retailers. If you cannot find the accessory you need and you have a Visa, MasterCard, Discover,
or American Express credit card, you can order accessories directly from Brother. (You can visit
us online for a complete selection of the Brother accessories and supplies that are available for
purchase.)
NOTE
In Canada only Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
In USA: 1-877-552-MALL (1-877-552-6255)
1-800-947-1445 (assistance via fax)
http://www.brothermall.com/
In Canada: 1-877-BROTHER
http://www.brother.ca/

iii
Accessories and Supplies
1For more information about the replacement consumables, visit us at http://www.brother.com/pageyield/.
Description Item
Ink Cartridge Standard Yield <black> LC101BK (Prints approx. 300 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge Standard Yield <yellow> LC101Y (Prints approx. 300 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge Standard Yield <cyan> (blue) LC101C (Prints approx. 300 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge Standard Yield <magenta> (red) LC101M (Prints approx. 300 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge High Yield <black> LC103BK (Prints approx. 600 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge High Yield <yellow> LC103Y (Prints approx. 600 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge High Yield <cyan> (blue) LC103C (Prints approx. 600 pages) 1
Ink Cartridge High Yield <magenta> (red) LC103M (Prints approx. 600 pages) 1
Premium Plus Glossy Photo Paper
(Letter size / 20 sheets) BP71GLTR
(4" 6" size / 20 sheets) BP71GP20
Multipurpose Paper - Plain Paper
(Letter size / 500 sheets) BP60MPLTR (USA only)
Telephone Line Cord LG3077001 (USA only)
Basic User's Guide LEL607001 (English for USA and Canada)
LEL607002 (French for Canada)
CD-ROM for Windows®& Mac LEK462001

iv
Notice - Disclaimer of Warranties
(USA and Canada)
BROTHER'S LICENSOR(S), AND THEIR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS
(COLLECTIVELY BROTHER'S LICENSOR) MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING THE SOFTWARE. BROTHER'S
LICENSOR(S) DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS
REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE IN TERMS OF
ITS CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, CURRENTNESS OR OTHERWISE. THE
ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS
ASSUMED BY YOU. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY
SOME STATES IN THE USA AND SOME PROVINCES IN CANADA. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION
MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
IN NO EVENT WILL BROTHER'S LICENSOR(S) BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY
CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR
LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS
INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
SOFTWARE EVEN IF BROTHER'S LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES IN THE USA AND SOME PROVINCES IN
CANADA DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR
CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY
TO YOU. IN ANY EVENT BROTHER'S LICENSOR'S LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ACTUAL
DAMAGES FROM ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER, AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE
ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT
LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE), WILL BE LIMITED TO $50.

v
Compilation and Publication Notice
Under the supervision of Brother Industries, Ltd., this manual has been compiled and published,
covering the latest product descriptions and specifications.
The contents of this manual and the specifications of this product are subject to change without
notice.
Brother reserves the right to make changes without notice in the specifications and materials
contained herein and shall not be responsible for any damages (including consequential) caused
by reliance on the materials presented, including but not limited to typographical and other errors
relating to the publication.

vi
User's Guides and where do I find them?
1Visit us at http://solutions.brother.com/.
Which Guide? What's in it? Where is it?
Product Safety Guide Read this Guide first. Please read the Safety
Instructions before you set up your machine. See
this Guide for trademarks and legal limitations.
Printed / In the box
Quick Setup Guide Follow the instructions for setting up your machine
and installing the drivers and software for the
operating system and connection type you are
using.
Printed / In the box
Basic User’s Guide Learn the basic Fax, Copy and Scan operations, and
how to replace consumables. See troubleshooting
tips.
Printed / In the box
Advanced User’s Guide Learn more advanced operations: Fax, Copy, and
security features; printing reports; and performing
routine maintenance.
PDF file / CD-ROM
Software and Network
User’s Guide
This Guide provides instructions for Scanning,
Printing, PC-Fax and other operations that can be
performed by connecting your Brother machine to a
computer. You can also find useful information
about using the Brother ControlCenter utility, using
your machine in a network environment, and
frequently used terms.
HTML file/CD-ROM
Web Connect Guide This Guide provides useful information about
accessing Internet services from the Brother
machine, as well as downloading images, printing
data and uploading files directly to Internet services.
PDF file / Brother
Solutions Center 1
AirPrint Guide This Guide provides information for using AirPrint to
print from OS X v10.7.x, 10.8.x and your iPhone,
iPod touch, iPad, or other iOS device to your Brother
machine without installing a printer driver.
PDF file / Brother
Solutions Center 1
Google Cloud Print
Guide
This Guide provides details on how to use Google
Cloud Print™ services for printing over the Internet.
PDF file / Brother
Solutions Center 1
Mobile Print/Scan Guide
for Brother iPrint&Scan
This Guide provides useful information about
printing from your mobile device and scanning from
your Brother machine to your mobile device when
connected to a Wi-Fi network.
PDF file / Brother
Solutions Center 1

vii
Table of Contents
(Basic User’s Guide)
1 General information 1
Using the documentation .......................................................................................1
Symbols and conventions used in the documentation ....................................1
Accessing Brother Utilities (Windows®8) .............................................................1
Accessing the Advanced User’s Guide and Software and
Network User’s Guide.........................................................................................2
Viewing User’s Guides ....................................................................................2
How to access Guides for Advanced Features......................................................4
Accessing Brother Support (Windows®)................................................................4
Accessing Brother Support (Macintosh) ................................................................5
Control panel overview ..........................................................................................6
1.8" Touchscreen LCD ....................................................................................8
Basic Operations .............................................................................................9
Shortcut Settings .................................................................................................10
Adding Shortcuts ........................................................................................... 10
Changing Shortcuts .......................................................................................11
Deleting Shortcuts ......................................................................................... 11
Using Shortcuts .............................................................................................11
2 Loading paper 12
Loading paper and other print media...................................................................12
Loading envelopes ........................................................................................15
Unprintable area ............................................................................................ 17
Paper settings......................................................................................................18
Paper Type ....................................................................................................18
Paper Size ..................................................................................................... 18
Acceptable paper and other print media..............................................................19
Recommended print media ...........................................................................19
Handling and using print media .....................................................................19
Choosing the right print media.......................................................................21
3 Loading documents 23
How to load documents .......................................................................................23
Using the scanner glass ................................................................................ 23
Unscannable area .........................................................................................24
4 Sending a fax 25
How to send a fax ................................................................................................ 25
Stop faxing..................................................................................................... 26
Setting scanner glass size for faxing ............................................................26
Color fax transmission ...................................................................................26
Canceling a fax in progress ........................................................................... 26
Transmission Verification Report...................................................................27

viii
5 Receiving a fax 28
Receive Modes ....................................................................................................28
Choose the correct Receive Mode ................................................................28
Using Receive Modes..........................................................................................30
Fax Only ........................................................................................................30
Fax/Tel...........................................................................................................30
Manual...........................................................................................................30
External TAD .................................................................................................30
Receive Mode settings ........................................................................................31
Ring Delay .....................................................................................................31
F/T Ring Time (Fax/Tel mode only)...............................................................31
Easy Receive.................................................................................................32
6 Telephone services and external devices 33
Telephone services..............................................................................................33
Voice Mail ......................................................................................................33
Distinctive Ring..............................................................................................34
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) ...............................................................36
Connecting an external TAD (telephone answering device)................................37
Connections...................................................................................................38
Recording an outgoing message (OGM) on the external TAD......................38
Multi-line connections (PBX) .........................................................................39
External and extension telephones......................................................................39
Connecting an external telephone.................................................................39
Using external and extension telephones......................................................40
Using a non-Brother cordless external telephone .........................................40
Using remote codes.......................................................................................40
7 Dialing and storing numbers 42
How to dial ...........................................................................................................42
Manual dialing ...............................................................................................42
Speed Dialing ................................................................................................42
Fax Redial .....................................................................................................42
Storing numbers ..................................................................................................43
Storing a pause .............................................................................................43
Storing Speed Dial numbers..........................................................................43
Changing or deleting Speed Dial names or numbers....................................44
8 Making copies 45
How to copy .........................................................................................................45
Stop copying..................................................................................................45
Copy options........................................................................................................45
Paper Type ....................................................................................................46
Paper Size .....................................................................................................46
9 How to print from a computer 47
Printing a document.............................................................................................47

ix
10 How to scan to a computer 48
Before scanning................................................................................................... 48
Scanning a document as a PDF file using ControlCenter4 (Windows®) ............. 49
How to change the machine’s SCAN mode settings for PDF scanning ..............52
How to scan a document as a PDF file using the Touchscreen .................... 54
A Routine maintenance 55
Replacing the ink cartridges ................................................................................55
Cleaning and checking the machine.................................................................... 58
Cleaning the scanner.....................................................................................58
Cleaning the print head .................................................................................58
Checking the print quality .............................................................................. 59
Checking the print alignment ......................................................................... 61
Setting the date and time..................................................................................... 62
B Troubleshooting 63
Identifying your problem ......................................................................................63
Error and maintenance messages.......................................................................65
Error animation .............................................................................................. 73
Transferring your faxes or Fax Journal report ...............................................73
Printer jam or paper jam ................................................................................75
If you are having difficulty with your machine ...................................................... 81
Dial Tone ......................................................................................................92
Telephone line interference / VoIP ................................................................92
Machine Information ............................................................................................ 93
Checking the serial number........................................................................... 93
Checking the firmware version ...................................................................... 93
Reset functions.............................................................................................. 93
How to reset the machine.............................................................................. 94
C Settings and features tables 95
Using the Settings Tables.................................................................................... 95
Memory Storage .................................................................................................. 95
Settings tables ..................................................................................................... 96
Features tables .................................................................................................. 104
Entering Text ..................................................................................................... 113
Inserting spaces ......................................................................................... 113
Making corrections ......................................................................................113
Repeating letters ......................................................................................... 113

x
D Specifications 114
General ..............................................................................................................114
Print media.........................................................................................................116
Fax.....................................................................................................................117
Copy ..................................................................................................................118
Scanner .............................................................................................................119
Printer ................................................................................................................120
Interfaces ...........................................................................................................121
Network..............................................................................................................122
Computer requirements .....................................................................................123
Consumable items .............................................................................................124
EIndex 125

xi
Table of Contents
(Advanced User’s Guide)
The Advanced User’s Guide explains the following features and operations.
You can view the Advanced User’s Guide on the CD-ROM.
1 General setup
Memory Storage
Volume Settings
Automatic Daylight Saving Time
Sleep Mode
Touchscreen LCD
2 Security features
TX Lock
3Sendingafax
Additional sending options
Additional sending operations
4 Receiving a fax
Memory Receive (Black & White only)
Additional receiving operations
5 Dialing and storing numbers
Voice operations
Additional dialing operations
Additional ways to store numbers
6Printingreports
Fax reports
Reports
7 Making copies
Copy options
A Routine maintenance
Cleaning and checking the machine
Packing and shipping the machine
B Glossary
CIndex

xii

1
1
1
Using the
documentation 1
Thank you for buying a Brother machine!
Reading the documentation will help you
make the most of your machine.
Symbols and conventions
used in the documentation 1
The following symbols and conventions are
used throughout the documentation.
Accessing Brother
Utilities (Windows®8) 1
If you are using a tablet running Windows®8,
you can make your selections either by
tapping the screen or by clicking with your
mouse.
After the printer driver is installed, the
(Brother Utilities) appears on both the
Start screen and the desktop.
aTap or click Brother Utilities either on
the Start screen or the desktop.
General information 1
Bold Bold typeface identifies the
dial pad numbers of the
Touchpanel and buttons on
your computer screen.
Italics Italicized typeface
emphasizes an important
point or refers you to a related
topic.
Courier
New
Text in Courier New font
identifies messages on the
Touchscreen of the machine.
WARNING
WARNING indicates a potentially
hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injuries.
CAUTION
CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous
situation which, if not avoided, may result in
minor or moderate injuries.
IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT indicates a potentially
hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
may result in damage to property or loss of
product functionality.
NOTE
Notes tell you how to respond to a situation
that may arise or give tips about how the
operation works with other features.
Electrical Hazard icons alert you to
possible electrical shock.

Chapter 1
2
bSelect your machine.
cChoose the function you want to use.
Accessing the
Advanced User’s
Guide and Software
and Network User’s
Guide 1
This Basic User’s Guide does not contain all
the information about the machine, such as
how to use the advanced Fax, Copy, Printer,
Scanner, PC-Fax, and Network features.
When you are ready to learn detailed
information about these operations, read the
Advanced User’s Guide and Software and
Network User’s Guide in HTML format that
are on the CD-ROM.
Viewing User’s Guides 1
(Windows®)1
(Windows
®
XP/Windows Vista
®
/Windows
®
7/
Windows Server
®
2003/Windows Server
®
2008/Windows Server
®
2008 R2)
To view the documentation, from
(Start), All Programs, select Brother,
MFC-XXXX (where XXXX is your model
name) from the programs group, and then
choose User’s Guides.
(Windows®8/Windows Server®2012)
Click (Brother Utilities), and then click
the drop-down list and select your model
name (if not already selected). Click Support
in the left navigation bar, and then click
User’s Guides.
If you have not installed the software, you can
find the documentation on the CD-ROM by
following the instructions:
aTurn on your PC. Insert the Brother
CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
NOTE
If the Brother screen does not appear, go
to Computer (My Computer).
(For Windows®8 and Windows Server®
2012:Click (File Explorer) on the
taskbar, and then go to Computer.)
Double-click the CD-ROM icon, and then
double-click start.exe.
bIf the model name screen appears, click
your model name.

General information
3
1
cIf the language screen appears, click
your language. The CD-ROM
Top Menu will appear.
dClick User’s Guides.
eClick PDF/HTML documents. If the
country screen appears, choose your
country. After the list of User’s Guides
appears, choose the guide you want to
read.
(Macintosh) 1
aTurn on your Macintosh. Insert the
Brother CD-ROM into your CD-ROM
drive. The following window will appear.
bDouble-click the User’s Guides icon.
cSelect your model and language if
needed.
dClick User’s Guides. If the country
screen appears, choose your country.
eAfter the list of User’s Guides appears,
choose the Guide you want to read.
How to find Scanning instructions 1
There are several ways you can scan
documents. You can find the instructions as
follows:
Software and Network User’s Guide
Scan
ControlCenter
Nuance™ PaperPort™ 12SE
How-to-Guides
(Windows®)
The complete Nuance™ PaperPort™
12SE How-to-Guides can be viewed from
the Help selection in the PaperPort™
12SE application.
Presto! PageManager User’s Guide
(Macintosh)
NOTE
Presto! PageManager is available as a
download from
http://nj.newsoft.com.tw/download/
brother/PM9SEInstaller_BR_multilang2.dmg
The complete Presto! PageManager
User’s Guide can be viewed from the Help
selection in the Presto! PageManager
application.
How to find Network setup
instructions 1
Your machine can be connected to a wireless
network.
Basic setup instructions
(See Quick Setup Guide.)
The wireless access point or router
supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ or
AOSS™
(See Quick Setup Guide.)
For more information about network
setup, see Software and Network User’s
Guide: Network.

Chapter 1
4
How to access Guides
for Advanced Features 1
You can view and download these Guides
from the Brother Solutions Center at:
http://solutions.brother.com/.
Click Manuals on your model’s page to
download the documentation.
Web Connect Guide 1
This Guide provides useful information about
accessing Internet services from the Brother
machine, as well as downloading images,
printing data and uploading files directly to
Internet services.
AirPrint Guide 1
This Guide provides information for using
AirPrint to print from OS X v10.7.x, 10.8.x and
your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or other iOS
device to your Brother machine without
installing a printer driver.
Google Cloud Print Guide 1
This Guide provides details on how to use
Google Cloud Print™ services for printing
over the Internet.
Mobile Print/Scan Guide for Brother
iPrint&Scan 1
This Guide provides useful information about
printing from your mobile device and
scanning from your Brother machine to your
mobile device when connected to a Wi-Fi
network.
Accessing Brother
Support (Windows®)1
You can find all the contacts you will need,
such as Web support (Brother Solutions
Center), Customer Service and Brother
Authorized Service Centers in Brother
numbers on page i and on the CD-ROM.
Click Brother Support on the Top Menu.
The following screen will appear:
To access our website
(http://www.brother.com/), click
Brother Home Page.
To view all Brother Numbers, including
Customer Service numbers for the USA
and Canada, click Support Information.
To access the USA Brother online
shopping mall
(http://www.brothermall.com/) for
additional product and services
information, click Brother Mall.com.
To access Canada’s Brother online
shopping mall (http://www.brother.ca/) for
additional product and services
information, click Shop Online (Canada).
For the latest news and product support
information
(http://solutions.brother.com/), click
Brother Solutions Center.
To visit our website for genuine Brother
Supplies
(http://www.brother.com/original/),
click Supplies Information.

General information
5
1
To access the Brother CreativeCenter
(http://www.brother.com/creativecenter/)
for FREE photo projects and printable
downloads, click
Brother CreativeCenter.
To return to the Top Menu, click Back or
if you are finished, click Exit.
Accessing Brother
Support (Macintosh) 1
You can find all the contacts you will need,
such as Web support (Brother Solutions
Center) on the CD-ROM.
Double-click the Brother Support icon.
The following screen will appear:
To download and install Presto!
PageManager, click
Presto! PageManager.
To access the Brother Web Connect
page, click Brother Web Connect.
To register your machine from the Brother
Product Registration Page
(http://www.brother.com/registration/),
click On-Line Registration.
For the latest news and product support
information
(http://solutions.brother.com/), click
Brother Solutions Center.
To visit our website for genuine Brother
Supplies
(http://www.brother.com/original/), click
Supplies Information.

Chapter 1
6
Control panel overview 1
1.8" Touchscreen LCD and Touchpanel 1
This is a Touchscreen LCD with an electrostatic Touchpanel that only shows the LEDs that can
be used.
1 1.8" Touchscreen LCD (Liquid Crystal
Display)
This is a Touchscreen LCD. You can access
the menus and options by pressing them as
they are displayed on this screen.
You can adjust the control panel angle to read
the Touchscreen more easily.
Hold the edge of the control panel to avoid
accidentally pressing any of the Touchscreen
options.
1