Brother MFC-P2500 User manual

Brother Laser Printer / Scanner / Copier
P2500
User’s Guide
Please readthismanual thoroughly before using the printer. Youcanprint or viewthismanual from the
CD-ROM at any time, please keepthe CD-ROM ina convenient place for quickand easy reference at
all times.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEFINITIONS OF WARNINGS, CAUTIONS, AND NOTES vi
TO USE THE PRINTER SAFELY vi
SHIPMENT OF THE PRINTER vii
FOR TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL ASSISTANCE (FOR USA &
CANADA ONLY)viii
CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS PRINTER
MAKE SURE ALL THE ITEMS ARE IN THE CARTON 1-1
CARTON CONTENTS 1-1
ABOUT YOUR PRINTER 1-2
FEATURES OF YOUR PRINTER 1-3
WHAT ARE THE AVAILABLE PRINTER OPTIONS1-7
CHOOSE A LOCATION 1-8
POWER SUPPLY 1-8
ENVIRONMENT 1-8
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BROTHER PRINTING
SOLUTION FOR WINDOWS®1-9
WHAT TYPE OF PAPER CAN I USE 1-10

ii
WHAT TYPE OF DOCUMENTS CAN THE DOCUMENT
FEEDER HANDLE 1-18
HOW TO LOAD PAPER INTO THE PAPER CASSETTE1-19
HOW TO LOAD A SHEET OF PAPER MANUALLY 1-21
HOW TO PRINT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PAPER
(MANUAL DUPLEXING)1-26
HOW TO COPY 1-29
VARIOUS SETTINGS FOR COPY 1-32
HOW TO SCAN 1-37
HOW TO SCAN FROM THE PAPER PORT®FOR BROTHER
SOFTWARE (FOR WINDOWS®3.1/95/98/NT USERS IN
USA/CANADA)1-37
HOW TO SCAN FROM THE UNIMESSAGETM PRO VIEWER
SOFTWARE (FOR WINDOWS®95/98/NT USERS IN OTHER
COUNTRIES)1-42
FUNCTIONS OF THE BUTTONS ON THE CONTROL PANEL
1-46
SPECIAL FUNCTION 1-47
WHAT DO THE LED INDICATIONS MEAN 1-48
ALARM LED 1-48
DATA LED 1-48
LED 1-48

TABLE OF CONTENTS
iii
CHAPTER 2 OPTIONS
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES AND SUPPLIES 2-1
THE LOWER TRAY UNIT 2-2
INSTALLING PAPER IN THE LOWER TRAY UNIT 2-3
HOW TO ADD EXTRA MEMORY 2-4
HOW TO INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL MEMORY BOARD 2-5
WHAT IS THE BROTHER PRINT SERVER (NC-2010P)2-8
FEATURES 2-8
CHAPTER 3 MAINTENANCE 3-1
HOW TO REPLACE THE TONER CARTRIDGE 3-2
HOW TO REPLACE THE DRUM UNIT 3-9
HOW TO CLEAN THE PRINTER 3-14
CLEANING THE PRINTER EXTERIOR 3-14
HOW TO CLEAN THE PRINTER INTERIOR AND DRUM UNIT
3-16
HOW TO CLEAN THE DOCUMENT SCANNER 3-20

iv
CHAPTER 4 TROUBLESHOOTING 4-1
IDENTIFYING YOUR PROBLEM4-1
SERVICE CALL INDICATIONS 4-2
ERROR MESSAGES THAT APPEAR ON THE LCD PANEL4-3
ERROR MESSAGE PRINTOUTS 4-5
PAPER HANDLING 4-6
PAPER JAMS AND HOW TO CLEAR THEM 4-7
HOW TO CLEAR A PRINTER JAM 4-8
HOW TO CLEAR A DOCUMENT JAM 4-11
OTHERS 4-12
FOR DOS USERS 4-12
FOR APPLE MACINTOSH COMPUTER USERS 4-12
IMPROVING THE PRINT QUALITY 4-13
HOW TO PRINT CORRECTLY 4-19
COPY 4-20
SCAN 4-21
FOR DOS USERS 4-21

v
APPENDIX A-1
PRINTER TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS A-1
PRINTING A-1
COPYING A-2
SCANNING A-3
SPECIFICATION A-3
ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL A-4
PARALLEL INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS A-5
UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB) INTERFACE A-7
RESIDENT FONTS A-8
REGULATIONS i
INDEX

TABLE OF CONTENTS
vi
Definitions of Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
The following conventions are used in this User’s Guide:
Warning
Indicates warnings that must be observed to prevent possible personal injury.
!
Caution
Indicates cautions that must be observed to use the machine properly or prevent
damage to the machine.
✒Note
Indicates notes and useful tips to remember when using the machine.
To Use the Machine Safely
Warning


After you have just used the machine, some internal parts of the machine
are extremely hot. When you open the front cover or rear cover, never
touch the shaded parts shown in the following illustration.
High Temperature High Temperature
Front view Rear view


There are high voltage electrodes inside the machine. Before cleaning the
machine, make sure you have turned off the power switch and unplugged
the power cord from the power outlet.
Turning off the Power Switch and Unplug the Machine

vii
Shipment of the Printer
If for any reason you must ship your Machine, carefully package the Machine
to avoid any damage during transit. It is recommended that you save and use
the original packaging. The Machine should also be adequately insured with
the carrier.
!
Caution
When shipping the Machine, the DRUM UNIT assembly including the
TONER CARTRIDGE must be removed from the Machine and placed in the
plastic bag. Failure to remove the unit and place it in the plastic bag
during shipping will cause severe damage to the Machine and will VOID
THE WARRANTY.
1Remove the Drum unit assembly. 2Place it in the plastic bag and seal
the bag completely.
3Remove the AC cord from the
machine. Re-pack the machine.

viii
(For USA & CANADA Only)
For technical and operational assistance, please call:
In USA 1-800-276-7746 (outside California)
949-859-9700 Ext. 329(within California)
In CANADA 1-800-853-6660
514-685-6464 (within Montreal)
If you have comments or suggestions, please write us at:
In USA Printer Customer Support
Brother International Corporation
15 Musick
Irvine, CA 92618
In CANADA Brother International Corporation (Canada), Ltd.
- Marketing Dept.
1, rue Hôtel de Ville
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, PQ, Canada H9B 3H6
BBS
For downloading drivers from our Bulletin Board Service, call:
In USA 1-888-298-3616
In CANADA 1-514-685-2040
Please log on to our BBS with your first name, last name and a four digit number for your
password. Our BBS supports modem speeds up to 14,400, 8 bits no parity, 1 stop bit.
Fax-Back System
Brother Customer Service has installed an easy to use Fax-Back System so you can get
instant answers to common technical questions and product information for all Brother
products. This is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use the system to send
the information to any fax machine, not just the one you are calling from.
Please call 1-800-521-2846 (U.S.A) or 1-800-681-9838 (Canada) and follow the voice
prompts to receive faxed instructions on how to use the system and your index of Fax-Back
subjects.
DEALERS/SERVICE CENTERS (USA only)
For the name of an authorized dealer or service center, call 1-800-284-4357.
SERVICE CENTERS (Canada only)
For service center addresses in Canada, call 1-800-853-6660
INTERNET ADDRESS
For technical questions and downloading drivers: http://www.brother.com

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS MACHINE
1-1
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT THIS PRINTER
Make Sure All the Items Are in the Carton
Carton Contents
When you unpack the printer, check to see that you have all of the following
items:
Fig. 1-1 Printer Carton Contents
Carton Contents may differ from one country to another.
Paper cassette CD-ROM
Documents
AC power cord
Drum unit assembly (with
toner cartridge included)
Printer
Document support
Document support
extension

1-2
About your printer
Fig. 1-2 Front View
Fig. 1-3 Rear View
Control panel
Automatic
document feeder
Tray extension flap
Paper cassette
Front cover
Manual feed slot
Manual feed paper guides
Document support
extension
Rear cover
Power switch
AC power inlet
USB (Universal Serial Bus
Interface) connector
Parallel Interface
connector

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS MACHINE
1-3
Features of your printer
❏Full Copier Function
Multiple copies are easy to print using the Sort key on the control panel.
For more information, see “How to Copy” in this Chapter.
❏High Resolution and Fast Printing Speed
True 600 x 600 dpi with microfine toner and up to 12 pages per minute
(ppm) print speed (using A4 or Letter size paper).
❏Quick Print Setup
In a small selection window on your computer screen, you can easily make
changes to settings that you use frequently.
❏Versatile Paper Handling
This printer loads paper automatically from the paper cassette. You can
load A4, letter, B5, Executive, A5 and A6 size paper. The manual feed slot
allows you to load pages manually, one sheet at a time, so you can use
special types of paper. For additional information, see “What kind of paper
can I use” in this Chapter.
❏Document Management Application ‘PaperPortfor Brother
Software’ (For USA/Canada)
PaperPort®for Brother Software is a document management application
which contains a viewer, editor and filing system plus various links to other
applications. PaperPort®for Brother Software is a sophisticated application
and has widespread industry acceptance and endorsements. For more
information, see “How to Scan” in this Chapter.

1-4
❏Sophisticated Viewer and Document management Software
‘Wordcraft UnimessageTM Pro’ (For other Countries)
Wordcraft UnimessageTM Pro Viewer is a sophisticated viewer for displaying
and editing graphic files. In addition to the usual image editing functions
(object drawing, annotations, highlighting, etc.) you will also be able to use
this software to view both colour and monochrome images, create cover
sheets for use with the P2500, display thumbnails of graphics files in any of
your directories and set up a referencing system for your files using DIR
(Document Indexing Retrieval). For more information, see “How to Scan”
in thisChapter.
❏TWAIN Compliant Scanner Driver (For Windowsand Macintosh
users)
The scanner driver is TWAIN compliant which is a defacto standard. You
can use the scanner in other TWAIN compliant applications as well as in
the PaperPort®application or UnimessageTM Pro viewer application.
❏Enhanced Printing Performance and User-friendly Operation for
Windows®
The dedicated printer drivers for Microsoft®Windows®95/98, Windows
3.1x®and Windows NT®4.0 are available on the CD-ROM supplied with
your printer. You can easily install them into your Windows system using
our installer program. The driver supports our unique compression mode to
enhance the printing speed in Windows applications and allows you to
choose various printer settings including toner save mode, custom paper
size, sleep mode, gray scale adjustment, resolution and many layout
functions and so forth. You can easily set these print options through the
Printer Setup Menu.
❏Popular Printer Emulation Support
The printer supports HP LaserJet 5P (PCL5e). When you use DOS
application software or Windows® version 3.0 or earlier, you can use this
emulation to operate the printer.

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS MACHINE
1-5
❏Printer Status Monitor for USB interface cable or LPTx port users
only (For Windows 95/98 users only)
The printer driver can monitor the status of your printer using bi-directional
parallel communications. The use of a high quality IEEE 1284 compliant
bi-directional parallel printer cable isrecommended.
The printer status monitor program can show the current status of your
printer. If an error occurs, the status monitor will let you know what to
correct. For example: when your printer is out of paper, the status monitor
will display “Cover Open” and instructions for loading paper.
❏USB Interface (For Windows 98, iMac and Power Macintosh G3 with
USB users Only)
This printer can be connected by the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Interface
to a PC that has a USB interface. Drivers to allow you to use the USB port
are provided on the CD-ROM supplied with the printer.
❏Remote Printer Console Program for DOS
The Remote Printer Console (RPC) utility program isavailable on the CD-
ROM supplied with your machine. When you operate your computer in a
DOS (Disk Operating System) environment, this program allows you to easily
change the default settings of fonts, page setup and emulations.
This program also provides a status monitor program, which is a Terminate-
and-Stay Resident (TSR) program. It can monitor the printer status while
running in the background and report the current status or errors on your
computer screen.
❏Enhanced Memory Management
The printer provides its own data compression technology in the printer
hardware and the supplied printer driver software, which compresses
graphic and font data efficiently into the printer’s memory. You can avoid
memory errors and print most full page 600 dpi graphic and text data,
including larger fonts, with the printer’sstandard memory.

1-6
❏Environment-Friendly
Economy Printing Mode
This feature will cut your printing cost by saving toner. It is useful to print
draft copies for proof-reading. You can select economy modes through the
Windows printer driver supplied with your printer.
Sleep Mode (Power Save Mode)
When the printer is not used for a certain period of time, it goes into sleep
mode to reduce power consumption. The printer consumes less than 10
Watts when in sleep mode.
Low Running Cost
Since the toner cartridge is separate from the drum unit, you must replace
only the toner cartridge after approximately 3,000 pages, this is both cost
effective and ecologically friendly. (An optional high capacity toner unit
that will print up to 6,000 pages is also available for this printer.)
The actual number of pages printed with a toner cartridge may vary
depending on your average type of print job, the figures quoted are based
on 5% coverage per page.
You can print up to 20,000 pages with the drum unit, however there are
many factors that determine the actual drum life.
❏Bar Code Print
This printer can print the following 11 types of bar codes:
• Code 39 • UPC-E
• Interleaved 2 of 5 • Codabar
• EAN-8 • US-PostNet
• EAN-13 • ISBN
• UPC-A • Code 128
• EAN-128

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS MACHINE
1-7
What Are the Available Printer Options
❏Lower Tray Unit (LT-400)
A lower tray unit expands the paper source capacity. You can load extra
paper and switch between the upper and lower paper sources automatically.
See “The Lower Tray Unit” in Chapter 2.
❏Memory Board
The printer has 4.0 Mbytes of standard memory. You can add one board of
additional memory. The memory can be expanded up to a total of 12 or 20
Mbytes by installing a recognized 8MB(ME-8000) or 16MB (ME-16000)
optional memory board. We recommend that you add memory if you want to
print graphics at higher resolutions. When you add an optional memory board,
it increases the performance of printer operations. See “How to add extra
Memory” in Chapter 2.
❏External Print Server (Brother NC-2010p)
An optional Network print server Brother NC-2010p is available, which
allows your printer to be connected to your Network using a parallel interface.
See “What is the Brother print server (NC-2010p)” in Chapter 2.

1-8
Choose a Location
Please take note of the following before using the printer.
Power Supply
• Use the printer within the specified power range.
AC power: ±10% of the rated power voltage in your country
Frequency:50 Hz (220 V– 240 V) or 50/60 Hz (110–120 V)
• The power cord, including extensions, should not exceed 5 meters (16.5
feet).
• Do not share the same power circuit with other high-power appliances,
particularly an air conditioner, copier or shredder. If you must use the
printer with these appliances, we recommend that you use an isolation
transformer or a high-frequency noise filter.
• Use a voltage regulator if the power source is not stable.
Environment
The printer should be installed near a power outlet, that is easily accessible.
• Use the printer only within the following ranges of temperature and
humidity.
Ambient temperature: 10°C to 32.5°C (50_F to 90.5_F)
Ambient humidity: 20% to 80% (without condensation)
• The printer should be used in a well ventilated room.
• Place the printer on a flat, horizontal surface.
• Keep the printer clean. Do not place the printer in a dusty place.
• Do not place the printer where the vent for the printer fan is blocked. Keep
approximately 100 mm (3.4 inches) between the fan vent and the wall.
• Do not place the printer where it will be exposed to direct sunlight. Use a
blind or a heavy curtain to protect the printer from direct if you must place
it near a window.

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS MACHINE
1-9
• Do not place the printer near devices that contain magnets or generate
magnetic fields.
• Do not subject the printer to strong physical shocks or vibrations.
• Do not expose the printer to open flames or salty or corrosive gasses.
• Do not place objects on top of the printer.
• Do not place the printer near an air conditioner.
• Keep the printer horizontal when you move it.
• Do not cover the vents in the side cover.
System Requirements for the Brother Printing Solution for
Windows®
Check the following system requirementsto setup and operate the printer in
Brother Printing Solution for Windows:
CPU• IBM PC or compatible with 80486 SX or higher
microprocessor
Interface • Parallel interface (or printer port) and USB interface
(Windows® 98 only)
RAM • 8 MB or more of memory (for Windows®3.1/3.11)
16 MB or more of memory (for Windows®95/98/NT)
Hard Disk • 10 MB of space available on your hard disk for the printer
and scanner driver and all fonts
• 20 MB of space available on your hard disk for PaperPort®
for Brother software
• 40 MB of space available on your hard disk for Wordcraft
Unimessage®Pro software
Operating
System • Microsoft Windows®3.1/3.11, Windows®95/98 or
Windows®NT®4.0

1-10
What Type of paper can I use
Media Type
Paper type Paper size
Paper cassette
(standard) Cut sheet
Transparency
letter, A4, ISO B5,
Executive, A5, A6,
legal (USA and Canada Only)
A4 and letter
Manual feed slot Cut sheet
Envelope
Organizer
Transparency
Label
Custom sizes
letter, A4, B5 (JIS/ISO),
Executive, A5, A6, legal
COM 10, Monarch, C5, DL
and ISO B5
Day-Timer®J, K, L
A4, Letter
A4, Letter
70-216 x 116-356 mm,
2.75-8.5 x 4.57 -14 inches
Optional lower paper
cassette cut sheet letter, A4, ISO B5, Executive, A5 and legal (US
and Canada Only)
Paper specification for the cassette
Cut Sheet
Basis Weight 64 to 105 g/m2
(17 to 28 lb.)
Caliper 0.08 to 0.13 mm
(0.003 to 0.005 inches.)
Moisture Content 4% to 6% by weight

CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THIS MACHINE
1-11
Manual feed slot
Cut Sheet Envelope
Basis Weight 64 to 157 g/m2
(17 to 42 lb.) 75 to 90 g/m2single thickness (20 to 24 lb.)
Caliper 0.08 to 0.2 mm
(±0.003 to ±0.008 in.) 0.084 to 0.14 mm (0.0033 to 0.005 in.)
single thickness
Moisture Content 4% to 6% by weight 4% to 6% by weight
✒Note
We recommend you only use labels or transparencies that are designed for use
in laser printers.
To avoid damage to the printer, the printing speed may change automatically,
depending on the paper size in use.