Easy · 6 minMaintenance & careBrother
Clean the print head (inkjet)
Streaky or missing colour on an inkjet Brother usually clears with a cleaning cycle. The printer flushes ink through the nozzles to dissolve clogs.
01 · Identify — does this match what you see?
- Gaps in the nozzle check pattern
- One colour missing from prints
- Lines across photos
02 · Resolve — follow in order
- 1
Confirm ink levels aren't empty — cleaning an empty cartridge pulls air into the head.
- 2
On the panel, go to Ink → Cleaning and select All Colours.
- 3
Wait for the cycle to finish (about 2 minutes) — it uses a noticeable amount of ink.
- 4
Print a nozzle check (Ink → Print Quality Check) to see if gaps cleared.
- 5
If gaps remain, run Deep Cleaning once, then wait an hour and reprint the check.
Pro tip
Leave the printer on overnight after a deep clean. The nozzles often finish unclogging themselves as ink settles — a fresh check in the morning shows improvement.
03 · Applies to
MFC-J995DWMFC-J1010DWMFC-J1205W