Have you ever encountered the "No Toner" message after replacing the Brother toner cartridge in your printer? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll explore the causes of the "No Toner" error and how to fix it. Keep reading for the details.
Why Does My Brother Printer Show "No Toner" After Replacing the Toner?
Understanding your Brother printer toner system is key to solving this issue. Usually, the "No Toner" error in Brother printers is caused by one of four main issues. But before diving into the reasons, let’s quickly touch on the changes made to Brother toner cartridges. If you're a loyal Brother printer user, you probably know that before 2017, Brother toner cartridges didn’t have a chip. This didn’t affect the toner’s normal operation.
In 2017, Brother introduced their first laser printer Brother toners with built-in IC chips, including the Brother TN-730, TN-760, and TN-770. A year later, they released another batch of chip-equipped cartridges, the Brother TN223 and TN227. Since then, users started seeing the new "No Toner" error on their printers. And it’s these small toner chips that are causing the issue.
For Brother toner cartridges with chips, the chip acts as the key for the printer to recognize the toner cartridge, much like how a key is needed to unlock a door. If the printer can't detect the chip, it won’t recognize the toner. Even if the toner cartridge is full, the printer won’t work. This explains why Brother printers show "No Toner" even when a new cartridge has been installed. Now, let’s break down the four possible causes of the "No Toner" error.
Four Possible Causes of "No Toner" in Brother Printer Toner
1. Printer Structure
During printing, the toner cartridge driven by the feeding roller may cause the chip on your Brother cartridge toner to become misaligned or disconnected from the printer’s sensor. As a result, the printer won’t detect the chip, leading to the "No Toner" error.
2. No Chip or Incompatible Chip
If the Brother toner cartridge lacks a chip, or if the chip is incompatible, the printer won’t recognize it and will display the "No Toner" error. Chip incompatibility can be caused by an incorrect chip installation, a damaged chip, or even a printer firmware update.
3. Poor Chip Contact
If the chip’s surface is dirty, oxidized, or covered in adhesive or other foreign substances, it could cause poor contact between the printer sensor and the chip. This leads to the printer failing to recognize the drum unit and displaying the "No Toner" error.
4. Damaged or Deformed Printer Sensor
If the printer’s sensor is deformed or damaged, even a properly functioning chip won’t be detected. As a result, the printer will not recognize the new toner, and you’ll see the "No Toner" message.
Brother Toner Not Detected – Troubleshooting Steps
Based on the four possible causes above, here are three steps you can follow to resolve the "No Toner" error on your Brother printer and get it working properly again.
Step 1: Perform Special Actions
- Open the printer cover → Close the printer cover → Wait a few seconds until the printer completes its cycle, then check if the printer returns to normal.
- Open the printer top cover → Remove the drum unit → Reinstall it back into the printer → Close the front cover → Check if the printer is functioning properly.
- Press and hold the "Power" button to turn off the printer → Wait for 3–4 seconds → Turn the printer back on → Observe if the printer starts working normally.
When you purchase new Brother TN2510, TN2510XL, TN248, TN248XL, TN243, or TN247 compatible toner cartridges and encounter the "No Toner" error, you can also try this step to clear the error message. These actions are the first thing to try when you need to change toner Brother printer. If this doesn’t work, you can completely disconnect the printer’s power for a few minutes, then plug it back in and turn it on. Typically, your Brother printer should return to normal operation.
Step 2: Check if the Drum Unit Has a Compatible Chip and Inspect for Dirt or Foreign Objects on the Chip
- Open the printer top cover and check if the chip model matches the one for your machine. (This action is recommended to be done by professionals with printer knowledge.)
- Remove the toner cartridge with the drum unit from the Brother printer.
- Inspect the surface of the chip for any dirt or foreign objects.
- If there are stains or other debris, clean the chip using industrial alcohol and a non-woven cloth. If you don’t have industrial alcohol or a non-woven cloth, try using a soft tissue. If the debris cannot be removed, you may need to replace the chip or the entire toner.
- Reinstall the Brother toner and drum unit into the printer.
- Close the printer cover. This is a crucial step when changing toner on Brother printer.
- Wait a few seconds and check if the printer is working correctly.
Step 3: Check if the Printer Sensor is Deformed or Damaged
- Lift the printer cover.
- Remove the toner cartridge with the Brother drum unit.
- Use a water-based pen to mark the surface of the chip.
- Reinstall the toner and drum unit into the printer.
- Close the printer cover and let the machine run for 4–5 seconds.
- Reopen the printer cover.
- Remove the toner cartridge with the drum unit again.
- Check the marked area on the chip for visible scratches. If there are no scratches, it means the chip and the sensor didn’t make proper contact, and the sensor might be deformed or damaged. In this case, you need to replace the sensor (either by yourself or by contacting the Brother service centre or a third-party printer repair service). If you can clearly see four distinct scratches on the chip surface, it means the chip is in good contact with the printer sensor.
All the methods above have been repeatedly tested and verified by our engineers. They can help most Brother printer users — whether you’re using original or third-party toner and drum units — fix the “No Toner” error in most cases. This test helps determine if the issue is with the printer Brother toner sensor. If your printer shows a “No Toner” message, you can try these steps to repair it yourself. If the problem still isn’t solved, contact your toner supplier for a replacement or refund.
We believe that if you purchase your cartridges from a reliable supplier such as ProlineOffice, they’ll always provide you with professional and satisfying service.
Still got problems? You can watch the video below to solve your brother toner recognition issues:
Additional Information on Brother Toner Cartridges
1. “No Toner” vs. “Toner Low”
The “No Toner” error is completely different from the “Toner Low” or “Replace Toner” message.
The “No Toner” issue is caused by a chip recognition problem, while the “Toner Low” message has nothing to do with the chip. That’s because Brother toner chips do not calculate the toner level. Their only purpose is to let the printer identify the cartridge.
Sometimes, even after installing a new toner or drum unit, the printer still says “Toner Low,” “Replace Toner,” or “Toner Empty.” This usually happens because the printer hasn’t reset the toner counter gear. You need to manually reset it to make the printer recognize the cartridge as new.
By the way, if you see a “Replace Toner” message, you can check your Brother printer’s “Toner Cover Open” function for help. This is different from simply needing a Brother toner replacement.
How to Change Brother Printer Toner and Reset the Counter：
- Open the front cover of the printer.
- On the control panel, press and hold the Back and Cancel buttons for 2 seconds.
- Press Back again to enter the reset menu.
- Scroll through the list and choose the color toner you want to reset.
- Press Yes to confirm the reset.
- The toner level should now be reset. Check if the “Toner Low,” “Replace Toner,” or “Toner Empty” message is gone.
Note:
- In the reset menu, the letters K, C, M, and Y stand for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.
- The letters TNR mean toner cartridge.
- The last part refers to capacity: STD means standard yield, and HC means high yield.
- For example, to reset a Brother TN-248 black standard Brother toner yield, you should select K.TNR-STD.
2. The Drum Unit Has No Chip — and That’s Normal
Brother drum units do not come with chips, and this is not the cause of the “No Toner” error. So far, Brother printers do not require any chips on drum units. The drum unit’s job is to transfer toner onto paper to form text or images.
If the print quality starts to fade or images become faint, it usually means the drum unit needs cleaning or replacement, not that there’s a toner detection problem.
ProlineOffice's Solution for Brother Toner Replacement
As a trusted toner supplier, ProlineOffice always puts customers first.
We’re committed to providing affordable, high-quality toner cartridges — along with excellent protection and service for every customer.
Affordable, High-Quality Toner Cartridges
ProlineOffice is proud to offer premium Brother toner cartridges at reasonable prices. They feature upgraded IC chips and precision manufacturing, which makes them fully compatible with the latest Brother laser printers and firmware versions. Thanks to these improvements, the “No Toner” error rate is extremely low.
Our high-quality toners start from just £8.95 per cartridge, with additional discounts available during promotions.
They’re the perfect alternative to expensive original Brother toners — giving you the same great performance at a much lower cost.
Reliable Guarantee and Support
We back every product with excellent warranty coverage and customer support. We provide support for all sold Brother printer replace toner issues. If your Brother printer shows “No Toner” even after installing one of our cartridges, you can try the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this blog. Or simply contact our support team — we provide online technical help, free replacements, and full refunds, ensuring you’re 100% satisfied.
Haven’t tried ProlineOffice toners yet? Give them a shot! Enjoy free shipping on all orders over £30!
