Why Is My Brother Printer Printing Black Pages with White Text?

There are times when your Brother printer printing black pages with white text can ruin your day.

Brother printers are known for their quality and reliability, but these things do happen. It’s a weird one, but there are a few reasons why this can happen.

Fixing your Brother printer printing black pages with white text can be as easy as updating the drivers. If you’ve had the printer for quite some time, there’s a good chance it’s running on outdated drivers. Make sure to check it and update the drivers as soon as you can.

Usually, this should solve this issue. It’s a simple fix that will only take you a couple of minutes. 

However, if the problem persists, you’ll have to check out other options. We recommend reading the entire guide to know the different ways to fix it.

Why Is My Brother Printer Printing Black Pages with White Text?

If you still experience your Brother printer printing back background with white text, the main culprit would be the drivers.

However, other things can happen that will result in this error.

Let’s take a deep look at the many things that can happen that could impact the performance of your printer.

Reason #1: An Outdated Printer Driver

Brother improves the functions of their products regularly. It is recommended that you update the driver and firmware to the latest version.

This is especially true if you haven’t updated your drivers for quite some time.

Reason #2: Print Settings Have Changed

You may need to adjust the default settings of your Brother printer in the Printer Properties dialog box.

It just happens that some of your print settings may change inadvertently, so it’s a good idea to check on them once in a while.
 

Reason #3:a Clogged Nozzle Is Causing the Issue

Due to several circumstances, the inkjet on the printhead may dry out and become blocked.

When this happens, your printer may not print correctly. Get around to doing routine cleaning tasks to avoid problems related to this issue.

Reason #4: Wrong paper size

The paper size does not match the paper on the tray, or you did not set the paper guides in the settings.

Always make sure that you have loaded the right paper before starting any print jobs.

Now that you know why your Brother Printer is printing white text on black background let us fix the issue.

How to Fix My Brother Printer Printing Black Pages with White Text

There are several reasons why your Brother Printer may not work correctly. It can be as simple as a clogged nozzle or the wrong paper size.

But, the most common cause is an outdated driver. If you know what causes the problem, you can easily find the solution. 

Solution #1: Check and Update Printer Drivers

An outdated printer driver causes many printer-related problems.

If you are having trouble with your device, be sure to update the driver and see if it will resolve the issue.

There are two options:

Option A: Download and Install the Driver Manually.

1. Search for the latest driver on the Brother’s support website.
2. Find one that corresponds with your Windows version and download it.
3. Once downloaded, double-click on the downloaded file and follow on-screen instructions.

Option B: Update the driver automatically.

1. Download and install Driver Easy.

Note: If you don’t have the time or skills to update your printer driver, you can do it automatically with the Free and Pro version of Driver Easy. 

Driver Easy automatically recognizes your system and finds the correct driver for it.

So you don’t have to worry about downloading the wrong driver or making a mistake when installing.  

Solution #2: Remove Printer from Computer and Reinstall It

If you just updated your Brother driver, you may need to remove your printer and re-add it.

1. Type Control Panel on the search box.
2. Find the Devices and Printers button.
3. Right-click on the Brother Printer Properties and click Remove device.
4. Click yes to confirm the removal.
5. Once removed, press Add a Printer and select your device.
6. Once successfully added, try to print something.  

Solution #3: Disable the Reverse Printing Feature

Aside from the print feed, the reverse printing of your Brother printer may also print the extra pages.

Check your printer settings and check if you have activated the reverse printing feature.

Here’s how to disable it from the print copies option.

1. Go back to the printing preference option.
2. Uncheck the reverse order option under the basic tab.
3. Press the OK key to apply the changes.

Now, try printing again and see if it solves the problem.

Solution #4: Enable the Print Text in Black Option

Your Brother printer will start reverse printing if you turn off the print text in the black option.

To enable it, do the following:

1. Open the Control Panel and select Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click your Brother printer and press printer properties.
3. Push Advanced Tab and choose Print Default.
4. Click Print in Black and press OK.
5. Push Apply and OK to save settings. 

Note: So you can print black, you will have to adjust the printing settings in the driver. You can change it here so you can start printing black text.

Solution #5: Disable the Printer’s Grayscale Printing Feature

If your Brother printer is copying or printing pages in negative order, check the grayscale setting and disable it.

1. Launch the Devices and Printers from the Control Panel.
2. Open Print Preference by right-clicking the Brother Printer.
3. Press Advanced Tab and uncheck the Grayscale option.
4. Select Apply and OK to save your new settings.

Note: Grayscale printing uses black ink cartridges. You can set the color preferences for one print job or set the driver so all succeeding print jobs will use the same settings.

Solution #6: Clean the Printer’s Drum Unit

If your Brother Printer is still printing black pages with white text after you’ve done everything, you may need to clean your device’s drum unit.

There may be foreign materials stuck inside, such as glue from a label.

Follow the steps below to clean the drum unit.

1. Open the front cover and remove the cartridge for the toner and drum unit.
2. Push down the lever that locks it and remove the cartridge out.
3. Turn the drum unit with gear on the left side and check for marks.
4. Using a cotton swab, wipe the surface gently until the marks come off.
5. Put back the toner cartridge until you hear it lock into place.

Note: If the issue is the same, repeat the manual cleaning process. Sometimes it takes multiple cleanings to resolve print issues. After multiple cleanings, if the problem persists, the drum unit may need replacement.  

Quick Recap

Brother always recommends updating your printer driver and firmware to the latest version to keep your device performing as desired. An outdated driver is the most common cause of issues, such as printing black pages with white text. 

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Last Thoughts

These fixes should help you with your Brother printer printing background with white text.

You should quickly find the cause and find the most favorable solution so you won’t have to deal with this issue.

We understand that these troubleshooting steps might not solve this issue for you as there are other more technical causes of your Brother printer printing black pages with white text.

If this happens, we do recommend reaching out to a Brother customer support representative for further assistance.