Brother MFC-J497DW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother MFC-J497DW right for you?

The MFC-J497DW was the entry-level fax inkjet of 2018, regularly discounted below 80 dollars, with a 100-sheet tray, 20-sheet ADF and automatic duplex. It is the printer found in many spare rooms that gets used a few times a month. The LC3013 cartridges cost nearly as much as the printer did, which drives many owners toward replacing it rather than refilling. It works fine with AirPrint and Brother's app.

Best for: Very light home use on a small budget

Setting up the Brother MFC-J497DW

Set up through the LCD wireless wizard or Brother Mobile Connect on a 2.4 GHz network. Install the Full Driver & Software Package on Windows for scanning. If it has sat unused, run two cleaning cycles before judging print quality.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Brother's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Brother MFC-J497DW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• LC3011BK/C/M/Y ink (200 pages)
• LC3013BK/C/M/Y high-yield ink (400 pages)

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications