Brother MFC-J5845DW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother MFC-J5845DW right for you?

The MFC-J5845DW is the 2019 INKvestment Tank take on the MFC-J5330DW, shipping with enough LC3037 ink for about a year and accepting the 6,000-page LC3039 black. It prints 11 x 17 from the rear tray and has the usual 50-sheet ADF, Ethernet and NFC. Because ink sits in internal reservoirs, the printer reports levels for the tank rather than the cartridge. Heavy users eventually meet the 'Unable to Print 46' absorber error.

Best for: Home offices wanting tabloid printing with a long ink supply

Setting up the Brother MFC-J5845DW

Set up over Ethernet or the touchscreen wireless wizard and let the initial ink charge finish. Install the Full Driver & Software Package on Windows; select Ledger paper and the MP tray when printing tabloid. Brother Mobile Connect reports reservoir ink levels and orders supplies.

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-J5845DW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• LC3037BK black ink (3,000 pages)
• LC3039BK ultra high-yield black (6,000 pages)
• LC3039C/M/Y ultra high-yield color (5,000 pages each)

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