Brother MFC-J5930DW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother MFC-J5930DW right for you?

The MFC-J5930DW is the 2017 INKvestment business inkjet with two paper trays, duplex scanning and 11 x 17 printing from its multipurpose tray. It used the LC3029 cartridges rated at 3,000 black pages, well ahead of rivals at the price. It was the dual-tray choice for small offices until the J5945DW and J6945DW replaced it. Expect ink absorber warnings on units with high page counts.

Best for: Small offices wanting dual trays and tabloid printing with cheap ink

Setting up the Brother MFC-J5930DW

Connect Ethernet or use the touchscreen wireless wizard, then install the Full Driver & Software Package on Windows for scanning and PC-Fax. Set each tray's paper size on the display. Brother Mobile Connect supports phone scanning and ink reordering.

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-J5930DW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• LC3029BK super high-yield black (3,000 pages)
• LC3029C/M/Y super high-yield color (1,500 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