Brother MFC-J6540DW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother MFC-J6540DW right for you?

The MFC-J6540DW is a 2022 business inkjet that prints, copies and scans at full 11 x 17 size, with a tabloid flatbed and a 50-sheet ADF. It is the successor to the MFC-J6530DW and uses the LC406 cartridges, with the XL set giving up to 6,000 black pages. It is large and heavy, but it is the cheapest way to copy tabloid drawings or ledger spreadsheets at home. Ethernet, NFC and fax are all included.

Best for: Home offices and small studios that need tabloid copying and scanning

Setting up the Brother MFC-J6540DW

Connect Ethernet or use the touchscreen wireless wizard on 2.4 GHz. Install the Full Driver & Software Package on Windows for scanning and PC-Fax; set tray sizes on the touchscreen so the printer knows when tabloid paper is loaded. Keep the main tray guides tight to prevent skew on long sheets.

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-J6540DW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• LC406BK black ink (3,000 pages)
• LC406XL BK black ink (6,000 pages)
• LC406XL C/M/Y color ink (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