Brother MFC-L5900DW: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Brother MFC-L5900DW right for you?

The MFC-L5900DW is the step-up business all-in-one of 2016 with a 70-sheet duplex-scanning ADF, a near five-inch touchscreen and NFC. It prints 42 ppm from the TN-850 cartridge and was a common choice for offices digitizing paper files. The large screen supports custom workflows and scan-to-network shortcuts. Drum and fuser replacement arrive as real service items at six-figure page counts.

Best for: Offices digitizing double-sided paperwork at speed

Setting up the Brother MFC-L5900DW

Network it by Ethernet, set an admin password, and install the Full Driver & Software Package or PCL6 driver. Create scan-to-SMB or scan-to-email shortcuts on the touchscreen for staff. Use Secure Function Lock to restrict color copying of IDs if needed.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the toner cartridge and drum unit, 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-L5900DW uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• TN-820 toner (3,000 pages)
• TN-850 high-yield toner (8,000 pages)
• DR-820 drum unit (30,000 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