Why is Brother Printer Printing Black pages with White Text?

It can be utterly frustrating when you need color print outs but for some weird reason, Brother printer printing black pages with white text.

Whenever this happens, everything your print will appear in an inverted color scheme.

The main reason why this is happening is because of printer settings which are probably to grayscale, reverse printing or set to print text in black. This can also occur because of software issues such as failure to update drivers or malicious malware in printer drivers.

Running a simple printer troubleshooting will give you a solution.

In this article, you’ll get to understand in detail the simple fixes when your Brother printer is printing black background.

But first, let’s first look at why this problem is occurring in the first place.

Possible Reasons why Brother Printing Black Pages With White Texts

The issue you’re currently experiencing is a unique one that rarely happens on Brother printers.

However, here are some reasons why you get black pages with white texts:

1. Changed Printer Settings

If you’re printing on a Brother printer and the pages come out black with white texts, it’s probably because your computer is set to print that way.

Brother printers, like other printers, follow the commands given by your computer.

2. Incompatible Paper Size

All printers have their ideal paper sizes for their prints. Even though this is a no-brainer, it’s possible to feed your printer with papers that aren’t right for it.

When this happens, your printer will either show error alerts or print black pages with white texts to get you to change the papers.

3. Software Issues

Whenever you’re using outdated printer drivers, expect to be bombarded with all kinds of printer issues.

Make it a routine to check for printer updates every so often to avoid dealing with problems. Also, you can set automatic updates.

Before troubleshooting, always ensure your printer is intact and that there are no physical damages.

Brother Printer Printing Black Pages With White Text – Solutions

Solution #1 Set Print Text in Black to ON

The first solution to Brother printer printing black background lies in the settings. There are numerous ways you can tweak printer settings to suit your ideal print results.

If you’re in an office set up where employees share printers and even computers, someone may have changed the printing settings.

To print a single document or multiple documents from a program on Windows, you will have to configure the print settings first.

Here’s how to change the settings:

1. Launch Control Panel, then go to Devices & Printers.
2. Right, Click on your device, then select Printer Properties.
3. Hit the Print Default button, then select Advanced Tab.
4. Press Print Options on the bottom, then check Print Text in Black.
5. Select OK, then Apply settings.

By using the Printer Settings page in Windows, you can change the current print settings by changing the paper size and the page margins.

Note: Options for changing your printer settings vary depending on the printing software and drivers you’re using.

Solution #2 Replace Printer Drivers

Brother drivers are simply pieces of software that are needed for Brother devices to connect to your device.

Think of your Brother printer driver as an essential interpreter who helps your devices to communicate.

If not done right, the communication may cause your printer to print a black background. You’ll therefore need to replace the drivers.

Here’s how to replace Brother printer drivers:

1. Run appwiz.cpl command to launch Programs and Features.
2. From the list, pick your printer driver.
3. Press Uninstall.
4. Push the Yes button, then begin the process.
5. Download new driver from Brother Official website.
6. Run the new driver in your device then you can start printing.

When functioning and fully updated, Brother printer drivers will ensure streamlined and smooth communication between your computer, mobile device, and printer.

Thus there will not be any unexpected issues or surprises throughout the printing process.

Note: Updating drivers is as important as replacing them.

Solution #3 Re-add Your Printer

Re-adding your Brother printer is reinstalling it to your computer.

One of the possible reasons why your Brother printer printing black background is because it may have bugs or malware, which can often affect the settings.

It’s crucial to reinstall your printer at least once every couple of months, just like you may need to reinstall the operating system occasionally to fix glitches in your laptop or mobile devices.

Here’s how to re-add your Brother printer:

1. Launch Control Panel, then go to Devices & Printers.
2. Click on Brother Printers Properties, then Remove Device.
3. Choose Remove Device window choose Yes.
4. Press Add Printer on the top right corner, then choose your printer.
5. Press Next, then try printing something.

Re-adding your printer software fixes any conflicts your printer may have with your system and ensures it works optimally without any unwanted surprises.

Note: Ensure you don’t interrupt the reinstallation process midway.

In case of a power outage or internet interruptions, it’s recommended that you start the reinstallation process again.

Solution #4 Disable Grayscale

Grayscale is a setting on Brother printers that ensures your printer uses less overall ink by reducing the amount of ink used in color cartridges.

When your printer is on grayscale mode, it’s not uncommon for it to print black background and white text. To fix this, all you need to do is to change the grayscale settings.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Launch Control Panel.
2. Go to Devices & Printers.
3. Right-click on Brother printer, then go to Printer preferences.
4. Choose Advanced tab and untick the Grayscale option.
5. Press Apply then OK.

When you need a document that’s easier to photocopy or that will save you money on color-ink cartridges, you should change the settings by ticking the grayscale option.

Solution #5 Disable Reverse Printing

If your printer is set to reverse printing, the printer makes the background come out the opposite color.

For example, if you print white texts on a black background, the printer makes black text appear on a white background.

Here’s how to disable reverse printing:

1. Go to Printer Properties.
2. Open Advanced Tab.
3. Select the Print Default option.
4. Choose the primary tab, then Uncheck the reverse.
5. Click OK.

Once you uncheck reverse printing, the settings become the default settings for all future printing unless you make the changes again.

Note: It’s important to note that even though you disable reverse printing on the Brothers printer, the setting may still be active in your Word Processor.

To change these settings, go to Word, then Options, then Advanced. Go to the Print section and uncheck the box after Print Pages in Reverse Order. Don’t forget to click OK to apply and save the changes you’ve made.

To fix your Brother printer when it’s printing black background, change the settings on black text to ON, disable grayscale and reverse printing. You’ll also need to reinstall your printer and update the drivers.

Read Next: Is it Safe to Sleep Near a Wireless Router?

Final Thoughts

One significant advantage of using Brother printers in corporate environments is that they produce high-quality prints with very little ink, and their reliability is also an important aspect.

But even with their pros, they’re still prone to faults, such as Brother printer printing black pages with white text.

Try the troubleshooting methods one after another but if they don’t fix the issue, consider seeking help from a printer technician.