How to Fix Brother Printer Machine Error 46?

This may sound familiar to you. Inability to clean: Brother Machine error 46, or simply "Error 46," appears on the LCD screen of your Brother printer when you push the print button and then move over to it. You probably wouldn't believe how frequent this is in fact, Brother Printer Machine Error 46 affects most Brother inkjet printers, if not most of them. Fortunately, there is now a fix that you might try yourself to get your dependable printer back to working order before it leaps out the window.

Brother Machine Error 46: What Causes It?

With a Brother Printer Machine Error 46 appears whenever a device termed the "ink absorber pad" is full & must be replaced, as stated on the Brother support page (don't worry, you won't need to change anything when attempting the solution). This is a crucial component of the printer; although there is a solid reason why you need an ink absorber pad that works properly, it's much easier than you may imagine.

What is an Ink Absorber Pad, and Why is it Necessary For My Printer?

The ink absorber, frequently seen in Canon printers, is just a little sponge pad to collect extra or spilled ink that accumulates while printing. Also, the pad catches any surplus ink that might leak during a cleaning procedure. 

The first sign that your ink absorber is full is extra ink on the prints. It is possible to recreate the absorber, but doing so requires a brother printer expert and will cost more money than the image is valued.

If the Ink Absorber Isn't Full, Does My Printer Believe It Is?

When an ink absorber has been used numerous times, this can get saturated with ink; since there is no simple way for software to know how densely packed the sponge is, it instead makes an educated guess depending on the number of cleans as well as print cycles the printer must have completed and frequently, out of caution, emphasizes the problem and shows the error before the sponge is full.

How Do I Reset a Purge Counter, and What is it?

The purge counter on that printer efficiently tracks how many print and clean cycles have occurred. You can use the LCD panel of the printer to access the menu system and reset the purge count.

How to Restart Your Printer and Fix Brother Machine Error 46

Before we begin, verify to see if the printer is still under warranty (you will receive a one-year warranty once you purchase your printer). If so, always contact Brother support first so they can repair your printer. Only try the following fix if your printer has reached the end of its warranty.

The Error 46 notification can be fixed or cleared by following these easy steps. Brother printers that can fax have a number pad similar to a phone, and those that only have buttons have two separate processes.

  • Activate the maintenance mode on the printer.

  • The Purge counter is reset.

On the Brother \Website, you may learn what different Brother Error numbers signify when searching for answers.

  •  Nikhil Saini
  •  Brand: Brother
  •  Last Update: 31 Jul 2024

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