Introduction

The Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J6945DW is a powerful and versatile all-in-one printer designed for small to medium-sized businesses. This printer offers a wide range of features including automatic document feeder, duplex printing, mobile printing, and cloud connectivity. With a print speed of up to 22 pages per minute, this printer is perfect for handling high-volume printing tasks. The estimated price of this printer is around $399.99, and it was launched in May 2020.

Supply Specifications

General Information

Control Panel Overview

1. NFC (Near Field Communication) Symbol (MFC-J6945DW):
   • You can use card authentication by touching the IC card to the NFC symbol on the control panel.
   • If your Android™ device supports the NFC feature, you can print from your device or scan documents to your device in the same way.
2. Touchscreen Liquid Crystal Display (LCD):
   • Access menus and options by pressing them on the touchscreen.
3. Menu Buttons:
   • (Back): Press to go back to the previous menu.
   • (Home): Press to return to the Home screen.
   • (Cancel): Press to cancel an operation.
   • Dial Pad: Press the numbers to dial telephone or fax numbers and to enter the number of copies.
4. LED Power Indicator:
   • The LED lights up depending on the machine’s power status.
   • When the machine is in Sleep Mode, the LED blinks.
5. Power On/Off:
   • Press to turn on the machine.
   • Press and hold down to turn off the machine. The touchscreen will display [Shutting Down] and will stay on for a few seconds before turning itself off. If you have connected an external telephone or TAD, it is always available.
   • If you turn off the machine using, it will still clean the print head periodically to maintain print quality. To prolong print head life, provide better ink efficiency, and maintain print quality, keep your machine connected to a power source at all times.

Touchscreen LCD Overview

• You can switch Home screens by swiping left or right or pressing or .
• From the Home screens, you can access Shortcuts, Wi‑Fi setup, Settings, and Ink levels screens.

Description

The Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J6945DW is a high-performance all-in-one printer that is designed to handle all your printing, scanning, copying, and faxing needs. This printer features a 4.3-inch color touchscreen display that makes it easy to navigate and use the various features. With automatic duplex printing, you can save time and paper by printing on both sides of the page. The 50-sheet automatic document feeder allows you to scan, copy, or fax multiple pages with ease. The printer also supports mobile printing and cloud connectivity, making it easy to print from your smartphone or tablet, or access your files from popular cloud services.

Home Screen

1. Date & Time:
   • Displays the date and time set on the machine.
2. Quiet Mode:
   • This icon appears when the [Quiet Mode] setting is set to [On]. The Quiet Mode setting can reduce printing noise. When Quiet Mode is turned on, the print speed becomes slower. (MFC-J6545DW in USA only) While DEMO appears, (Quiet Mode) is not displayed.
3. [Shortcuts]:
   • Create Shortcuts for frequently-used operations, such as sending a fax, copying, scanning, Web Connect, and Apps services.

   • Three Shortcuts tabs are available with six Shortcuts on each tab.

     

   • Press displayed at the bottom of the screen to access the Home Screens.
4. Wireless Status:

   • Each icon in the following table shows the wireless network status:

     

5. [Settings]:
   • Press to access the [Settings] menu.
6. [Ink]:
   • Displays the approximate available ink volume. Press to access the [Ink] menu.
   • When an ink cartridge is near the end of its life or having a problem, an error icon is displayed on the ink color.
7. Modes:
   • Press to switch to each mode: [Fax] / [Copy] / [Scan] / [Secure Print] (MFC-J6945DW) / [Web] / [Apps] / [USB] / [LGR Copy Shortcuts]
   • For more information on [Web] and [Apps], see the Online User's Guide.

8. Information Icon:

   

   • New information from Brother appears in the information bar when the notification settings such as [Message from Brother] and [Firmware Auto Check] are set to [On]. 
     (Internet connection is needed, and data rates may apply.) 
     Press to view the details.

9. Warning Icon:

   

   • The warning icon appears when there is an error or maintenance message; press to view the details, and then press to return to the Home screen.

Navigate the Touchscreen:

• Press your finger on the LCD to operate it. To display and access all the options, swipe left, right, up, down, or press  on the LCD to scroll through them.

IMPORTANT

• DO NOT press the LCD with a sharp object such as a pen or stylus. It may damage the machine.
• This product adopts the font of ARPHIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
• DO NOT touch the LCD immediately after plugging in the power cord or turning on the machine. Doing this may cause an error.

Paper Handling

Load Paper

1. Load the paper in the paper tray as follows:

   • Fan the stack of paper well.

     

   • The paper size determines the orientation when loading paper.

     

     

   • For more detailed information, see the Online User's Guide: Load Paper.

2. Unfold the paper support flap.

   

3. Change the paper size setting in the machine's menu, if needed.

Load Documents

• Load Documents in the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF):
  1. Fan the pages well.

  2. Adjust the paper guides (1) to fit the document size.

     

  3. Place your document face up in the ADF, as shown in the illustration, until you feel the document touch the feed rollers and the machine beeps.

     

• Load Documents on the Scanner Glass:
  1. Lift the document cover.

  2. Place the document face down in the upper left corner of the scanner glass as shown in the illustration.

     

  3. Close the document cover.

Copy

Copy a Document

1. Make sure you have loaded the correct size paper in the paper tray.
2. Load your document.
3. Press [Copy].

   • The touchscreen displays:

     

4. Change the copy settings, if needed.
   • When you load paper other than Letter-size Plain Paper, you must change the [Paper Size] and [Paper Type] settings by pressing [Options].
   • (No. of Copies): Press to display the keyboard on the touchscreen, and then enter the number of copies using the touchscreen keyboard. Press [OK]. You can also press [-] or [+] on the touchscreen, or use the dial pad numbers.
   • [Options]: Press OPTIONS to change the copy settings for the next copy only. When finished, press [OK]. After you have finished selecting new options, you can save them by pressing the [Save as Shortcut] button.
5. Press [Black Start] or [Color Start].
   • To stop copying, press .

Other Copy Options

You can use various copy features by changing copy settings. Press the [Options] button.

Enlarge or Reduce Copied Images

For more detailed information, see the Online User's Guide: Copy.

Check the Print Quality

• If faded or streaked colors and text appear or if text is missing on your printouts, the print head nozzles may be clogged. Print the Print Quality Check Sheet and look at the nozzle check pattern.
  1. Press [Settings] > [Maintenance] > [Improve Print Quality] > [Print Quality Check].
  2. The machine will print the Print Quality Check Sheet.
  3. Examine the printed sheet and see if any areas of the test patterns are missing. 

For detailed instructions, see the Online User's Guide: Check the Print Quality.

Scan

Before Scanning

Before attempting to scan, confirm the following:

• Make sure you have installed the Brother software and drivers.
• Make sure the USB or network cable is connected correctly, or that you are connected to the network using your wireless access point/router.

Scan from Your Computer

• There are several ways you can use your computer to scan photos and documents on your Brother machine. Use the software applications provided by Brother, or use your favorite scanning application.
• For more detailed information, see the Online User's Guide: Scan from Your Computer (Windows) or Scan from Your Computer (Mac).

Scan Using the Scan Button on the Machine

1. Load your document.
2. Press [Scan].
3. Swipe left or right or press d or c to display [to PC].
   • The icon moves to the middle of the touchscreen and is highlighted in blue.
4. Press [to PC].
5. Press [to File].
6. If the machine is connected over the network, swipe up or down or press or to display the computer where you want to send the data, and then press the computer name.
   • If the LCD prompts you to enter a PIN, use the LCD to enter the four-digit PIN for the computer, and then press [OK].
7. Do one of the following:
   • To change the settings, press [Options] or [Set at Device].
   • Press [Start] to start scanning without changing additional settings.
   • The machine starts scanning. If using the machine's scanner glass, follow the LCD instructions to complete the scanning job.
   • To use the [Options] or [Set at Device] setting, a computer with either ControlCenter4 (Windows) or Brother iPrint&Scan (Mac) software installed must be connected to the machine.
8. To scan both sides of the document (for MFC-J6945DW only), press [2-sided Scan], and then select the document type.
9. Change the scan settings you want to change, such as scan type, resolution, file type, and document size, if needed. When finished, press [OK].
10. Press [Start].
    • The machine starts scanning. If using the machine's scanner glass, follow the LCD instructions to complete the scanning job.

Setup Guide

To set up the Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J6945DW, follow these steps:

1. Unpack the printer and remove all packaging materials.
2. Turn on the printer and install the ink cartridges.
3. Connect the printer to your computer or network using Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or USB.
4. Install the printer driver and software from the included CD or download it from the Brother website.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process.

Routine Maintenance

Check the Print Quality
If faded or streaked colors and text appear or if text is missing on your printouts, the print head nozzles may be clogged. Print the Print Quality Check Sheet and look at the nozzle check pattern.

1. Press [Settings] > [Maintenance] > [Improve Print Quality] > [Check Print Quality].
2. Press [Start].
   The machine prints the Print Quality Check Sheet.
3. Check the quality of the four color blocks on the sheet.
4. The touchscreen asks about the print quality. Do one of the following:
   • If all lines are clear and visible, press [No], and then press to finish the Print Quality check.

   • If lines are missing (see Poor, as follows), press [Yes]. 

     

     

5. The touchscreen asks you to check the print quality of each color. Press the number of the pattern (1–4) that most closely matches the printing result.
6. Do one of the following:
   • If print head cleaning is needed, press [Start] to start the cleaning procedure.
   • If print head cleaning is not needed, the Maintenance screen reappears on the touchscreen. Press .
7. After the cleaning procedure is finished, the touchscreen asks if you want to print the Print Quality Check Sheet again.
   Press [Yes], and then press [Start].
   The machine prints the Print Quality Check Sheet again. Check the quality of the four color blocks on the sheet again.

If you clean the print head and the print has not improved, try installing a new Genuine Brother Brand replacement ink cartridge for each problem color. Try cleaning the print head again. If the print has not improved, contact Brother Customer Service.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT touch the print head. Touching the print head may cause permanent damage and may void the print head's warranty.

When a print head nozzle is clogged, the printed sample looks like this.

After the print head nozzle is cleaned, the lines are gone.

Check the Print Alignment from Your Brother Machine

If your printed text becomes blurred or images become faded after transporting the machine, adjust the print alignment.

Before adjusting the print alignment, make a print quality check first by pressing [Settings] > [Maintenance] > [Improve Print Quality] > [Check Print Quality].

1. Press [Settings] > [Maintenance] > [Improve Print Quality] > [Alignment].
2. Press [Next].
3. Press [Yes] after a confirmation message if a print quality check has been completed appears on the LCD.
4. Press [Auto] or [Manual].
   • If you select the [Auto] mode, the print alignment is automatically adjusted by scanning the alignment check sheet.
   • If you select the [Manual] mode, you need to input information printed on the alignment check sheet manually.
5. Select the paper size to print the alignment check sheet on.
   If you selected the [Manual] mode, select either [Basic alignment] or [Advanced alignment] in the following step.
6. Load specified size paper in the tray, and then press [Start].
   The machine prints the alignment check sheet.

7. Follow the instructions on the LCD.
   When the print alignment is not adjusted correctly, text looks blurry or crooked, like this.

   

   
   After the print alignment is adjusted correctly, text looks like this.

   

Troubleshooting

Use this section to resolve problems you may encounter when using your Brother machine.
Identify the Problem
Even if there seems to be a problem with your machine, you can correct most problems yourself. First, check the following:

• The machine's power cord is connected correctly and the machine's power is on.
• All of the machine's protective parts have been removed.
• The ink cartridges are installed correctly.
• The Scanner Cover and the Jam Clear Cover are fully closed.
• Paper is inserted correctly in the paper tray.
• The interface cables are securely connected to the machine and the computer, or the wireless connection is set up on both the machine and your computer
• (For network models) The access point (for wireless), router, or hub is turned on and its link button is blinking.

To find the error and the solution, check the LCD or the machine's status in Status Monitor on your computer.

Using the LCD	Using the Status Monitor
Follow the messages on the LCD. See the instructions in the following Error and Maintenance Messages table. If you cannot resolve the error, see the Online User's Guide: Error and Maintenance Messages.	Double-click the  icon in the task tray. Each color of the icon indicates the machine's status. Click the Troubleshooting button to access Brother's troubleshooting website.

Error and Maintenance Messages

If the touchscreen displays error messages and your Android™ device supports the NFC feature, touch your device to the NFC symbol on the control panel to access the Brother Solutions Center and browse the latest FAQs from your device. (Your mobile telephone provider's message and data rates may apply.)
Make sure the NFC settings of both your Brother machine and your Android™ device are set to On.

Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J6945DW Pros & Cons

Pros

• High-performance all-in-one printer
• Automatic duplex printing and automatic document feeder
• Mobile printing and cloud connectivity
• Large paper capacity and high print speed

Cons

• May be too large for some desktops
• Can be expensive to maintain with the cost of ink cartridges
• Some users may find the touchscreen display confusing to use

Customer Reviews

Customers generally have positive things to say about the Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J6945DW. They appreciate the high-performance features and the versatility of the all-in-one design. Some users have noted that the printer can be expensive to maintain, but overall, customers are pleased with the quality and reliability of the printer.

Most Common Complaints

The most common complaints about the Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J6945DW are related to the cost of ink cartridges and the complexity of the touchscreen display. Some users have also reported issues with Wi-Fi connectivity and the size of the printer.