Can you keep using it?
Can you keep using it?
Contact customer support if any of these apply
- !Cannot Print XX returns after one clean restart.
- !You cannot clear the interior safely or the printer never returns to ready.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Consumable check
Open the scanner cover and remove any obvious foreign objects or paper scraps you can reach safely.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Safe first step
Unplug the machine for several minutes and reconnect it once.
- 3
Safe first step
If the error clears, test with one small print job only.
Background
What this message usually means
Brother uses Cannot Print XX or Print Unable XX when the MFC-J1010 and J1170 family detects a printer problem serious enough to stop normal printing. Brother's official guidance points first to a mechanical issue or a foreign object such as a paper clip or ripped paper inside the machine.
Before the message
What users usually notice first
Messages like this often appear after the printer fails one of its normal startup, supply, or paper-path checks and cannot return to ready state cleanly.
Diagnosis
Likely causes
A mechanical issue is preventing the printer from completing its motion checks.
A foreign object such as a paper clip or torn paper is stuck inside the machine.
The printer cannot clear its last internal fault state.
Service
When service or replacement is more likely
- -This is a machine-problem message first, not a low-ink or paper-loading prompt.
- -If the machine stores faxes, Brother advises protecting that workflow before extended power removal.
Avoid wrong turns
Common misreads of this message
- -Treating the message like a confirmed failed part instead of a support clue about which system has stopped the printer.
- -Assuming any supply-related wording means the next step is automatically to buy a cartridge, toner, drum, or printhead.
- -Assuming no physical path issue exists just because no full sheet is visible at first glance.
See also
Related codes in this family
Explore more
More Brother printer families
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Helpful guides for this problem
Guide
When a printer says paper jam but there isn't one
What a false paper-jam warning usually points to, from hidden scraps and tray issues to faults that are no longer simple jams.
Guide
Common Brother printer messages that usually mean stop and check support
The Brother messages that usually mean it is time to stop retrying and treat the fault more seriously.
Guide
How to tell if a printer fault is a cartridge issue or a service issue
How to separate ordinary cartridge or toner trouble from the kind of printer fault that usually points to real service.
Boundary
When to stop troubleshooting and move to support
If the same message returns immediately after one careful recovery attempt or the printer cannot reach ready state, stop there and use the family-specific support path.
Keep browsing
Where to go next
Source notes
Brother's official article says Cannot Print XX or Print Unable XX indicates a mechanical issue or a foreign object inside the machine and recommends checking the interior, then power-cycling once.
Built around official Brother support articles that explicitly include MFC-J1010DW and MFC-J1170DW in the same message families. Exact wording can vary a little by region and sibling model, but the message meaning stays close across this inkjet group.
Printer error codes can vary a little by firmware, region, and exact model variant. Use this guide as a family-level starting point and stop if the next step would require disassembly or service-mode changes.
Known family variants: MFC-J1010DW, MFC-J1170DW, MFC-J1800DW
Last reviewed: 2026-04-12
Reference: Open reference