Brother / MFC-L5700 / L5800 / L5900 / L6700 / L6900 office laser family

Media Type Mismatch / Media Mismatch - The media type in the print job does not match the paper type set on the machine.

The media type in the print job does not match the paper type set on the machine.

This guide is scoped to the MFC-L5700 / L5800 / L5900 / L6700 / L6900 office laser family family. Exact menu wording, cartridge naming, and service behavior can still vary by model variant and firmware.

Severity

Low

Most likely cause

The printer driver is set to a different media type than the machine menu.

Can you keep using it?

Often yes

Consumables involved

Paper settings

Can you keep using it?

Can you keep using it?

Contact customer support if any of these apply

  • !The mismatch message persists even when tray settings and driver settings clearly match.
  • !The machine no longer saves or reports tray media settings correctly.
If the printer still starts normally: This is often recoverable with the basic checks below, as long as the printer returns to ready without a deeper service warning.

What to check first

Step-by-step checks

  1. 1

    Consumable check

    Load the correct paper type in the indicated tray or change the driver setting to match the loaded media.

    Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.

  2. 2

    Consumable check

    Confirm the machine's Paper Type setting matches the actual stock in the tray.

  3. 3

    Safe first step

    Retry once the machine and print job agree on media type.

Background

What this message usually means

Brother uses Media Type Mismatch or Media Mismatch when the printer driver and the machine menu disagree on the paper type for the selected tray. This is a settings conflict rather than a hardware fault, and it is common in office environments where trays are repurposed for different stocks.

Diagnosis

Likely causes

Most common

The printer driver is set to a different media type than the machine menu.

Common

The tray was reloaded with a different stock without updating settings.

Possible

A networked print job sent a paper type the machine was not expecting.

Service

When service or replacement is more likely

  • -This is a settings conflict first, not a feed or toner fault.

See also

Related codes in this family

Explore more

More Brother printer families

Source notes

Brother's official Media Type Mismatch article says the paper type in the printer driver differs from the paper type set on the machine and should be corrected on both sides.

Built around official Brother support pages for the MFC-L5700, L5800, L5900, L6700, and L6900 office laser family. Exact message wording can vary a little by model and region, but the core troubleshooting stays close across the shared platform.

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-L5700DW, MFC-L5800DW, MFC-L5900DW, MFC-L6700DW, MFC-L6900DW

Last reviewed: 2026-04-12

Reference: Open reference

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