You sent a page to your Brother MFC-J1010DW and got back faded text, missing color bands, or thin white streaks running through the page. Maybe the black still prints but the colors look washed out, or characters that used to be crisp now look fuzzy after you moved the printer to a new spot. Because this model is a cartridge-based inkjet that uses Brother Genuine LC401 and LC401XL ink with a separate print head assembly, almost every print-quality problem traces back to one of a handful of fixable causes. Work through the nine fixes below in order, starting with the safest diagnostic step so you do not burn through ink before you know what is actually wrong.
Start With the Built-In Print Quality Check
Before you clean anything, let the printer tell you what is wrong. The MFC-J1010DW prints a check sheet with four color blocks, and reading those blocks shows whether the head is clogged or the problem is somewhere else. This step costs a single sheet and stops you from running cleaning cycles you may not need.
- 1.Press the Ink button.
- 2.Select [Impr. PrintQuality] and press OK.
- 3.Select [Impr. PrintQuality] again and press OK.
- 4.Press the right arrow to print the check sheet.
- 5.Examine the four color blocks. If all the lines are clear, press the left arrow for [No] to finish.
- 6.If lines are missing or faint, press the right arrow for [Yes], then select the pattern number (1 to 4) that most closely matches your result and press OK.
If every block looks solid and clean, your print head is fine, and the cause is likely a setting, the paper, or the network queue covered later. If you see gaps, jump straight to the cleaning steps.
Clean the Print Head From the Printer's Control Panel
When the check sheet shows missing lines or gaps, a print head cleaning clears dried ink from the nozzles. You can launch it directly from the machine, and you should begin with the gentlest setting to conserve ink. Escalate the strength only if a Normal cycle does not restore the missing colors.
- 1.Press the Ink button.
- 2.Select [Print Head Cleaning] and press OK.
- 3.Select [Black only], [Color only], or [All] and press OK.
- 4.Select [Normal], [Strong], or [Strongest] and press OK.
- 5.Press the right arrow to start cleaning.
After the cycle finishes, run the Check Print Quality routine again to confirm the lines are back. Brother warns clearly: DO NOT touch the print head, because touching the print head may cause permanent damage and may void the print head's warranty. Keep your hands out of the head area entirely and let the machine do the work.
Check Your Media Type, Ink, and Paper Choices
A surprising amount of bad print quality is really a mismatch between the paper you loaded and the Media Type your software is told to expect. Brother's official guidance for poor print quality is to confirm a few practical basics before assuming a hardware fault. These adjustments often sharpen output without a single cleaning cycle.
- 1.Make sure the Media Type setting in the printer driver matches the paper you actually loaded.
- 2.Use Genuine Brother ink rather than a substitute.
- 3.Select a recommended type of paper.
If your trouble is smudges or stains rather than faint lines, the fix is slightly different. Allow the ink to dry before handling the page, place glossy photo paper face-down in the tray, and set the correct Media Type in the printer driver so the printer lays down the right amount of ink.
Clean the Print Head From a Computer
If you would rather drive the cleaning from your computer, you have two routes. On Windows, the printer driver has a dedicated Maintenance tab. On a Mac or any other operating system, you can run the same cleaning through the printer's own web page using Brother Web Based Management. The strength options match the ones on the machine.
On Windows, use the driver:
- 1.Open Devices and Printers. On Windows 10, go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > View devices and printers.
- 2.Right-click the Brother MFC-J1010DW Printer icon and choose Printing preferences.
- 3.Open the Maintenance tab and click Print Head Cleaning.
- 4.Choose Black only, Color only, or All, then click Next.
- 5.Choose Normal, Strong, or Strongest, then click Next.
- 6.Click Start.
On a Mac or any browser, there is no separate Mac print-head-cleaning utility for this model, so Mac owners and anyone on a different operating system can run the cleaning through Web Based Management. You will need the password printed on the back of the machine.
- 1.Open a web browser and go to https://machine's IP address (for example, https://192.168.1.2).
- 2.If prompted, enter the password on the back of the machine marked "Pwd" and Login.
- 3.Select General > Print Head Cleaning.
- 4.Choose Normal, Strong, or Strongest.
- 5.Click Start, then Yes.
Correct the Paper Feed to Clear Vertical Streaks
If your pages show vertical streaks or dark lines that repeat at regular intervals, the issue is often paper feed alignment rather than the nozzles. The MFC-J1010DW has a Correct Paper Feed routine that prints a check sheet and walks you through fixing it. Brother recommends running a print quality check first so you know the head itself is clean.
- 1.Press the Ink button.
- 2.Select [Impr. PrintQuality] and press OK.
- 3.Select [Correct Paper Feed] and press OK.
- 4.Press the right arrow after the confirmation.
- 5.Choose [Auto] or [Manual]. If you choose Auto, select the paper size.
- 6.Load paper, press the right arrow to print the check sheet, and follow the LCD instructions.
Fix Blurry or Crooked Text With Print Alignment
When letters and lines look blurry or crooked rather than faded, the print head alignment has likely drifted, which commonly happens after you move the machine. The Alignment routine prints a pattern and corrects the head positioning based on what you see. Run it whenever text looks doubled or off-register.
- 1.Press the Ink button.
- 2.Select [Impr. PrintQuality] and press OK.
- 3.Select [Alignment] and press OK.
- 4.Press the right arrow after the print-quality-check-completed message.
- 5.Choose [Auto] or [Manual]. If you choose Auto, select the paper size.
- 6.Load paper, print the check sheet, and follow the LCD instructions.
Clean the Platen and Feed Rollers When Pages Look Dirty
Smudges, stray ink marks, or a generally grubby look on otherwise correct prints often come from ink or dust inside the paper path, not from the head. Brother provides dedicated cleaning procedures for exactly this, including cleaning the machine's printer platen and cleaning the paper feed rollers. Working through those targeted cleanings removes the buildup that transfers onto each sheet.
Replace the Problem Color, Then Call Brother
If you have cleaned the head and printing still has not improved, the cartridge for the affected color may simply be the culprit. Brother's official guidance is to install a new Genuine Brother Brand replacement ink cartridge for each problem color and then clean the print head again. The MFC-J1010DW takes Brother Genuine LC401 Standard or LC401XL High-Yield cartridges, so match the right one for your usage.
Replace the cartridge, run another print head cleaning, and check the output once more. If print quality still has not improved after a fresh genuine cartridge and another cleaning, contact Brother Customer Service, at which point the issue is beyond what the at-home routines can resolve.
When the Problem Lives on a Connected PC or Mac
Sometimes the print itself is fine but jobs come out wrong, stall, or never arrive because the computer queue is stuck or the printer is set offline. Fix the queue on your computer before you touch any reset on the printer. On Windows, bring the printer back online and clear any jammed jobs.
- 1.Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners and select the printer, then Open queue.
- 2.Open the Printer menu and clear "Pause Printing" and "Use Printer Offline".
- 3.To clear stuck jobs, select the documents and choose Document > Cancel.
- 4.If jobs are still stuck, open Services, right-click Print Spooler, and choose Restart.
On macOS, open Printers & Scanners and click the resume button if the printer is paused. If that does not help, Control-click the printer in the Printers list and choose "Reset Printing System". Be aware this deletes all printers, completed jobs, and presets, after which you re-add the printer.
As a genuine last resort on the printer side, you can reset the network settings. This resets all information such as the password and IP address and restarts the machine, so use it only when nothing else restores the connection. Press Settings, select [Network] and press OK, select [Network Reset] and press OK, then press and hold for two seconds to confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which ink cartridges does the Brother MFC-J1010DW use?
The MFC-J1010DW uses Brother Genuine LC401 Standard or LC401XL High-Yield ink cartridges. These are separate from the print head assembly, which is why the printer has its own head-cleaning and alignment routines. Brother advises using Genuine Brother ink for the best print quality.
How many times should I clean the print head before replacing a cartridge?
Start with a Normal cleaning and recheck the print quality, then escalate to Strong or Strongest only if lines are still missing. If cleaning does not improve the result, Brother's guidance is to install a new genuine cartridge for each problem color and clean the head once more. If quality still has not improved after that, contact Brother Customer Service.
Can I clean the print head if I use a Mac?
Yes. There is no separate Mac print-head-cleaning utility for this model, so Mac users run the cleaning through Brother Web Based Management in a browser. Go to your machine's IP address, log in with the password marked "Pwd" on the back of the machine, then choose General > Print Head Cleaning. You can also clean directly from the printer's control panel.
Why is my text blurry or crooked after I moved the printer?
Moving the machine can throw off the print head alignment, which makes text look blurry or off-register. Run the Alignment routine by pressing the Ink button, selecting [Impr. PrintQuality] and then [Alignment], and following the LCD instructions. For repeating vertical streaks instead, use the [Correct Paper Feed] routine.
Does the MFC-J1010DW work on a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network?
No. The MFC-J1010DW's wireless is IEEE 802.11b/g/n for infrastructure mode and 802.11g/n for Wi-Fi Direct, which is 2.4 GHz only, with no 802.11a, ac, or ax support. Connect it to a 2.4 GHz network. The printer also supports AirPrint and Mopria, and you can print and scan from a phone or tablet using the Brother Mobile Connect app.
