Quick Note

I thought I would make a quick post about how I reset the toner counters on my brother HL-3170CDW. I find myself having to search for these steps every few months.

The Request:

I love my brother HL-3170CDW printer (CLICK HERE). It performs great and always works for us. The one thing I do not like is buying toner cartridges…and I have yet to do so! I have owned this printer since August 13, 2013 and have yet to replace the toner even though I use it regularly. My current page count is a total 1,432 pages with 1,009 being color and 423 being monochrome and I am still using the starter cartridges that came with the printer. The brother spec sheet (CLICK HERE) states that the starter cartridges are good for 1,000 pages each, but I have been given the “Toner Low” error almost 3 times now.

The Solution:

The secret behind the continual use of the toner cartridges is the ability to reset the counters so the printer thinks the cartridges are new again. I will continue to do this until print quality decreases. Below are the steps to reset the counters. I always reset all cartridges…just to save myself time.

  1. Open the top lid of the printer and leave ajar.
  2. Press and hold the “Secure” and “X Cancel” buttons.
  3. Use the arrow keys to select the cartridge model you would like to reset and press “OK”.
  4. Press the UP arrow to reset the cartridge.
  5. Once reset is selected you will see “ACCEPTED” on the screen.

After you perform the reset for the needed cartridges just close the printer lid and hit “X Cancel” to exit back to the main menu. DONE! From time to time I also use the cartridge sliders to clean the wires and preventative maintenance to keep the printer running in good shape.

Thanks!

I would like to say thank you to the following resources: