Brother Printer Error 69 — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

Brother error 69 indicates a data transmission error between the computer and the printer. The printer received incomplete or garbled data and could not complete the print job. This is not a printer hardware fault. Clearing the print queue and restarting the printer usually resolves error 69.

Affected Models

Brother HL-L2350DW
Brother HL-L2370DW
Brother MFC-L2710DW
Brother DCP-L2550DW
Most Brother laser printer models

Common Causes

The data connection between the computer and printer was interrupted mid-print
A corrupt print job is stuck in the Windows print spooler queue
The network connection dropped during printing on a Wi-Fi or ethernet-connected Brother printer
The USB cable is faulty and caused data loss during transmission
The printer's internal memory buffer overflowed while processing a large or complex document

How to Fix It

Clear the print queue on your computer. Go to Settings > Printers & Scanners, select your Brother printer, and click Open Queue. Delete all pending jobs.

A stuck corrupted job can cause error 69 on every subsequent print attempt until it is removed.
Turn the printer off and back on. After turning off, wait 30 seconds before turning it on again to let it fully discharge.

A restart clears the printer's memory buffer. This is particularly effective after a large document caused the buffer to overflow.
Restart the Print Spooler service on Windows. Open Run (Windows + R), type services.msc, find Print Spooler, right-click and select Restart. Retry printing.

The print spooler can develop stuck jobs that are not visible in the queue. Restarting the service clears them.
Check the network or USB connection. For USB-connected printers, try a different USB port and cable. For network printers, confirm the printer and computer are on the same Wi-Fi network and the printer shows as Online.

Interference on Wi-Fi causes intermittent data corruption during printing. Moving the printer closer to the router or using a wired ethernet connection eliminates this.
Print a simpler document first to test. Try printing a plain one-page text document. If that works, the original document is causing the issue — try converting it to a different format before printing.

Documents with complex graphics or fonts can overwhelm older printer models. Printing to PDF first and then printing the PDF often resolves compatibility issues.

When to Call a Professional

Error 69 is a communication or data issue — not a printer hardware failure. No technician is needed. If error 69 appears repeatedly, update the printer driver or switch from USB to network printing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is error 69 different from error 68 on a Brother printer?

They are closely related. Both errors indicate a data problem between the computer and the printer. Error 68 often points to a data processing error on the printer side. Error 69 typically indicates a transmission or communication error during data transfer. The fixes for both errors are the same: clear the queue, restart the printer, and check the driver.

I print over Wi-Fi and keep getting error 69. Should I switch to USB?

Switching to USB eliminates Wi-Fi interference as a cause. If error 69 stops after switching to USB, the Wi-Fi connection to the printer is unreliable. Move the printer closer to the router or assign the printer a static IP address to stabilize the network connection. USB printing is generally more reliable for high-volume printing environments.

How can I reduce the chance of print errors on complex documents?

Convert complex documents to PDF before printing. In the print settings, reduce the print quality to Standard instead of Fine for faster, simpler data transfer. Print in black and white for text-heavy documents — color printing uses more data. If printing large batches, split into smaller groups to avoid buffer overflow.