Troubleshooting Guide: How to Resolve a Brother Printer That Only Prints in Landscape Mode
If you’ve encountered an issue where your Brother printer is only producing landscape-oriented prints, it can be both frustrating and disruptive to your workflow. Recently, users have reported that their Brother MFC-J4620DW (or similar models like the DCP-J4120DW) suddenly begins printing only on half a page, despite standard settings. Fortunately, this problem can often be resolved with systematic troubleshooting.
Understanding the Issue
When a printer defaults to landscape mode or prints only on half a page, it usually indicates a configuration or driver setting misalignment rather than a hardware fault. Common causes include incorrect print preferences, driver conflicts, or default paper size settings.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
- Verify Printer Settings:
- Access your printer’s settings via the control panel or printer software.
- Ensure the paper size is correctly set (e.g., Letter, A4).
- Check the orientation setting; set it explicitly to “Portrait” rather than “Landscape.”
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Confirm that no scaling options are enabled that could limit print area, such as “Fit to Page” or custom scaling percentages.
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Review Printer Driver Settings:
- Open the “Devices and Printers” menu on your computer.
- Right-click your Brother printer and select “Printing Preferences.”
- Double-check the default settings here: paper size, orientation, scaling, and layout.
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If the settings differ from your expectations, adjust them accordingly and save changes as default.
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Inspect the Document or Application Settings:
- In applications like Microsoft Word, verify the page layout and print options.
- Ensure the document itself is set to portrait mode.
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When printing, choose “Print Preview” to confirm how the document will appear.
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Update or Reinstall Printer Drivers:
- Download the latest drivers directly from the Brother official website.
- Uninstall existing drivers completely before reinstalling to prevent conflicts.
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Restart your computer after installation and test printing again.
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Check for Firmware Updates:
- Visit the Brother support website to see if there’s a firmware update available for your model.
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Follow instructions carefully to update the printer firmware if necessary.
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Reset Printer to Factory Defaults:
- Performing a reset can resolve configuration anomalies.
- Consult your printer’s manual for specific reset procedures.
Conclusion
Printer issues
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