Below are some common troubleshooting steps to fix printing issues during check-in. If there is trouble with the printer installation or difficulty finding the printer on your network, the printer manufacturer's support is the best place to contact for help in those areas.

Brother Printer Support: 1-877-276-8437

Most-Common Issue Areas

When troubleshooting, several areas may need to be reviewed. Review the following points with your local IT staff to ensure there is no issue in any of these areas.

Printer Labels:

1. One of the most common issues is using the wrong labels. You must use the Brother DK-2205 labels. The side of the label will say 205. 
   1. There are continuous feed formats; non-continuous feed labels won't work. 
      
      
2. In addition, you will need the correct spindle. These typically come with labels. The required spindle has two holes on the bottom. 

Note: The pictures below show the correct and incorrect labels and spindles (note the hole count and "205" or "202" on the side of the labels. 

Paper Size - Windows Computers:

1. In this case, the printer's power light might flash red, and the dimensions the computer sends to the printer don't match the labels. 
   1. Go to Control Panel → Devices and Printers → Right-click on the Brother printer → Select Printer Properties.
   2. Click the Preferences button
      1. Paper size: 2.4"
      2. Width: 2.4"
      3. Length: 3.90"
      4. Feed: .12"
      5. Orientation: Landscape
      6. For Brother QL-720NW or QL-820NWB, make sure that Bluetooth is turned OFF
      7. The other options can be left alone
   3. Click Apply, then OK
   4. Next, back in the Printer Properties window, go to the Advanced Tab → Printing Defaults. You may be prompted to enter the local Active Directory username and password to proceed. 
   5. Make the exact same changes here for the corresponding printer as you just did in Step II.
   6. Click Apply, then OK.
      
      
2. To ensure that it works, try printing a test page by returning to Printer Properties → clicking "Print Test Page."

Paper Size - Mac Computers:

1. In this case, the printer's power light might flash red, and the dimensions the computer sends to the printer don't match the labels. 
   1. Open TextEdit on the Mac
   2. Go to File → Page Setup
   3. Under Paper Size, select Manage Custom Sizes
   4. Click the + icon to add a new custom size
      1. Width: 2.44"
      2. Length: 3.92"
      3. Optionally rename the custom size to something memorable like "Brother Printer."
      4. Click Ok twice and Exit TextEdit.
      5. Now, click the Apple Icon in the top-right corner → System Preferences → Printers and Scanners.
      6. Select the Brother Printer, then under Default Paper Size select your new custom size. 
      7. You're now ready to print!
         
         
2. To test that it works, attempt to print a test page. 
   1. Click on Apple → System Preferences
   2. Click on Printers and Scanners
   3. Find your machine from the list
   4. Click Open Print Queue
   5. From the Print Queue menu, click Printer → Print Test Page

Driver Issue:

1. If you followed the steps above but the test page still doesn't print, there could be an issue between the drivers on your computer and the Brother Printer. 
   1. You may need to uninstall or reinstall the Brother drivers.
   2. There is usually a file on Brother's website that helps you uninstall the driver. Then, download the driver again. 
   3. We advise contacting Brother Support (contact information is above) to work alongside the church's IT staff to resolve these issues.

Wireless Network Issue:

1. The most common problem is that the Wireless Network on which the printer is set up has ports 81, 1338, and/or 1339 blocked. Have an IT member or network administrator verify these ports are Open (Both TCP and UDP).
   
   
2. Firewalls may also block at the domain level and need the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) added. Include your full Amplify People domain name as an exemption to your firewall settings. For example, your Amplify People URL is 12345.people.myamplify.io, in the firewall, allow 12345.people.myamplify.io to be exempt. 

Brother Networking Tips

Some must-have considerations and best practice suggestions for network setups when going over wifi or network cable. 

1. When connecting over Wi-Fi, ensure a 2.4 GHz network setup for printers. The printers' wireless cards only support this radio frequency, not the 5 GHz band.
   
   
2. Set up a static IP address on the printers for the best network connectivity stability. Consult Brother Technical Support or your local IT resources for this implementation. In the Brother Printer Setting Tool, you can change the printer from DHCP to Static.
   
   
3. If possible, use a Windows computer for the best setup results. A Mac computer will work, but the results may vary. 

Connecting To Your iPad

It's possible your printer cannot connect to your iPad. Try following the resolution steps. 

1. Check to see if the printer is on and connected. 
   
   
2. For QL-820NWB, make sure the iPad's Bluetooth is off. 
   
   
3. If Bluetooth is on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network, download the Brother iPrinter&Scan app to send a test label. If it does not work, Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) is likely not enabled on your network. You could either set up a Wi-Fi hotspot for just the printer and the iPad or get IT help. 
   
   
4. Make sure that the local network button is turned on. 

5. Check to see if the firewall is blocking. We use port 1339 to listen in from IP 40.121.85.133. Unblocking those in your firewall should at least enable you to print to OneNote, PDF, etc. 
   
   
6. You can change the printers from DHCP to STATIC using the Brother Printer Setting Tool. Static is the most reliable setting for a network with multiple devices of the same type, but for the best results, it needs to be centrally managed on their DHCP server with address reservations. If you only set up the printer's address, nothing stops the DHCP server from giving that address out to something else and causing the printer to become unavailable. 

Converting the QL-820NWB From Wifi to LAN (Cable) Connection

Before starting, plug the network cable into the printer. You cannot have the wireless enabled for the LAN (Wired) connection to work. 

1. Through the printer menu, find the Administration (4/7) → Reset → Factory Reset.
   
   
2. After the printer restarts, configure the correct Date and Time with the arrow keys. 
   
   
3. Power off the device and restart it. 
   
   
4. Download the basic Brother Printer Driver software to a PC/Mac computer: Download Here!

5. Connect a printer USB cable from your computer to the printer with the printer powered ON.
   
   
6. Run the driver setup wizard (bsq16aw160aus.exe). Note: the file name may differ based on release time and operating system). In the setup wizard, configure the printer to use a wired connection. Apply the defaults for the setup options. Using the other custom configuration options can pose challenges once the setup is complete.
   
   
7. Let the wizard run through the setup and complete the configuration. 
   
   
8. Remove the USB cable from the printer and power cycle the printer.

Test the printer to ensure it is recognized on your network for printing with an iPad or computer on the same network. 

Updated February 11, 2025 16:15