Confusion over Brother firmware updates; it's about third-party toner/ink

[German]There have been reports recently that users are collecting old Brother firmware versions. The reason: there are fears that new firmware updates will block the use of third-party toner or ink. Brother has now denied that firmware updates impose such restrictions.

Report on firmware updates

I had seen the topic this week in the following German BlueSkype post, but did not read the article Brother accused of locking down third-party printer ink cartridges via forced firmware updates, removing older firmware versions from support portals from March 4, 2025 on Tom's Hardware in a timely manner.

The statement is that Brother is accused of blocking third-party toner cartridges by forcing firmware updates and at the same time removing older firmware versions from the support portals. Users would begin downloading and saving older firmware versions for their printers from Brother's support portal.

The source of the report is a publication by RepairTuber Louis Rossmann. Rossmann is considered an advocate of the right to repair and has published a new video. In it, he expresses his surprise and disappointment that Brother has become a "consumer-hostile printer manufacturer".

Brother is actually known for allowing the use of third-party toner and, as a company, is therefore more consumer-friendly than HP. HP actively blocks the use of third-party ink in its printers. The accusation is that Brother has implemented firmware updates in recent years that deliberately worsen the print quality when using "non-OEM toner". These updates disable color registration and other features, forcing consumers to buy expensive original Brother toner.

Louis Rossmann's wiki contains the entry Brother ink lockout & quality sabotage on the allegation, in which YouTube presents alleged or real evidence in the form of user reports.

However, the reporting is somewhat mixed up. The title text talks about ink cartridges, while the text then mentions toner cartridges.

There is also a statement that Brother removes older firmware versions from its servers to prevent a firmware downgrade.

Third-party ink and toner are problematic

I have an explicit case of a Brother MFA printer where, after using a third-party toner cartridge, I suddenly saw streaks and haze in the printouts. After the toner was used up, I bought an original Brother toner cartridge and after inserting it, the print image was perfect again.

This could be seen as proof of the above theory. However, I blame it on the toner quality of the supplier, which is not matched to the Brother machine. The last time I bought toner, the supplier contacted me and asked if he could send an alternative product that was cheaper instead of the expensive Brother toner pack. When I mentioned my experience with third-party toner, he told me that the toner cartridge in question was not a so-called refill, but came from the OEM manufacturer who also produces the original Brother cartridges.

Since there was a money-back guarantee, I agreed. So far, the typeface has been clean, although I have had two instances in the last few days where I noticed a gray haze on printouts. However, cleaning the corona wire eliminated this effect. Although this episode is not representative, it shows that the devil is in the detail.

Brother denies this behavior

After the video was published, the manufacturer Brother came forward and denied this procedure. Louis Rossmann has updated Brother's statements on March 5, 2025 in the Wiki entry Brother ink lockout & quality sabotage. Here is the translation of the Brother statement:

We are aware of the recent false claims suggesting that a Brother firmware update may have restricted the use of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates do not block the use of third-party ink in our machines.

Brother printers do not intentionally degrade print quality based on whether a Brother Genuine or non-genuine ink/ toner cartridge is used. Brother cannot verify the quality of printing that will result when using a third-party compatible with a Brother printer.

I personally think the statements are valid, because third-party ink and toner does not always have to have the quality of the OEM consumables. As a result, the print quality suffers (see my comments above). Brother then wrote:

Brother encourages the use of Brother Genuine ink and toner for optimal performance and reliability, and it is standard practice that we perform a Brother [G]enuine check when troubleshooting a Brother printer.

Compatible supplies may range in quality, and in order to verify that a printer is working properly, we like to troubleshoot with Brother Genuine supplies.

We believe this check in the process may have led to a misunderstanding[,] but as we confirmed, the firmware update would not be responsible for the degradation of quality or removal of printer features.

This explanation is also valid in my opinion. Anyone using third-party consumables is obliged to prove to the manufacturer that it is the printer and not the consumables. What is your experience in this regard?

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