What Ink Does the Brother MFC-420CN Use?
Last Updated:Quick answer: The Brother MFC-420CN uses four separate LC41 cartridges: black, cyan, magenta and yellow. LC41 comes in one standard size. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured LC41 Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.
Don't confuse LC41 with LC51. LC51 fits the later MFC-440CN and MFC-465CN, and Brother's LC51 list leaves the 420CN off. LC41 fits older Brother machines like the MFC-210C, MFC-620CN and MFC-3340CN instead. We couldn't confirm which cartridge numbers fit 420CN units sold outside North America, so U.S. owners should buy LC41.
CastleScore · October 2026
69/100 — Situational
Brother MFC-420CN
| Pillar (weight) | Score | What it is based on |
|---|---|---|
| Owner ratings (28%) | — | No retailer rating with enough reviews to use. |
| Expert reviews (18%) | — | No published numeric expert score we could verify. |
| Cost per page (24%) | 93 | About 2¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured LC41 cartridges (500 black / 400 color pages). |
| Reliability (13%) | 68 | Most-reported problems: one color not printing after the machine sits idle; 'Machine Error 46' / 'Unable to Clean 46' (ink absorber full); 'Unable to Print', 'Unable to Clean' and 'Unable to Scan' messages; 'Ink Empty' or 'No Cartridge' after a new cartridge |
| Features (12%) | 64 | Print, copy, scan, fax, PC-Fax, 10-page document feeder, Ethernet, USB, memory card slots, PictBridge. No Wi-Fi, no auto two-sided printing, no two-sided scanning. |
| Value (5%) | — | Running cost and owner satisfaction |
Limited data: We could not find enough owner ratings or published expert scores for this printer, so those weights are spread across the other pillars. With neither owner ratings nor a published expert score, we cap this printer at 69 (Situational) until better data is available.
Discontinued. Brother USA and Brother Canada both list the MFC-420CN as discontinued, with no named replacement. Brother USA also marks its own LC41 black discontinued and out of stock, and we couldn't find original LC41 at Staples or Office Depot.
CastleScore is Castle Ink’s own editorial rating, built from retailer star ratings, expert reviews, real cost per page and owner complaint patterns, checked October 24, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.
The cartridges, pictured
LC41 BlackLC41BK · ~500 pages
LC41 CyanLC41C · ~400 pages
LC41 MagentaLC41M · ~400 pages
LC41 YellowLC41Y · ~400 pages
LC41 Black
LC41 Cyan
LC41 Magenta
LC41 YellowOur own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.
What Ink Cartridges Does the Brother MFC-420CN Take?
| Cartridge | Brother part no. | Approx. yield | Castle Ink option |
|---|---|---|---|
| LC41 Black | LC41BK | ~500 pages | Remanufactured LC41 Black |
| LC41 Cyan | LC41C | ~400 pages | Remanufactured LC41 Cyan |
| LC41 Magenta | LC41M | ~400 pages | Remanufactured LC41 Magenta |
| LC41 Yellow | LC41Y | ~400 pages | Remanufactured LC41 Yellow |
Yields are ISO figures. Brother also sold a black two-pack (LC41BK2PKS). Each color is a separate cartridge, so replace only the one that's empty. We don't have an LC41 multipack right now, so buy the colors you need.
Can You Still Buy Original LC41?
Barely. Brother USA lists its own LC41 black as discontinued and out of stock, and shows no price for the LC41 cyan. We couldn't find original LC41 at Staples or Office Depot either, so on October 24, 2026, there was no current Brother price to compare. Our remanufactured LC41 black is $5.95 (about 1.2¢ a page), and each color is $4.95 (about 1.2¢ a page). A full set of four costs $20.80.
How Do I Replace the Ink in the Brother MFC-420CN?
- With the machine switched on, open the ink cartridge cover.
- Push down the lock-release lever for the color shown on the screen and remove the empty LC41 cartridge.
- Unpack the new LC41 cartridge and remove its protective cap.
- Insert it into the matching color slot and lift the lever until it clicks into place.
- Close the cover. When the screen asks whether you replaced that color, answer Yes so the ink counter resets.
Which Other Printers Use LC41?
Brother lists LC41 for the MFC-210C, MFC-620CN, MFC-3240C, MFC-3340CN, MFC-5440CN, MFC-5840CN, FAX-1840C, FAX-1940CN and FAX-2240C, along with the MFC-420CN.
What MFC-420CN owners ask
These are the questions that come up most for this printer in Brother support pages, PrinterKnowledge and the Ubuntu community guide, answered in our words.
One color isn't printing.
The nozzles for that color have likely dried out, which is common when the machine sits unused. Run the cleaning cycle from the Ink menu a few times and print a test page between runs. Don't overdo it: every cleaning adds to the waste-ink counter. If cleaning doesn't help, the print head usually needs service.
It says 'Machine Error 46' or 'Unable to Clean 46'.
The waste-ink absorber is full from cleaning cycles. Brother service replaces the pad and resets the counter. Brother documents this code for the MFC-3340CN, which uses the same LC41 generation. On a printer this old, the repair often costs more than the machine is worth.
It says 'Ink Empty' or 'No Cartridge' after I put in a new one.
Remove the cartridge and reinstall it firmly, and clean the contacts and the sensor window. Make sure it's LC41, not LC51. Then answer Yes when the screen asks if you changed that color.
Network scanning stopped working.
The printer's IP address probably changed. Give it a fixed IP address or a reservation in your router, then reinstall Brother's network scan driver. On Linux that's the brscan2 driver.
MFC-420CN quirks worth knowing
- Brother rates it at up to 20 pages a minute in black and 15 in color. That's a draft-mode figure from before ISO ratings, so real pages come out slower.
- It prints, copies, scans and faxes, and it can send and receive faxes from a PC. Brother lists a 10-page document feeder. It scans one side only, and there's no automatic two-sided printing.
- It connects over Ethernet (the N in CN) or USB, with no Wi-Fi. It also has memory card slots and a PictBridge camera port.
- Print resolution is up to 6000 x 1200 dpi, the flatbed scans at 1200 x 2400 dpi optical, and copies can be reduced or enlarged from 25% to 400%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ink does the Brother MFC-420CN use?
LC41 cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
Can I use LC51 cartridges?
No. LC51 is for later models such as the MFC-440CN. The MFC-420CN takes LC41.
Does it print two-sided automatically?
No. Brother doesn't list automatic two-sided printing, so flip the pages by hand.
More Brother ink guides: Brother MFC-J1360DW · Brother MFC-J4355DW · Brother MFC-J6555DW · find any printer
Replacing it? Our highest-rated alternatives
- Brother MFC-T780DW — CastleScore 90
- Epson EcoTank ET-2980 (cheapest to run) — CastleScore 90
- Brother MFC-J4335DW — CastleScore 89
Sources
Ratings and prices were checked on October 24, 2026 and will change over time.
Need replacement Brother ink cartridges? Shop Brother ink cartridges at Castle Ink. Remanufactured, up to 70% less than OEM, and shipped the same day when you order by 4 PM ET.