What Ink Does the Brother MFC-J280W Use?

by Lauren Elward Last Updated: October 24, 2026

Quick answer: The Brother MFC-J280W uses four separate cartridges: black, cyan, magenta and yellow, in either high-yield LC75 or standard LC71. LC75 holds twice the ink, so it's the one to buy. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured LC75 Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and a 4-pack, plus LC71 cartridges.

The MFC-J280W takes the same cartridges as the MFC-J430W, MFC-J435W, MFC-J825DW and MFC-J835DW. Don't mix it up with the MFC-J285DW, which has a similar name but takes LC103. Brother's LC103 list leaves the J280W off. Super high-yield LC79 isn't on Brother's list for this model either.

CastleScore · October 2026

69/100 — Situational

Brother MFC-J280W

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 1.9¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured LC75 high-yield cartridges (about 600 pages each).
Reliability (13%)	78	Most-reported problems: one color stopping or fading after the printer sits idle; 'Ink Absorber Full' and 'Unable to Clean' errors; 'Cannot Detect' after a cartridge swap; paper jam errors with no paper visible
Features (12%)	72	Print, copy, scan, fax, document feeder, Wi-Fi, 1.9-inch color touchscreen, 100-sheet tray. No Ethernet, no auto two-sided printing, no two-sided scanning, no memory card slots.
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 Canada and Brother USA list the MFC-J280W as discontinued, with no named replacement. Staples and Brother's store still sell LC75 cartridges, though some colors are out of stock.

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

Our own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.

What Ink Cartridges Does the Brother MFC-J280W Take?

Cartridge	Brother part no.	Approx. yield	Castle Ink option
LC75 Black (high yield)	LC75BK	~600 pages	Remanufactured LC75 Black
LC75 Cyan (high yield)	LC75C	~600 pages	Remanufactured LC75 Cyan
LC75 Magenta (high yield)	LC75M	~600 pages	Remanufactured LC75 Magenta
LC75 Yellow (high yield)	LC75Y	~600 pages	Remanufactured LC75 Yellow
LC71 Black / Cyan / Magenta / Yellow (standard)	LC71BK / LC71C / LC71M / LC71Y	~300 pages each	Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
LC75 4-pack (black + 3 colors)	—	As above	Remanufactured LC75 4-pack

Yields are Brother's ISO figures. Retail boxes add an S to the part number, such as LC75BKS. Our LC71 cartridges cost about the same as LC75 for half the pages, so we suggest LC75. If you print a lot, our LC75 10-pack has four blacks and two of each color.

Is LC75 Worth It Over LC71?

Yes. LC75 prints about 600 pages per cartridge against about 300 for LC71. On October 24, 2026, Staples and Brother's store both listed Brother's LC75 black at $30.99 (about 5.2¢ a page). Brother's standard LC71 black was $18.69 (about 6.2¢ a page) and out of stock. Staples had the LC75 color three-pack at $54.49, with the LC75 yellow at $18.79 but out of stock. Our remanufactured LC75 black is $6.95 (about 1.2¢ a page), each LC75 color is $6.99, the 4-pack is $26.99 and the 10-pack is $60.95.

How Do I Replace the Ink in the Brother MFC-J280W?

Open the ink cartridge cover on the front of the printer.
Press the lock-release lever for the color shown on the touchscreen and remove the empty cartridge.
Unpack the new LC75 or LC71 cartridge and remove the protective cap.
Insert it into the slot for its color and push until it clicks into place.
Close the cover and follow any prompt on the screen.

Which Other Printers Use LC75 and LC71?

Brother's LC75BKS page lists the MFC-J425W, MFC-J430W, MFC-J435W, MFC-J625DW, MFC-J825DW and MFC-J835DW along with the J280W. It also lists the MFC-J5910DW, MFC-J6510DW, MFC-J6710DW and MFC-J6910DW, which take LC75 but not LC71.

What MFC-J280W owners ask

These are the questions that come up most for this printer in Brother support pages and owner reports, answered in our words.

Does the MFC-J280W use LC103 cartridges?

No. It takes LC75 high yield or LC71 standard. LC103 fits the similarly named MFC-J285DW.

It says 'Cannot Detect' after I changed a cartridge.

Reseat the cartridge until it clicks, and check that the protective cap is off. Then confirm it's an LC71 or LC75, not an LC103 or LC79.

It shows a paper jam, but I can't see any paper.

Turn the printer off and pull out the paper tray. Open the scanner cover and the jam-clear cover at the back, and remove any torn scraps. Then power it back on.

It says 'Ink Absorber Full' or 'Unable to Clean'.

The waste-ink pad's counter has hit its limit from head cleanings. It needs Brother service or a pad replacement plus a counter reset. Aftermarket replacement pads are sold for the J280W, which tells you it's a known failure.

MFC-J280W quirks worth knowing

Brother rates it at 10 ISO pages a minute in black and 8 in color, or up to 33 and 26 in fast mode.
It prints, copies, scans and faxes, and it can send faxes from a PC. It has a document feeder, but it scans one side only, and there's no automatic two-sided printing.
It connects over Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) or USB, with no Ethernet. You can print from a phone with AirPrint or the Brother iPrint&Scan app. Google Cloud Print, which Brother also listed, has been retired.
It has a 1.9-inch color touchscreen and a 100-sheet paper tray.

Frequently Asked Questions