Shopping for this printer? See all Brother LC406 Ink Cartridges – LC406 & LC406XL → Ships same day by 4 PM ET, 1-year guarantee.
Quick answer: the Brother MFC-J4345DW uses Brother LC406 ink — four individual cartridges — with LC406XL as the high-yield version. There is no LC406XXL, whatever a listing tells you.
Two things to get right before you order. First, the US retail model is sold as the MFC-J4345DW XL, a club-channel SKU, even though the printer reports itself as MFC-J4345DW — both names mean the same machine. Second, and this is the expensive one: the MFC-J4355DW takes LC506, not LC406. One digit apart, different family. Check the last two digits of your model number before you buy anything.
CastleScore · October 2026
85/100 — Highly Recommended
Brother MFC-J4345DW
| Pillar (weight) | Score | What it is based on |
|---|---|---|
| Owner ratings (28%) | 78 | 4.00★ average across 100 ratings at Sam's Club (4.0) |
| Expert reviews (18%) | 80 | PCMag (MFC-J4335DW) 4.0/5 |
| Cost per page (24%) | 97 | About 0.8¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured LC406XL (6,000 black / 5,000 color pages). |
| Reliability (13%) | 87 | Most-reported problems: paper jams and recurring 'Repeat Jam' errors |
| Features (12%) | 78 | Print, copy, scan, document feeder, auto two-sided printing, fax, Wi-Fi. No touchscreen. |
| Value (5%) | 88 | Running cost and owner satisfaction |
Still sold new at Sam's Club as the MFC-J4345DWXL. Brother's product page shows no discontinued notice.
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 12, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.
The cartridges, pictured
LC406XL 4-packBlack + Cyan/Magenta/Yellow
LC406XL BlackLC406XLBKS · ~6,000 pages
LC406XL CyanLC406XLCS · ~5,000 pages
LC406XL MagentaLC406XLMS · ~5,000 pages
LC406XL 4-pack
LC406XL Black
LC406XL Cyan
LC406XL MagentaOur own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.
Brother MFC-J4345DW ink at a glance
| Cartridge | Family | Part Number | Approx. Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black (standard) | LC406 | LC406BK | ~3,000 pages |
| Cyan (standard) | LC406 | LC406C | ~1,500 pages |
| Magenta (standard) | LC406 | LC406M | ~1,500 pages |
| Yellow (standard) | LC406 | LC406Y | ~1,500 pages |
| Black (high yield) | LC406XL | LC406XLBK | ~6,000 pages |
| Cyan (high yield) | LC406XL | LC406XLC | ~5,000 pages |
| Magenta (high yield) | LC406XL | LC406XLM | ~5,000 pages |
| Yellow (high yield) | LC406XL | LC406XLY | ~5,000 pages |
Those are Brother's ISO/IEC 24711 figures. Note how large they are for an inkjet — a 6,000-page black is laser territory, and it is the whole point of the INKvestment Tank design: high-capacity cartridges feeding an internal reservoir.
You will see these part numbers written with an S on the end, such as LC406XLCS. That is a retail packaging variant of the identical cartridge. Both spellings are genuine.
We sell remanufactured LC406XL in black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
About the Brother MFC-J4345DW XL
A compact INKvestment Tank all-in-one: print, scan, copy and fax, with automatic two-sided printing (up to letter size), a 20-sheet ADF and a 150-sheet tray. The display is a 1.8-inch color LCD, not a touchscreen, and connectivity is Wi-Fi and USB with no Ethernet.
Two limits worth knowing before you rely on it: the ADF scans one side only, so there is no duplex scanning, and the paper tray does not expand — 150 sheets is the ceiling. Brother rates it for 250 to 2,000 pages a month.
Brother quotes the in-box ink at up to two years, based on about 300 pages a month, or roughly 7,200 pages in total.
Common problems on this model
"Cannot Detect" or "Wrong Ink Cartridge"
Reseat firmly until the cartridge locks. If it still will not read, check the part number against LC406 — this message is where an accidentally bought LC506 or LC3033 shows up. Those two are the most common mis-buys because LC3033 is also INKvestment branded with almost identical yields.
"Ink Absorber Full" or "InkBox Full"
Worth understanding before it happens. The absorber collects waste ink from head cleaning; Brother states it is not user-serviceable and not covered by warranty, so it means a service visit. On a machine in this price bracket that can approach the cost of replacement, which is a strong argument for not running cleaning cycles you do not need.
White lines, banding or missing colors
Run the Print Quality Check sheet, then Clean Print Head if it shows gaps. Confirm the Media Type setting matches the paper actually loaded, and keep the printer between about 68 and 91 degrees; Brother lists ambient temperature as a genuine cause. See faded or streaky prints.
Slow printing
Turn off Color Enhancement, borderless printing and Quiet Mode, and match the Media Type to the paper. Those four settings account for most complaints about speed on this series.
Paper jams and misfeeds
Seat the tray until it locks, close the jam clear cover, fan the stack, straighten curled sheets and do not overfill. If it persists, clean the pick-up rollers and base pad. See our paper jam guide.
What MFC-J4345DW owners ask
These are the questions that come up most for this printer on retailer Q&A pages, Brother's support pages and owner reviews, answered in our words.
What's the difference between the MFC-J4345DW XL and the MFC-J4335DW?
Same LC406 cartridges. The XL bundle ships with about 7,200 pages of ink in the box (Brother says up to 2 years), against about 1,800 for the J4335DW.
Why did my starter cartridges run out before the XL rating?
Brother says the in-box cartridges yield about 85% of an LC406XL black and 75% of an XL color, because the first install fills the ink delivery tubes.
Can it scan or copy both sides automatically?
No. Brother lists automatic two-sided printing (up to letter size) only. Scanning, copying and faxing are single-sided.
Can I connect it by Ethernet?
No. Brother lists Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 only.
Does it fax?
Yes. The fax modem runs at 14.4 kbps, with 170 pages of memory and 40 auto-dial locations.
MFC-J4345DW quirks worth knowing
- Brother's 2-year in-box figure assumes about 300 pages a month at 60% black and 40% color. Print more color than that and the color starters run out first.
- It feeds legal-size paper, but automatic two-sided printing works only up to letter size.
- Brother's manual has separate jam-clearing steps for the front, inside and rear of the printer, plus a "Repeat Jam" message, so check all three spots before calling it a fault.
- Brother shares one online manual across the MFC-J4335DW, J4345DW and J4535DW, so help pages for those models apply here too.
FAQ
What ink does the Brother MFC-J4345DW use?
LC406 or LC406XL in black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Four individual cartridges.
Is there an LC406XXL?
No. The family stops at LC406XL. The XXL tier people are thinking of belongs to LC506, a different family for different printers.
Does the MFC-J4345DW use LC506?
No, and this is the single most costly mistake on this printer. LC506 fits the MFC-J4355DW, J4555DW, J5010DW, J5110DW, J5115DW, J6560DW, J6960DW and J6975DW.
Does it use LC3033 or LC3035?
No. Those fit the MFC-J995DW, J805DW and J815DW XL. They are also INKvestment cartridges with similar yields, which is exactly why they get confused — but they are physically different.
What is the difference between MFC-J4345DW and MFC-J4345DW XL?
Nothing that affects ink. XL is how the club-channel SKU is labelled; the machine and the cartridges are the same.
Which other printers use LC406?
The MFC-J4335DW, J4345DW XL, J4535DW, J5855DW, J5955DW, J6555DW and J6955DW.
Other printers that use LC406
Brother MFC-J6555DW · Brother MFC-J5855DW · Brother MFC-J4535DW · Brother MFC-J4335DW · Brother MFC-J6955DW
More Brother ink guides: Brother MFC-J1360DW · Brother MFC-J4355DW · Brother MFC-J1170DW · 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 12, 2026 and will change over time.
Need replacement Brother LC406 Ink Cartridges – LC406 & LC406XL? Shop Brother LC406 Ink Cartridges – LC406 & LC406XL at Castle Ink. Remanufactured, up to 70% less than OEM, and shipped the same day when you order by 4 PM ET.