What Ink Does the Brother MFC-J6555DW Use?

Quick answer: The Brother MFC-J6555DW uses Brother LC406 or LC406XL ink cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow — four individual cartridges. The XL versions roughly double the black and more than triple each color, so they are much cheaper per page. There is no LC406XXL, whatever some listings suggest.

The cartridges, pictured

• LC406XL 4-packBlack + Cyan/Magenta/Yellow
• LC406XL BlackLC406XLBKS · ~6,000 pages
• LC406XL CyanLC406XLCS · ~5,000 pages
• LC406XL MagentaLC406XLMS · ~5,000 pages

Our own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.

Brother MFC-J6555DW Ink Cartridges at a Glance

The MFC-J6555DW handles 11x17 printing, copying, scanning and faxing for a busy office, and Brother rates its in-box ink at roughly a year at 300 pages a month.

Standard vs. XL: Which Should You Buy?

The XL, for almost anyone. Black rises from roughly 3,000 pages to 6,000, and each color from about 1,500 to 5,000, more than triple. At Brother's own list prices ($43.49 for LC406BKS vs. $73.99 for LC406XLBKS, and $30.99 for LC406CS vs. $81.79 for LC406XLCS), the XL works out to roughly 15% less per page for black and 20% less for color. On a printer built around low running costs, buying standard cartridges undoes much of the point.

These are already generous yields by inkjet standards. A 6,000-page black cartridge is in laser territory, which is exactly what Brother's INKvestment Tank design is aiming at. Run the numbers for your own volume with our Printer Ink Cost Calculator.

There Is No LC406XXL — Don't Let a Listing Fool You

You will see LC406XXL cartridges advertised. Brother does not make one. The US lineup for this printer family is LC406 and LC406XL only, and Brother's own cartridge pages confirm 6,000 pages as the top black tier.

The confusion comes from the newer LC506 family, which does include an XXL and fits different machines such as the MFC-J4355DW and MFC-J4555DW. An LC506 cartridge will not work in your printer. Check the number on the cartridge you are removing before you order.

What Actually Ships in the Box

This is where Brother's INKvestment Tank models genuinely differ from most inkjets. Rather than reduced-capacity setup cartridges, the Brother MFC-J6555DW ships with around a year of ink at Brother's assumed usage: about 300 pages a month, 60% black and 40% color. It is a real cost advantage and worth factoring in when comparing purchase prices against an HP or Canon that includes a starter set good for a couple of hundred pages.

How to Replace the Ink in the Brother MFC-J6555DW

1. Open the ink cartridge cover on the front of the printer.
2. Press the lock release lever for the color you are replacing and pull the cartridge straight out.
3. Unwrap the new cartridge and remove the orange protective packing. Do not touch the contacts.
4. Slide the cartridge into the matching color slot in the direction of the arrow on the label, and push until it locks.
5. Close the cover. The printer will prepare the ink system briefly.
6. Print a test page. If quality looks off, run Print Head Cleaning from the Ink or Maintenance menu.

Replace one cartridge at a time so you do not lose track of which slot is which — the colors are labelled but the cartridges look similar.

Troubleshooting Tips

Printer will not recognize a cartridge: Remove it and reseat it firmly — these cartridges need a definite click. If it still fails, wipe the contacts with a dry cloth.

"Cannot Detect" after fitting compatibles: Power the printer fully off, leave it a minute, then power on with the cartridges installed. This clears most detection faults on the LC406 series.

Colors missing or streaky: Run Print Head Cleaning, up to three cycles. The printhead is part of the printer rather than the cartridge here, so a genuine clog is fixable — do not simply replace cartridges.

Ink counter seems wrong after a refill or reset: Brother tracks usage on the chip. A compatible cartridge reports its own level, so the estimate may jump. Judge by output.

Printer says a cartridge is low almost immediately: Check you did not fit a standard LC406 where you meant to fit an LC406XL — they look near-identical in the slot.

How to Check Your Ink Levels on the Brother MFC-J6555DW

On the Brother MFC-J6555DW, press Ink or Settings on the touchscreen and choose Ink Volume for a per-colour bar chart. The same figures appear in Brother iPrint&Scan on a computer and in the Brother Mobile Connect app, and the printer's built-in web interface (type its IP address into a browser) shows them too.

Treat every one of these readings as an estimate rather than a measurement. Printers calculate remaining ink by counting drops fired since the cartridge was installed, not by looking inside it, and manufacturers deliberately set the low-ink threshold early. It is routine to get a few hundred more pages after the first warning — keep printing until quality actually drops.

Which Other Printers Use the Same Ink?

The Brother LC406 / LC406XL cartridge is used across a range of machines, which keeps compatible prices low and availability high. If you run more than one of these, a single cartridge type covers them all:

• Brother MFC-J4335DW
• Brother MFC-J4345DW XL
• Brother MFC-J4535DW
• Brother MFC-J5855DW
• Brother MFC-J5955DW
• Brother MFC-J6555DW
• Brother MFC-J6955DW

Always check the number printed on the cartridge you are replacing before ordering — manufacturers reuse similar-looking numbers across families. You can also look your machine up in our Find Ink by Printer directory.

What MFC-J6555DW 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.

Can it really print, scan and copy on 11x17 paper?

Yes. Brother lists printing, copying, scanning and faxing up to 11x17 (ledger), and automatic two-sided printing works up to ledger size too.

Can it scan both sides of a document automatically?

No. The 50-sheet document feeder is single-sided, and Brother lists no duplex scanning. Two-sided originals have to be flipped and fed again.

Can I feed envelopes or cardstock without emptying the main tray?

Yes. There is a 100-sheet multipurpose tray alongside the 250-sheet main tray, so plain paper can stay loaded.

Will it connect to a 5 GHz network?

Yes. Brother lists dual-band Wi-Fi, plus Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet and USB.

Is the MFC-J6555DW still sold?

No. Brother lists it as discontinued. Its current 11x17 INKvestment models, such as the MFC-J6560DW, use LC506 cartridges instead of LC406, so they are not a like-for-like swap for your spare ink.

MFC-J6555DW quirks worth knowing

• It is one of the few LC406 printers that does automatic two-sided printing on ledger (11x17) paper, not just letter size.
• The color XL is the bigger jump: LC406XL color is rated 5,000 pages against 1,500 for the standard cartridge, more than three times as many, while the black only doubles (3,000 to 6,000).
• There is a front USB port for printing from and scanning to a flash drive, so you don't need a computer for quick jobs.
• If you replace it with one of Brother's newer 11x17 models (MFC-J6560DW or J6960DW), leftover LC406 cartridges won't carry over, because those take LC506. Use up your spares first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ink does the Brother MFC-J6555DW use? Brother LC406 or LC406XL cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow — four individual cartridges.

Do the colors drain even when I print black text? Some, yes. The printer uses small amounts of color for maintenance cycles, and many documents contain color you have not noticed. Greyscale as a driver default helps.

Does compatible ink void the Brother MFC-J6555DW warranty? No. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in the US, using a third-party cartridge does not by itself void a printer warranty.

Can I mix standard and XL cartridges? Yes. The printer does not care whether the four cartridges are the same capacity.

Other printers that use LC406

Brother MFC-J4335DW · Brother MFC-J4535DW · Brother MFC-J5855DW · Brother MFC-J4345DW · 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 8, 2026 and will change over time.

• Brother MFC-J6555DW product page (specs, yields, in-box ink)
• Brother LC406XL black cartridge page (compatible printers)
• Brother LC406XL cyan cartridge page
• Brother LC506 black cartridge page (newer models)
• Brother MFC-J6560DW product page
• Adorama MFC-J6555DW listing and ratings