What Ink Does the Brother MFC-J6955DW Use?
Last Updated:Quick answer: the Brother MFC-J6955DW uses LC406 ink — four individual cartridges — with LC406XL as the high-yield version. There is no LC406XXL.
The costly mistake on this machine is the model one number up. The MFC-J6960DW takes LC506, not LC406. Same brand, same class of printer, adjacent model number, incompatible cartridges. Check the last two digits on the front of your printer before you order anything.
Brother MFC-J6955DW 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 |
Brother's own ISO/IEC 24711 figures. On a machine that will happily run several thousand pages a month, the XL tier is not really optional — a 5,000-page color against 1,500 changes how often you are opening the front cover.
The same cartridges appear with an S suffix, such as LC406XLYS. That is a packaging variant of the identical product, not a different cartridge. Brother also labels LC406 as "Standard-Yield" on its shop site and "High Yield" on its support site — ignore the adjective and buy by page count.
Castle Ink recommendation
Castle Ink stocks compatible LC406XL in cyan, magenta and yellow at $21.99 each, guaranteed for a year:
- LC406XL Cyan — ~5,000 pages
- LC406XL Magenta — ~5,000 pages
- LC406XL Yellow — ~5,000 pages
We do not stock an LC406XL black yet, so if black is what ran out you will need that one elsewhere for now. Saying so is better than selling you an LC506 that will not fit.
About the Brother MFC-J6955DW
This is the serious end of Brother's inkjet range and a genuinely capable office machine. It prints up to 11 by 17 inches, at 30 ppm in both black and color, with automatic duplex printing all the way up to ledger size.
The scanning side is the standout: a 50-sheet ADF with single-pass two-sided scanning, which halves the time on double-sided originals. Paper capacity is 600 sheets as standard — two 250-sheet trays plus a 100-sheet multipurpose tray — and it handles long paper up to 47 inches. There is a 3.5-inch touchscreen, gigabit-class Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi on both 2.4 and 5 GHz, and NFC.
Brother puts the recommended monthly volume at 250 to 3,500 pages. It shares LC406 ink with the MFC-J4335DW, J4345DW XL, J4535DW, J5855DW, J5955DW and J6555DW.
Common problems on this model
"Cannot Detect" or "Wrong Ink Cartridge"
Reseat the cartridge until it locks. If the message stays, read the part number on the cartridge — this is almost always an LC506 or LC3033 bought by mistake rather than a hardware fault.
"Ink Absorber Full" or "InkBox Full"
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 call. Unnecessary cleaning cycles fill it faster, which is a good reason to diagnose print quality properly rather than reflexively cleaning.
White lines or missing colors
Print the Print Quality Check sheet, then run Clean Print Head — up to three cycles before escalating to Brother's special cleaning. Check the Media Type setting matches the loaded paper, and keep the machine between roughly 68 and 91 degrees. See faded or streaky prints.
Jams and misfeeds with mixed paper sizes
On a two-tray machine most jams come from a tray guide set for one size while a different size is loaded. Seat each tray fully, set the guides to the actual paper, fan the stack and close the jam clear cover. Our paper jam guide covers the Brother path.
Smudging on ledger or glossy stock
Clean the platen and feed rollers, use the paper support flap, and confirm you loaded glossy paper the right way up. Larger sheets give ink more time to transfer to rollers, so this shows up more on 11 by 17 than on letter.
FAQ
What ink does the Brother MFC-J6955DW use?
LC406 or LC406XL in black, cyan, magenta and yellow.
Is there an LC406XXL?
No. LC406XL is the largest size. The XXL tier belongs to LC506, which fits different printers.
Does the MFC-J6955DW use LC506?
No. LC506 fits the MFC-J6960DW, J6975DW, J4355DW, J4555DW, J5010DW, J5110DW, J5115DW and J6560DW. The J6955DW and J6960DW are the pair people mix up most.
Does it use LC3033 or LC3035?
No. Those fit the MFC-J995DW, J805DW and J815DW XL — also INKvestment, similar yields, different cartridge.
Does the MFC-J6955DW really print 11 by 17?
Yes, and it duplexes at that size too. It also takes long paper up to about 47 inches for banners.
Can I use compatible LC406XL cartridges?
Yes. Brother will not cover damage it can prove came from third-party supplies, but using them does not void your warranty outright — see the legal answer.
Shop LC406XL now
Restock cyan, magenta and yellow at $21.99 each. Different printer? Find yours on our Find Ink by Printer page.
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