What Ink Does the Brother MFC-J805DW Use?

by Lauren Elward Last Updated: October 17, 2026

Quick answer: The Brother MFC-J805DW uses four separate INKvestment cartridges: black, cyan, magenta and yellow, in either super high-yield LC3033 or ultra high-yield LC3035. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured LC3033 Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and a 4-pack, plus LC3035 Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.

It takes the same ink as the MFC-J995DW, which adds Ethernet. Watch the look-alikes: the MFC-J491DW, J497DW, J690DW and J895DW take LC3011 and LC3013 cartridges, and those won't fit the J805DW. It's a U.S. INKvestment model, so buy by the LC3033 and LC3035 numbers.

CastleScore · October 2026

69/100 — Situational

Brother MFC-J805DW

Pillar (weight)	Score	What it is based on
Owner ratings (28%)	—	No retailer rating with enough reviews to use.
Expert reviews (18%)	—	Reviewed by Tom's Guide, Top Ten Reviews and RTINGS, without numeric scores we could verify.
Cost per page (24%)	95	About 1.3¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured LC3035 ultra-high-yield cartridges (6,000 black / 5,000 color pages).
Reliability (13%)	77	Most-reported problems: 'Cannot Detect' or 'No Ink Cartridge' after a cartridge change; 'Cannot Detect Ink Volume' with some refilled cartridges; very slow two-sided color and photo printing; paper and document jams
Features (12%)	80	Print, copy, scan, fax, 20-sheet document feeder (one-sided scanning), auto two-sided printing, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, 1.8-inch color screen. No Ethernet, no NFC, no touchscreen.
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 announced the MFC-J805DW in July 2019 at $159.99. Brother USA now lists it as discontinued, with no named replacement. Brother USA shows its own LC3035 black as out of stock, and Staples shows the LC3035 magenta and yellow 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 17, 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-J805DW Take?

Cartridge	Brother part no.	Approx. yield	Castle Ink option
LC3033 Black (super high yield)	LC3033BK	~3,000 pages	Remanufactured LC3033 Black
LC3033 Cyan / Magenta / Yellow	LC3033C / LC3033M / LC3033Y	~1,500 pages each	Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
LC3035 Black (ultra high yield)	LC3035BK	~6,000 pages	Remanufactured LC3035 Black
LC3035 Cyan / Magenta / Yellow	LC3035C / LC3035M / LC3035Y	~5,000 pages each	Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
LC3033 4-pack (black + 3 colors)	—	As above	Remanufactured LC3033 4-pack

Yields are Brother's ISO figures. The starter cartridges in the box hold about 75% of a full LC3033. You can mix LC3033 and LC3035, since each color is replaced on its own.

Is LC3035 Worth It?

Yes, if you print a lot. The LC3035 black holds twice the pages of the LC3033 black, and each LC3035 color holds more than three times as much. On October 17, 2026, Staples listed Brother's LC3033 black at $44.99 (about 1.5¢ a page) and the LC3033 color 3-pack at $85.99. Brother USA had the LC3035 cyan on sale at $52.49 (about 1¢ a page) and listed the LC3035 black at $50.39, out of stock. Our remanufactured LC3033 black is $21.95 (about 0.7¢ a page) and each LC3033 color is $17.95 (about 1.2¢ a page), or $59.95 for the 4-pack. The LC3035 black is $36.95 (about 0.6¢ a page) and each LC3035 color is $38.95 (about 0.8¢ a page).

How Do I Replace the Ink in the Brother MFC-J805DW?

Open the ink cartridge cover on the front right of the printer.
Press the lock-release lever for the empty color and pull the cartridge out.
Unpack the new LC3033 or LC3035 cartridge and remove its protective cap.
Insert it in the direction of the arrow on the label and press the area marked PUSH until it locks.
Close the cover. The printer resets the ink counter on its own.

Which Other Printers Use LC3033 and LC3035?

Brother USA's LC3035BK page lists the MFC-J995DW, MFC-J995DW XL, MFC-J805DW XL and MFC-J815DW XL. The J805DW XL is the same printer as the J805DW, sold with more ink in the box. LC3033 and LC3035 don't fit Brother's LC3011 and LC3013 models.

What MFC-J805DW owners ask

These are the questions that come up most for this printer in Brother's online user guide and reviews like Tom's Guide, answered in our words.

It says 'Cannot Detect' or 'No Ink Cartridge' after I put in a new one.

The cartridge isn't fully latched, or it's the wrong type. Make sure it's an LC3033 or LC3035, not LC3011 or LC3013. Insert it in the direction of the label arrow, press PUSH firmly until it locks, and close the cover. If the error stays, try another cartridge.

It says 'Cannot Detect Ink Volume.'

The printer can't read the cartridge's chip. It may keep printing, but it won't track the ink level. Use a cartridge with a working chip.

Why are two-sided color pages and photos so slow?

It's how the printer is built. Tom's Guide measured 0.9 pages a minute for two-sided color and over 8 minutes for a letter-size photo. Print color jobs one-sided, or use normal or draft quality.

What's the difference between the MFC-J805DW and the J805DW XL?

They're the same printer. The XL bundle ships with more ink in the box, and both use LC3033 and LC3035.

MFC-J805DW quirks worth knowing

A reseller lists it at up to 12 pages a minute in black and 6 in color, but we couldn't confirm those ISO figures on Brother's page. Tom's Guide measured 10 pages a minute for text.
It prints two-sided automatically, and that's on by default. The 20-sheet document feeder scans one side only.
It connects over Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct or USB, with no Ethernet or NFC. The 1.8-inch color screen isn't a touchscreen.
The 150-sheet tray is backed by a one-sheet manual slot, so photo paper goes in one sheet at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions