Brother HL-2240 family (HL-2130 to HL-2275DW) lights: what each pattern means
12 light patterns of the Brother HL-2240 family (HL-2130 to HL-2275DW), from Brother’s own guide What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230). Mono laser, four LEDs (Toner, Drum, Error, Ready).
Models covered, as Brother lists them: HL-2130, HL-2135W, HL-2220, HL-2230, HL-2240, HL-2240D, HL-2270DW, HL-2275DW.
The lights on this printer
- Toner LED — yellow
- Drum LED — yellow
- Error LED — red
- Ready LED — green
Our own schematic drawing, not Brother’s panel layout: the lights are in the order Brother’s guide lists them.
Ready LED flashing (green)
Ready LED (green) blinking; Toner LED off; Drum LED off; Error LED off.
Brother gives 2 causes for this pattern; the message on the computer or the printer software tells them apart.
Warming Up / Cooling Down
The machine is warming up, or cooling down.
What Brother says to do
- If cooling down, wait a few seconds until the inside has cooled.
Receiving Data / Data Remaining
The machine is receiving or processing data, or print data is left in its memory.
What Brother says to do
- If the Ready LED flashes for a long time and nothing prints, press Go to print the data left in memory.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Toner LED on 2 seconds, off 3 seconds; Ready LED on
Toner LED (yellow) on 2 seconds, off 3 seconds; Ready LED (green) on; Drum LED off; Error LED off.
Toner Low
The toner cartridge will need replacing soon.
What Brother says to do
- Buy a new toner cartridge and have it ready for when Replace Toner shows.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Toner LED on, others off
Toner LED (yellow) on; Drum LED off; Error LED off; Ready LED off.
Brother gives 3 causes for this pattern; the message on the computer or the printer software tells them apart.
Replace Toner (Stop mode)
The toner cartridge must be replaced.
What Brother says to do
- Replace the toner cartridge with a new one.
Cartridge Error
The drum unit assembly is not installed correctly.
What Brother says to do
- Take the drum unit out of the machine and put it back in.
No Toner
No toner cartridge is installed.
What Brother says to do
- Open the front cover and install the toner cartridge.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Toner LED on, Ready LED on
Toner LED (yellow) on; Ready LED (green) on; Drum LED off; Error LED off.
Replace Toner (Continue mode)
The toner needs replacing; the machine keeps printing until the LEDs show Toner Ended.
Brother’s page gives no step for this.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Toner LED on, Error LED on (red)
Toner LED (yellow) on; Error LED (red) on; Drum LED off; Ready LED off.
Toner Ended
The toner has ended.
What Brother says to do
- Replace the toner cartridge with a new one.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Drum LED on 2 seconds, off 3 seconds; Ready LED on
Drum LED (yellow) on 2 seconds, off 3 seconds; Ready LED (green) on; Toner LED off; Error LED off.
Drum End Soon
The drum unit will need replacing soon.
What Brother says to do
- Get a new drum unit ready to replace the current one.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Drum LED on, Ready LED on
Drum LED (yellow) on; Ready LED (green) on; Toner LED off; Error LED off.
Replace Drum
The drum unit must be replaced.
What Brother says to do
- Replace the drum unit with a new one.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Error LED on (red), others off
Error LED (red) on; Toner LED off; Drum LED off; Ready LED off.
Brother gives 2 causes for this pattern; the message on the computer or the printer software tells them apart.
No Paper T1
The paper tray is empty.
What Brother says to do
- Put paper in the paper tray, then press Go.
Manual Feed
The printer is waiting for paper in the manual feed slot.
What Brother says to do
- Put paper in the manual feed slot.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Error LED flashing (red), others off
Error LED (red) blinking; Toner LED off; Drum LED off; Ready LED off.
Brother gives 4 causes for this pattern; the message on the computer or the printer software tells them apart.
Front Cover Open / Fuser Cover Open
The front cover, or the fuser cover behind the back cover, is open.
What Brother says to do
- Close the front cover, or the fuser cover behind the back cover.
Jam Tray 1 / Jam Inside / Jam Rear / Jam Duplex
Paper is jammed.
What Brother says to do
- Clear the paper jam. If the machine does not start printing, press Go.
Memory Full / Print Overrun
The machine cannot print full pages of the document.
Brother’s page gives no step for this.
Size Error DX / Duplex Disabled
On 2-sided models: the paper size cannot be printed 2-sided, or the duplex tray is out or the back cover open.
What Brother says to do
- Load paper of the size chosen in the driver and press Go, or put the duplex tray in and close the back cover.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Drum and Error LEDs flashing
Drum LED (yellow) blinking; Error LED (red) blinking; Toner LED off; Ready LED off.
Drum Error
The corona wire needs to be cleaned.
What Brother says to do
- Clean the corona wire of the drum unit.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Drum LED on, Error LED on (red)
Drum LED (yellow) on; Error LED (red) on; Toner LED off; Ready LED off.
Drum Stop
The drum unit must be replaced before the machine will print.
What Brother says to do
- Replace the drum unit with a new one.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
All four LEDs flashing
Toner LED (yellow) blinking; Drum LED (yellow) blinking; Error LED (red) blinking; Ready LED (green) blinking.
Service Call
The machine has found a fault it cannot clear.
What Brother says to do
- Turn the power switch off and on, and try to print again.
- If the indication is still there, press Go: the LEDs then show which part failed (listed below). Report it to your dealer or Brother customer service.
- Error LED on alone: main PCB failure.
- Toner LED on alone: fuser unit failure.
- Drum LED on alone: laser unit failure.
- Toner and Error LEDs on: main motor failure.
- Toner and Drum LEDs on: high voltage failure.
- Drum and Error LEDs on: fan failure.
- Toner, Drum and Error LEDs on: zero cross error.
Source: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) (Brother), checked 2026-09-29.
Other Brother printers
The same light can mean something else on another Brother family, so check the model name on your printer.
Sources
Brother’s own pages only, read on the date shown. Nothing here comes from third-party “printer codes” sites.
- Brother: What do the LED indications mean? (HL-2230) — HL-2130, HL-2135W, HL-2220, HL-2230, HL-2240, HL-2240D, HL-2270DW, HL-2275DW. support.brother.com Checked 2026-09-29.
Find a pattern by which light and how it blinks, on any brand →