iPad printing problems with Brother MFC

Question

Level 1

8 points

iPad printing problems with Brother MFC

Dear forum,

I installed a Brother MFC-L2880DWXL for a client in Jan 2025.

They use iPads to print

Last month (05/2025), they had problems printing. The problem was that nothing happened when they tap print on iPads. I managed to update the iPads to the latest IOS 18.5. All working fine after the update.

Unfortunately, yesterday (23/6/25), the printing issue happened again, below is what I have done

- power cycle the brother printer and access point, no luck

- directly connect the MFC to the router/switch via a LAN cable, no luck

- remove / re-install brother iprint/scan and mobile connect on two ipads

- no new firmware for the printer

- no new firmware for the ipads (still at 18.5)

- the problem of printing persists

I used my own W10 laptop and iphone 8 (without any brother apps) to test, all good

I found a temporary solution, by saving the file to print first, then use brother mobile connect to print the file. But this is awkward, not ideal.

I tried to cancel any stuck print jobs, but Print center not even showing up

Please help to resolve the issue or point me to the right direction

Many thanks in advance

Kind Regards

Michael

iPad, iPadOS 16

Posted on Jun 24, 2025 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 25, 2025 6:21 PM in response to yang11

Perhaps a long shot:

Do you have a 3rd party VPN installed, even if you are not using it? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN, then restart your device. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile. If that fixes it, you can try reinstalling VPN, but probably shouldn't.

Beyond that→AirPrint Troubleshooting - Apple Community

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Answer 2

Jun 25, 2025 7:01 PM in response to yang11

So to confirm, by “no new firmware”, you mean to indicate that the firmware 1.22/1.10 from a ~month ago is loaded?

What’s the local network look like? One Wi-Fi router, and nothing else? Multiple Wi-Fi routers and subnets?

Is the Wi-Fi network configuration stable and lacking interference, and with current firmware?

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Answer 3

yang11 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 25, 2025 9:49 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks for the reply

Yes, firmware up to date as below

Node Information

Model Name

Brother MFC-L2880DWXL

Serial no.

(removed for privacy)

Main Firmware Version

1.22

Sub1 Firmware Version

1.10

the local network is simple = Microtek router + Unifi 5 access point; it was setup by someone else about 7 years ago. I don't have admin access to those devices. I doubt anyone ever did any firmware updates after the initial install

The Wi-Fi environment is not good, it is a residential apartment building, lots of Wi-Fi spots around.

Yeah, I may suggest to the customer that its time to do a network hardware refresh

But again, as a test, my own iPhone 8 air prints happily on their current network

so I suspect something related to printing corrupted in their iPads. Is there something like iPad printer spooler temp directory ? I would like manually clean /flush out temp print files / jobs

Thanks again

Michael

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Answer 4

Jun 26, 2025 9:46 AM in response to yang11

If neither the Ubiquiti access point nor MikroTik router have been updated, there are very likely updates pending for both. Both for security of the MikroTik itself, and for stability and features of both devices. And flaky networks and compromised networks can cause all of the issues described here.

I’m running mostly Ubiquiti gear, and it works well. If you do decide to refresh, Express 7 is worth a look, and that might also (depending on details, how old, etc) help manage that access point. Or Dream Router 7 if you want to add security cameras, etc.

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Answer 5

yang11 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 25, 2025 8:23 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

thanks for the reply

no, I don't think they have vpn configured

next time, I have a chance to put my hands on the iPads, I will take a look

thanks again

Michael

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Answer 6

yang11 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2025 4:24 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks MrHoffman for the advise

I will try to convince the customer for a network hardware upgrade

Cheers

Michael

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