DCP-395CN

An aging DCP-395CN rarely fails because its ink ran out; trouble starts when a look-alike part goes in. Staying in service means respecting its single specification, the standard LC61 tier it shares with 22 other models in this family. The high-yield LC65HY cartridges sold for this cassette family fit just four other printers: MFC-5890CN, MFC-5895CW, MFC-6490CW and MFC-6890CDW. They are not an upgrade for this machine, however similar the cartridges look, so this page lists LC61 cartridges only.

The Brother DCP-395CN is an LC61 standard-tier printer: LC61BK black rated up to 450 pages and the three colors up to 325 pages each (ISO/IEC 24711). On cost per page, the standard black works out at about 1.9 cents a page ($8.69 for up to 450 pages) and each color at about 2.7 cents (up to 325 pages). If you print mostly black, the Set of 10's four-black mix matches how these printers actually consume ink.

Which LC61 should you buy?

One color at a time: black, cyan, magenta and yellow — $8.69 each.
Full refresh: the Set of 4 ($29.94) puts one of each color in one box.
Print every week: the Set of 10 ($59.85) puts four blacks and two of each color in one box.

Chip, ink and everyday use

Handle the hardware gently and it keeps working: grip each new cartridge by its housing, keep fingers off the chip contact, and change only the slot that has run dry. The LC61 system is fully individual, with black, cyan, magenta and yellow in separate slots, each with its own chip. Brother has discontinued the LC61 line; every Clever Supplies LC61 cartridge carries a lifetime warranty with 1-year free returns, rated at Brother's own ISO/IEC 24711 figures (black 450, colors 325).