MFC-J615W

Keeping an MFC-J615W productive is less about finding new hardware than about protecting the hardware already installed, and protection starts with the correct tier. This printer is one of 23 family models that take the standard LC61 tier only. The high-yield LC65HY cartridges sold for this cassette family fit just four other printers — MFC-5890CN, MFC-5895CW, MFC-6490CW and MFC-6890CDW — so any listing offering them as an upgrade here is incorrect, however similar the cartridges look. This page lists LC61 cartridges only.

The Brother MFC-J615W runs on the LC61 standard cartridges — LC61BK black up to 450 pages, 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

Protecting the installed hardware starts with a small installation habit: hold the cartridge by its housing and keep fingers clear of the chip contact. The system it protects is fully individual — black, cyan, magenta and yellow in separate slots, each with its own chip, replaced one at a time. 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).