Brother MFC-J885DW Ink

MFC-J885DW

Brother MFC-J885DW printer

The MFC-J885DW takes LC201 standard ink (260 pages per cartridge, ISO/IEC 24711) and LC203 high-yield ink (550 pages per cartridge) — black LC203BK, cyan LC203C, magenta LC203M, yellow LC203Y. LC203 fits this printer in every slot; no super-high tier reaches this model. The compatible cartridges and sets for this printer are below.

Cartridge	Type	Color	Approx. Yield
Brother LC201BK (compatible)	Standard-Yield ink cartridge	Black	260 pages
Brother LC201C (compatible)	Standard-Yield ink cartridge	Cyan	260 pages
Brother LC201M (compatible)	Standard-Yield ink cartridge	Magenta	260 pages
Brother LC201Y (compatible)	Standard-Yield ink cartridge	Yellow	260 pages
Brother LC201 Set of 4 (compatible)	Full cartridge set	Black / Cyan / Magenta / Yellow	260 black, 260 per color
Brother LC203BK (compatible)	High-Yield ink cartridge	Black	550 pages
Brother LC203C (compatible)	High-Yield ink cartridge	Cyan	550 pages
Brother LC203M (compatible)	High-Yield ink cartridge	Magenta	550 pages
Brother LC203Y (compatible)	High-Yield ink cartridge	Yellow	550 pages
Brother LC203 Set of 4 (compatible)	Full cartridge set	Black / Cyan / Magenta / Yellow	550 black, 550 per color
Brother LC203 Set of 9 (compatible)	Bulk cartridge set (3 Black + 2 per color)	Black / Cyan / Magenta / Yellow	550 black, 550 per color

MFC-J885DW Ink — LC201 Standard, LC203 High-Yield

The MFC-J885DW is part of the WorkSmart six-model group in this family, and its ink is a standard LC201 (260 pages) under high-yield LC203 (550 pages) — and nothing above LC203. The sharing rule of this family runs one way: LC203 works everywhere LC201 works, but LC201 works only here, on the six WorkSmart models — the Business Smart six never accept it. A second honesty note: LC201 singles in our range are fulfilled with LC203-bodied cartridges (same case, same slot) labeled for LC201, and the product pages state that openly. One more caution from Brother's own support pages: the LC203 Starter cartridges supplied with a new printer are not the retail high-yield specification and can produce 'Cannot Detect' messages — do not judge this printer's retail cartridges by its setup set.

An MFC-J885DW stays on the desk because its ink never asks for exotic parts: LC201 standard ink (260 pages per cartridge, ISO/IEC 24711) and LC203 high-yield ink (550 pages per cartridge) — black LC203BK, cyan LC203C, magenta LC203M, yellow LC203Y. LC203 fits every slot, and no super-high tier reaches this model, so one familiar family covers each replacement.

Which LC201 or LC203 should you buy?

LC201 singles, one color at a time: black, cyan, magenta and yellow — $8.24 each, the standard-yield singles, bought only for the one color that ran out.
LC201 full set, all four slots: the Set of 4 ($29.94) places one of each color in a single carton for a complete standard-yield change.
LC203 singles, one color at a time: black, cyan, magenta and yellow — $8.99 each, the high-yield singles for owners who want 550 pages from the replacement slot.
LC203 full set, all four slots: the Set of 4 ($31.44) covers every slot at the 550-page yield when the whole printer is due together.
Print every week: the Set of 9 ($59.94) holds three blacks with two of each color, the reserve for steady weekly printing.

Chip, ink and everyday use

What usually ends a cartridge's useful life early is handling, not the printer. In this range each cartridge carries a new compatible chip and occupies its own slot, replaced separately from the others. Hold it by the housing and keep fingers off the small green chip contacts. Should a firmware update ever cause a recognition hiccup, reseat the cartridge firmly and restart the printer. Every Clever Supplies cartridge here carries a lifetime warranty with 1-year free returns.