Fix Brother Label Printer “The media installed in the machine does not match the one selected in the application”

Problem

When trying to print with your Brother label printer, the Status Monitor warns “The media installed in the machine does not match the one selected in the application”, and the printer flashes a red light near the power button. The printer refuses to print.

For example, this happened on my QL-1110NWB.

Solution

  1. Go to SettingsBluetooth & devicesPrinters & scanners, and click on your Brother printer.
  2. Click on Printing preferences to bring up this window. (It’s crucial to open this Printing Preferences window from the Settings app instead of from any other program, because only the Settings app configures the default printer settings — otherwise the settings do not persist across applications or sessions.)
  3. Select the correct paper size that matches the actual roll. Remember that 4″ x 6″ and 4.07″ x 6.4″ both exist and are different! For continuous rolls (such as DK-2246), select the width (such as 4.07″).
  4. Click OK to save the settings.
  5. Restart the printer to clear the error, and try printing again.

Thanks to my friend Larry for figuring this out with me!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Kevin

If you are printing from a program accessed through Chrome like Shipstation, the answer is as simple as installing the Free Adobe Reader extension for Chrome. Chrome has a difficult time conveying the proper pdf information that the program may be using.