Compatible Brother DR241 / DR245 drum: installation, reset and savings | Star Toner

The compatible Brother DR241 / DR245 drum is the imaging unit of your Brother colour laser printer, not the toner cartridge. With an approximate yield of 15,000 pages, it is the part that transfers the toner onto the paper. It is a separate consumable from the toner and usually lasts several toner changes before it needs replacing.

What it is and which printers it fits

The DR241CL drum (also referenced as DR245) is compatible with the following Brother models:

• Brother DCP-9015CDW
• Brother DCP-9020CDW
• Brother HL-3140CW
• Brother HL-3150CDW
• Brother HL-3170CDW
• Brother MFC-9140CDN
• Brother MFC-9330CDW
• Brother MFC-9340CDW

If your machine appears on this list, this drum will fit. Remember that the drum and the toner are separate parts: for the colour consumable you may also be interested in the compatible Brother TN325 / TN315 colour toner, and for mono machines the compatible Brother TN360 toner.

How to install it and what to do if it "does not recognise the cartridge"

Installation is straightforward: switch off the printer, open the front cover and remove the drum + toner assembly. Separate the toner cartridge from the old drum, fit it into the new drum and reinsert the assembly. Close the cover.

The drums in this series use an internal software counter, not an electronic chip. That is why, after the change, it is advisable to reset the drum counter manually; otherwise the printer will keep warning you to "replace drum" even though the part is new.

The usual procedure on the HL-31xx models is: with the front cover open, press OK, then scroll up with the arrows to Drum and confirm to set the counter to zero. On the DCP and MFC models with a screen, go into the maintenance menu and select the drum reset. If a drum warning appears at start-up, it is not a product fault: it is the counter waiting to be reset. Check your model's manual for the exact button sequence.

Yield and savings compared with the original

The difference is in the price: compatible consumables considerably reduce the cost per page without changing your printer or the way you print.

If you want to see the real impact on your wallet, we explain it in the real cost of printing, and we compare quality against the brand in original vs compatible, printed side by side.

Why buy it from Star Toner

Your Startoner consumable is covered by a three-year legal conformity guarantee. Printer coverage is governed by the manufacturer’s terms and may exclude damage caused by consumables. Using a compatible cartridge does not by itself establish the cause of a fault; keep your documentation and contact us if a problem occurs.

If your machine is mono and you are looking for a drum from another series, we also have the compatible Brother DR-2000 / DR-350 drum. Choose the reference that matches your model and start printing with the same yield for considerably less.

Frequently asked questions