Printer Appears Offline Causes

Let’s run down some possible reasons why a printer appears offline to your computer. You create a job, click print and nothing happens. When opening the print queue, you realize there are either other jobs ahead of yours or your job is sitting there, stuck. Now what?

Printer Communication Problem – If your job is the only job in the print queue, you are likely having some sort of communication problem with the printer. Your first instinct will be to send the job again. This will put two jobs in the queue, both equally stuck. Instead, check your USB or network cable to confirm they are securely attached to both the computer and the printer. If they are, try powering down the printer and restarting it. This will fix the problem most of the time. If not, save your work and restart the computer.

Network Printer Problem – This can be similar to the communication issue, but much more complex. The printer either has a static IP address or a Dynamic IP address assigned by the DHCP server (usually your router). Find out what your computer’s IP address is by going to Start>Run and type cmd and hit OK. Next, type ipconfig /all. Your IP address will probably be something similar to 192.168.1.2. Next, compare this to the printer’s IP address. Your printer will have a way to print its settings. All models are different, so look in the menu for something that says Print Configuration and it will print its current settings. Look under the network section for the printer’s IP address and make sure it is similar to the IP address of your computer. If it is not, confirm it is set to get its IP address automatically and reboot the router AND the printer. If the printer has a static IP address, make the IP address similar to your computer’s.

Tip: Set the IP address above the routers DHCP range. You set the DHCP range in the router’s configuration. The range are the IP addresses the router will dynamically use. For instance, if you only have a maximum of 20 networked devices in your home, you might set the DHCP rage from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.29. You can then set your printer’s static IP address to 192.168.1.30. Additionally, you can set any other networked printers on the network to the 192.168.1.30 to 192.168.1.39 range so you always know where to find your printers on the network.

If your printer appears offline, there are other network issues that might cause this: A computer could be sending large files to the printer (like PDFs or images) and the printer cannot buffer them. Or a computer is attempting to send a print job to a computer that can’t handle the paper size.

Locate any computers and clear their queue of the job or cancel the job using the printer’s menu, if possible.

Printer Has A Physical Problem – A printer appears offline occasionally because it might have a hardware problem. Check the printer for jams, empty paper trays, empty low ink. Most commercial-grade printers will also have a removable I/O card that can be replaced. This is the card on the back of the printer that accepts network, USB and other cables.

Printer Appears Offline Solutions

We’ve gone over some of the causes, now for the solution recap:

1. Check Cables
2. Reboot the PC, printer and router (if networked).
3. Clear any jobs that might be causing all jobs behind it to fail.
4. Check the IP address to make sure the printer is local.
5. Make sure the printer is not jammed.
6. Check paper, ink and other consumables that might be depleted.
7. Open the printer queue to make sure the printer is not set to print offline.
8. Remove and reinstall the printer with updated drivers from the Net.
9. Check the printer’s I/O card and replace if all else has failed and you cannot communicate with the printer.

If your printer appears offline and none of these solutions have worked, join our free forums or read our other printer tutorials.

Wireless printing technology has been around for quite some time now; with it, printing from multiple computers in a house or a business enterprise has become so much easier, while simultaneously reducing the clutter of all the cables that were once required. Wireless printer setups allow printers to be placed just about anywhere in the house or office (within the reach of Wi-Fi signals). Wireless printers feature a built-in wireless card. The majority of wireless printers function smoothly if the installation instructions are followed properly.

Preparing To Add A Wireless Printer

Before you attempt to add a wireless printer to your network, make sure that your computer is connected to the network or that your wireless or Bluetooth printer is turned on. Place the printer within the range of the wireless router. Few printers come with an LCD panel that allows you to configure the wireless settings directly. The printer will automatically detect the wireless signals within the range. A Wireless printer can be installed using your operating system’s native add-printer procedure. In order to do this, the printer’s wireless feature must be turned on. In Windows 7, the Operating system’s discovery software automatically searches for the necessary drivers and installs it.  In case the operating system fails to find a wireless printer, an alternate way is to add the printer as a local printer and then add an IP address port. For you to do this, the printer’s IP address must be known.

Most of the time, any obstacles attempting to add a wireless printer arise due to the wireless network settings. Having basic knowledge of your network beforehand can prove helpful.

Steps To Add A Wireless Printer, Bluetooth Printer in Windows 7:

1. Click on Start select “Devices and Printers” (make sure that the wireless or Bluetooth printer is turned on and the computer network is up and running).

Add A Wireless Printer

2. Select “Add a printer” from the devices and printer wizard (You may also get to the printer wizard through the control panel >> Devices and printers >> Add a printer.

3. The next step would be to add a wireless or Bluetooth printer. The printer wizard will prompt you to choose a type of printer that you may want to install.

From the “Add Printer” Wizard. Select Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer, and then click Next.

4. The wireless printer gets detected in the “Add printer” Wizard. From the list of available printers, select a Wireless printer that you want to add to the network. Click next to continue

5. When you select the printer, windows prompts you to install the necessary software drivers for the printer. Click on “Install driver” to install the driver for a Wireless printer.

6. Congratulations! You have just learned how to add a wireless printer to your network.

If you experience problems during the installation of your printer on a Windows network, see the following printer troubleshooting article by Microsoft.

We decided to do a price comparison between two different printing types and see what the printing yield and cost per per page would work out over the course of a year.We used the same website to get the prices, but if you shop around you may find better deals on each. We wanted to see just how much more mileage a laser printer would get over the course of a year so you can make a decision when buying your next printer.

The above table shows two average printers–one is a laser printer and one is an inkjet printer. The cost of the laser is only slightly higher than the inkjet. The cost of the laser printer toner is nearly twice as high as the inkjet, but the yield of the laser printer is over four-times as much. Comparing cost per page over a year at 2600 pages shows the laser printer saved us $75.88 the first year in ink costs.

Find the HP Deskjet 3000 here.

Find the Brother HL-2240 Mono Laser Printer here

It’s also been our experience that laser printers tend to exceed their projected yield while inkjet printers tend to run out sooner than they’re supposed to.

If you’re considering buying a new inkjet soon, or if your inkjet cartridge is almost empty again, consider dumping it for a new laser printer. You will get a faster, more efficient print product and ultimately save enough to buy yourself a new computer in a few years.

Let us know you’re experiences with inkjet printer yield and laser printer yield comparisons.

You may need to download the latest printer drivers if you find the printer is not functioning properly. Follow the suggestions below to troubleshoot an HP printer and fix printing problems in Windows 7.

HP Printer Will Not Print

There could be several reason why your printer will not print. One possible reason could be the print spooler service is stopped. To check the printer spooler, do the following:

• Go to Start>Control Panel>System and Security>Administrative Tools.
• Double-click Services
• Right-click Printer Spooler, then select Properties.
• Make sure the print spooler is set to Automatically start and that it is currently started. You can toggle it off, then back on–this will sometimes fix problems with the spooler.

You should also clear your printing queue. A queue can become jammed with a single print job that blocks everything else behind it.

To clear the print queue in Windows 7 go to Start, then click Devices and Printers. Click on your printer and if there are jobs stuck in the queue, click the Printer menu and then click Cancel all documents. If there are still jobs in the queue, restart the computer and try printing again.

HP Printer Diagnostic Lights

Newer printer will have diagnostic lights. These will use a combination of the power button and other LEDs to flash or blink in different patterns to help you troubleshoot the printer error. Below are a few common diagnostic lights and the problems associated with them:

Slowly Blinking Power Button - If your HP printer has a slowly blinking power button, this means it is in the process of printing a job or doing some type of maintenance, such as aligning the print cartridges.

Power Button Fades On And Off -If the power button fades on and off very slowly, this simply means the printer is in sleep mode. Press the power button to wake the printer up.

Power Button And  Cartridge Lights Flashing – This means there is a severe jam in the carriage area and it needs to be cleared before printing can resume. Power down and unplug the printer, unplug the USB cable and open the printer to reveal the print cartridges. Once the power is off, the cartridges should move freely. If you do not see any obstructions here. Turn the printer around and open the access panel at the back to see if there is paper jammed there. Note: Some printers will have an access panel at the bottom.

If you do not see any paper, try removing and replacing the printer cartridges.

Cartridge Lights Are On – This could either mean you are not using genuine HP print cartridges or your cartridges are low on ink.

Cartridge Lights Are Blinking Slowly – If either the black or the color cartridge lights are blinking, this could either mean the cartridge is missing or the tape on the new cartridge has not been removed before installation.

WiFi Light Is Blinking – If your WiFi light is blinking, this means the printer is searching for a wireless signal.

All Printer Lights Blinking Rapidly – There is a fatal error with the printer. Try powering off the printer. If that doesn’t work, try unplugging the printer.

If none of these solutions work, be sure to visit the HP website and look-up your printer. There should be troubleshooting guides specific to your model. Software issues can usually be fixed by completely uninstalling and removing all references to the printer, and then reinstalling using the current software and drivers from the HP website. Hardware issues may require a trip to the repair shop or a replacement of the printer itself.

Remove Printer Services in Windows

To shut down services that might be causing you to get the spooler errors, click the Start button, then right-click My Computer and select Manage. Under Services and Applications, scroll down until you find something that resembles your old printer. For instance, if you had a Lexmark printer installed, you might see the LexBce Server service running. To shut this service down, right-click the service and select Properties. Under the Startup type, choose Disabled. Under Service status, choose Stop and then click OK.

You can now try restarting your Print Spooler Service. Locate the Print Spooler service from the same area, right-click it and select Properties. Under Starup type, choose Automatic. Under Service status, select Start.

You should no longer see the error Spooler Subsystem App Has Encountered A Problem And Needs To Close when you restart the computer or try to install a new printer.

Install A Print Server

You don’t have to be a network guru to install a print server. Print servers will come with a CD that allows you to set up and configure it. There are a few things to consider when setting up the wireless printer. Follow these steps to install your print server and setup the wireless features:

1. Plug the print server into the printer with a USB cable.
2. If you want to put the printer on the wired network as well, plug an Ethernet cable into the back.
3. Plug in the power cable.
4. Insert the CD into a computer on the network and the setup screen will launch.
5. You will need to put in the name of your router (the SSID). The SSID is the name you see when you access the router over WiFi.
6. You will have an option to have the router give the print server an IP address automatically through DHCP or you can assign a static IP address. For ease of setup, allow it to obtain an IP address through DHCP. More experienced users might opt to assign an IP address to the printer.
7. If asked, select Infrastructure Mode instead of Ad Hoc.

You will then need to go around to each PC and run the CD that came with the print server. The software will install a driver for the print server which is able to see the printer on the network. Once the print driver is installed, run it by going to Start, then All Programs. You should see the print driver utility listed along with the other programs. Once you click on the setup utility, you will be able to select your printer over the network.

If you did not already have the printer installed on your computer, you might need to obtain printer drivers from the printer manufacture if you no longer have the CD.

You can make almost any printer wireless. You will need to get the correct print server for your printer, though. Most print servers will already have inputs for a USB cable. But if you have an older printer that uses a parallel connection, you will need to purchase a print server that have a parallel port.

If you’re ready to put your old printer on the network and make printer wireless, check out these  wireless print servers.

General Laser Printer Maintenance

A laser printer is susceptible to toner spillage, paper jams and roller damage. Toner spillage can be caused by normal usage or by people installing the cartridge incorrectly or by having to remove it continuously to free up paper jams. Toner has a powdery consistency and will coat virtually everything it comes in contact with. Take the following steps to clean spilled toner:

• Remove the toner and use a computer vacuum to carefully clean up large amounts of toner.
• Wipe away remaining toner with a slightly damp cloth.
• Wipe rubber rollers around toner cartridge housing with lint-free cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol.
• With the toner out, carefully inspect interior chassis of printer for torn paper bits.
• Examine pick-up roller and clean with damp cloth. Replace pickup roller if you are getting excessive paper tray jams.
• Clean exterior of toner cartridge with damp cloth and put it back into the printer.

The Fuser And Laser Printer Maintenance

A laser printer has two main parts responsible for the printing process. The toner cartridge (which houses various rollers and drums) and the fuser assembly (which also contains rollers and drums). You frequently replace the toner cartridge, so there is little chance this is ever going to cause problems with the printing process. The fuser, however, is a part of the laser printer which is destined to  fail. The fuser gets extremely hot and is responsible for adhering the toner to the paper. The faster the printer, the hotter the fuser. The heat can cause the fuser’s drum to begin to wear out. You will see these marks on your print outs and it is impossible to fix without replacing the fuser.

The fuser is usually part of a laser printer maintenance kit for a printer and can be ordered directly from the manufacturer or a printer supply store. If you need to replace the fuser, be sure to replace all of the rollers that come in the kit. If you have questions about laser printer maintenance, join our free forums or read our other printer tutorials.

Finding the Printer on the Network

To install the printer using an IP address, go to Start>Control Panel>Printers and Faxes and then click the Add Printer icon. Next, click Create a new port, then select Standard TCP/IP Port from the drop-down menu. You will then be asked to enter an IP address. Enter the IP address of the print server and click Next. You will be asked to select the printer manufacturer and the model from the list. If you do not see your printer listed, insert the disk that came with the printer and click Have Disk.

If you do not know the IP address of the printer, you can sometime select Browse for printer in the beginning of the process. If the networked printer is attached to another computer is being shared, you will need to enter the name of the computer followed by the share name of the printer. For example: computernameprintername. Newer versions of Windows (like Windows 7) make it easier to share printers through the Homegroup.

Spending extra on a network printer can save you money in the long run. Network printers can be higher grade and print cartridges can last longer than personal ink jet printers, so installing a network printer makes economical sense.