Do you get frustrated over deadlines when your printer is not responding? Are you an HP printer user facing problems when the printer fails to work? You are in luck because many of these common issues can easily be solved through the right solution. In this article, we’ll outline some of the most common reasons your HP printer isn’t working and how to fix them properly.
1. Connectivity Issues
The most common cause of an HP printer not printing is connectivity. It will just stop printing if your printer cannot communicate with your computer or network.
What to Look At:
A USB connection should ensure the cable is solidly connected to your computer and printer.
Wireless printers must ensure the printer is in the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
Quick Fix:
Restart the printer, computer, and router.
Connect the printer once again to the network using print driver settings in your printer.
2. Old or Infected Printer Drivers
It is because of an infected printer driver, which mostly takes place due to outdated versions of printer drivers, that an HP printer cannot work altogether. Drivers behave like a medium between your computer and the printer. Any form of malfunctioning can slow down or hinder the printing jobs.
You can download the latest drivers from the official website of HP. Remove the existing driver installed in your computer and add the latest version of the driver.
Only updated drivers will be able to ensure smooth communication and best performance.
3. Paper Jam
The worst thing that may happen is finding a paper jam when your HP printer is not working. The paper jam could be caused by misaligned paper or even damaged sheets.
Steps to the Solution:
First, switch off your printer and open the paper tray or access panel.
Gently pull out the jammed paper. Do not leave behind any small bits.
Stack back paper sheets in the paper tray flat and without tears.
Dust your paper from time to time, and store it so as not to jam frequently.
4. Low Ink or Toner Levels
Common Cause: this is the case when your HP printer fails to work at all because of low levels of ink or toner at times, it just stops working once it has reached low levels.
How to Check:
Look for the display or printing software that shows warnings of low ink or toner from the printer.
Replace the empty cartridges as soon as possible.
Use original HP cartridges and avoid error messages that can arise.
5. Printer is Offline
Sometimes you might encounter an error saying your HP printer does not work since it goes offline mode. It normally arises from a printer being disconnected or inappropriate settings for your printer.
Solution
Open the printer queue in the computer
Right-click the name of the printer and remove the “Use Printer Offline” checkmark
Restart the printer to re-activate it to get connected.
6. Misconfigured Print Settings
At times, your HP printer fails to work due to a misconfigured setting. This will include paper size and print quality. In the event that a wrong paper size or print quality is selected, then the printer fails to execute jobs.
What To Do
Print dialog box: Check your print settings.
Set printer to factory settings if unsure of any modifications.
7. Error Messages on Printer Display
It might also flash some error codes and messages across its display, while your HP printer is working abnormally. Most times, these tend to be hinting at problems such as jamming of the paper or connections instead of pure hardware issues.
How to cure
Decode Message: Refer to your HP printer handbook or look for proper information by visiting the Hp website
Resolve all the mentioned error codes above
8. Hardware-related issues
It might be malfunctioning in a hardware part for nothing seems to work when a HP printer prints nothing. For example, print heads wear out just like rollers given enough time.
Steps
Diagnostic test conducted using the repair tools available in your printer
Find HP customer service to get back to normal operations by getting fixes or replacing malfunctioning parts
Conclusion
This would mean it is rather challenging to encounter an issue with your printer. Knowing why the HP printer does not work could make troubleshooting quite easy. As simple as that might be just a connectivity issue or a mere paper jam in some cases- most problems can be fixed easily and without professionals’ help.
If these problems persist, check out more in-depth HP printer error fixes on Printer Not Working. And don’t worry; with a little patience and persistence, your HP printer will be working like new in no time!