The printer looks connected, it has paper, and nothing seems to have changed. Yet your document stays stubbornly stuck in the print queue. Unfortunately, printer problems are a common reason employees call the helpdesk.
Issues often arise with printers because several different systems have to work together for printing to succeed. The computer, operating system, printer driver, network, print queue, and printer itself can all cause problems.
The good news is that you can resolve many common printer issues with a few basic troubleshooting steps.
Why Is My Printer Not Printing?
If your printer is not printing, first check the printer's status, connection, print queue, and selected printer. Then restart the printer and computer before moving into driver or network troubleshooting. In this article we will outline the following basic troubleshooting steps to check your printer for the following issues:
- Paper jams
- Low or empty toner
- Error messages
- An open paper tray or access door
- Offline status
- Network connection problems
- Make sure your computer sends the job to the correct printer.
If everything in the list above looks correct, keep reading more advice below.
1. Check If the Printer Is Offline
- Check the printer’s status. Look at the printer’s home screen or display. If it shows Offline, start by confirming that the printer is powered on and ready.
- Check the USB cable. If the printer connects directly to your computer with a USB cable, make sure the cable is securely connected to both the printer and the computer.
- Check the network connection. Confirm your network printer is connected to the company's network. Many office printers connect through Ethernet or Wi-Fi, so the issue may be with the network rather than the printer itself.
- Open the printer's queue and look for documents that show an error or remain stuck in a printing state.
- Cancel any failed jobs.
- Then try printing a simple one-page document.
- If Windows will not remove the stuck print job, restarting the computer can clear the queue. In more complicated cases, IT support may need to restart the Windows Print Spooler service.
- Turn the printer off completely.
- Wait about 30 seconds, then turn it back on.
- Restart the computer as well.
- Once both devices finish starting backup, try printing again.
Printers, computers, servers, cameras, phones, and other office devices often rely on the same network infrastructure. We discuss why this matters in our article, Why Your Business Network Needs More Than One IT Person.
If one person cannot print, continue troubleshooting the individual computer or printer. If no one in the office can print, it is time to contact your help desk. The problem may extend beyond the printer itself.
2. Clear the Print Queue
Open print queue. Select the stuck print job and click Cancel. If multiple jobs are stuck, cancel each one.Try printing your document again.If the jobs won’t clear: Restart the printer and your computer, then check the print queue again.
3. Restart the Printer and Computer
Printers and computers maintain active connections, software processes, and network sessions. If one of those processes stops responding, restarting the equipment forces those connections to rebuild.
This simple step can resolve temporary communication errors without changing drivers, network settings, or printer configurations.
4. Confirm You Are Using the Correct Printer
Look at the printer’s name in the print window to confirm that it is the correct printer. Select the correct printer and try again. If a computer defaults to the wrong printer, your IT team can update your settings to your preferred printer.
5. Check for a Paper Jam
Not all paper jams are obvious as small pieces of paper can remain inside the printer. Remove any loose bits of paper, being mindful that pulling paper aggressively can damage rollers or leave pieces behind. Once you remove the paper, close every printer panel completely and attempt to print again.
6. Update or Reinstall the Printer Driver
If the print driver becomes corrupted or outdated, printing may stop working even though the printer remains available. Your IT team may need to remove the existing printer and reinstall it with the correct driver.
Final Thoughts
One printer problem may take only a few minutes to fix. However, repeated technology interruptions across an entire business can consume hours of employee time.
If your team regularly has printers going offline, software or network issues, it may be a sign of larger IT issues for your IT team to address.
At 4BIS Cyber Security & IT Services we help businesses throughout Greater Cincinnati manage, support, and improve the technology their employees depend on every day.
Contact us to talk with our team about IT support for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions About Printer Problems
When Should You Contact IT Support About a Printer?
You do not need to spend an hour troubleshooting a printer just because the problem looks minor. Your time is valuable, and your IT provider is there to provide help. If you cannot resolve the issue within 15 mins and basic troubleshooting- reach out to your provider.
How can we decrease printing issues?
Keep printer firmware and drivers current. Remove obsolete printers from computers. Standardize printer models when practical. Maintain clear documentation showing printer names, locations, IP addresses, and configurations.
As we share in Is Your IT Team Just Fixing Computers?, IT should reduce recurring problems, improve infrastructure, support employees, and avoid unnecessary downtime.
What is the first thing I should do when my printer will not print?
Check if the printer is powered on, connected to the network, and free of errors. Then confirm that your computer selected the correct printer and checked the print queue for stuck jobs.
Why does my printer says it is offline when it is turned on?
Your computer may have lost communication with the printer. The problem could involve the network connection, printer IP address, Windows configuration, print service, or printer driver.
