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We've got an HP LaserJet 4250 network enabled printer on our network. I normally can print to it, as can anyone else in our office. For some reason I can't print to it now. It appears, to my PC, to be offline, but it doesn't appear that way to others.

Why?

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  • 2
    What operating system(s)?
    – Shinrai
    Apr 5, 2012 at 14:09
  • @Rod, please tag your question "Windows" if this is happening on a Windows PC (which has been the assumption in the two answers so far).
    – Scott C Wilson
    Apr 5, 2012 at 14:27
  • Sorry I left that out. I'm using Windows 7. Others are using Windows XP.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 14:58

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
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Since you say you're using Windows 7 and the others are using Windows XP, I've actually seen a printer that does this before (a Xerox Workcentre M20i to be exact). It was incorrectly reporting the online status of the device, so Windows refused to print, but only in Windows 7 (it's ancient so the driver is...questionable). Try this -

  • In Devices and Printers, right-click the printer and select Printer properties.
  • Under the Ports tab, select the port that's currently in use (presumably standard TCP/IP of some sort) and click Configure Port...
  • Uncheck SNMP Status enabled.

This should, in theory, get it to always assume that printer is online. If this is your only problem, it should print properly like this. (The downside is if it ever DOES go offline for realsies, you have no way of knowing.)

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  • OK, I'm adding the port settings manually. It gives me a choice of either using raw or LPR for protocol. I don't know what that means, but I'm going to go with Raw for now. I'm leaving the SNMP Status Enabled checkbox, unchecked.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 16:07
  • OK, that worked, thanks. I've got a Ricoh Aficio MP 4001 PCL6 copier/printer that's giving me the same problem, so I'm guessing I'll have to do the same thing with it.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 16:14
  • Glad to hear that fixed it!
    – Shinrai
    Apr 5, 2012 at 16:50
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Sometimes Windows Updates can bollix up the drivers. You may need to reinstall the drivers for this printer.

Go to Control Panel->Devices and Printers and select the printer and remove and re-add the device, or try Troubleshoot and see if this allows you to fix it.

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  • OK, I've removed the printer from my Devices and Printers, but cannot add it. It can't find it.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 15:15
  • I've checked ad the printer's subnet, gateway, etc, are the same as my PC's.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 16:05
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Click the "Start" button and select "Printers" or "Printers and Faxes" from the menu. A window opens up showing all the printers you can access.

Double-click the printer that is having the issue A new window opens with a list of current print jobs.

Click printer in the menu bar and make sure that "use printer offline" is not checkmarked.

Also, make sure that you can ping the i.p. address of the network printer.

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  • For my machine, the printer in Devices and Printers, appears offline. I can ping the printer by IP fine.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 15:01
  • can you connect to the printers http address?
    – Logman
    Apr 5, 2012 at 15:21
  • Yes, I can connect to the printer's http address fine via a web browser.
    – Rod
    Apr 5, 2012 at 16:04
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Verify the network connection. Print out the printers network information (OR connect to the printers http web interface from a working computer), and compare the info to your computers ipconfig. Check the ip range and subnet. And make sure you are pinging the correct ip.

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