If you have a wireless or network printer and have no idea why it’s not getting an IP address, then connect it to the computer using a USB cable first. Unfortunately, until you get the printer online at least, the program can’t help you very much. Now what if you’re having issues even getting the printer to show up properly? In that case, the program won’t be able to find your printer and you’ll see this screen:ĭepending on how you want to connect the printer, the program will give you tips for getting the printer connected. Once it shows up, you can then click Next and continue to screen where you can diagnose problems with the printer. When you start the program up, it will go ahead and perform a search for any HP printer connected via USB, ethernet or wirelessly. Port Match/Device Conflicts – Checks the port settings for the printer and makes sure there are no device conflicts with the printer like other drivers or printer brands.

Print Queue – Clears the print queue if there are stuck jobs. Here’s a quick list of items checked:Ĭonnectivity – If connected via USB, it makes sure the printer is connected properly and if connected via the network, it makes sure your computer is actually connected to the network.ĭevice Status – Checks to make sure there are no printer errors like out of ink, paper jams, feed issues, etc.ĭriver Check – Makes sure the driver is not corrupt or missing.ĭevice Manager – Checks for issues in Device Manager that could be causing issues. The program checks a bunch of stuff and actually replaces four separate utilities that HP used to have for diagnosing problems with printers. Unfortunately, there is no Mac version of this utility yet. This utility works on everything from Windows XP to Windows 10. HP Print and Scan Doctor is a free software utility that helps you quickly address most printing and scanning issues with HP printers. However, there are some issues that are just manufacturer-specific and at that point, it’s a good idea to simply use the diagnostic tools they have provided.

In fact, I’ve previously written about troubleshooting WiFi printers and gave six possible solutions for fixing most WiFi printing issues.

There are literally hundreds of things that can go wrong. Even if you can print to your wireless printer today, you may not be able to a month from now if the IP address accidentality changes or if someone turns on a security feature on your router that prevents communication between devices on the network. Unfortunately, setting up a network or wireless printer is far more complicated just because you now have to deal with all kinds of equipment in between the two devices.

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