Why does my printer say its offline when its not?

On some occasions for no apparent reason your printer may declare itself offline and refuse to print. This can be very frustrating and often will happen with no warning. The problem is not much different to a printer not recognizing its ink cartridges, as it is purely a communication problem. The Laptop or PC cannot see the printer and therefore any links to between the printer and computer should be checked. The first and most obvious thing to look for is to make sure that the USB lead is attached – it may have worked itself loose or become disconnected in some way. If this is not the problem then try switching the printer off and on again leaving about 2 minutes in between, this will help the printer reset itself and may solve the problem.

If this fails to resolve the issue you can try the following steps:

1. Go to 'Start' Menu
2. Select 'Devices and Printers'
3. Double click or right click on your printer
4. Click the link that says 'Printer Offline'
5. Click 'Printer' at the top
6. Select and uncheck 'Printer Offline'
7. Print

Another common problem can be the failure of a printer to recognize the ink cartridge. Again, this is a communication problem between the 'chip' on the inkjet cartridge and printer. Firstly try switching the printer off and on an again, leaving about 2 minutes in between. If this doesn't work then try pulling the power cable out of the printer while the printer is switched on, leaving for 2 minutes, and plugging back in again and switching back on. This will force the printer to recalibrate itself and may clear the problem. If this fails to work then remove the ink cartridge (if it is one particular cartridge that is giving the problem) and clean the copper 'chip' with a soft cloth. Be especially careful not to touch the copper area of the inkjet cartridge with you hands. If this does not work it's likely the ink cartridges is faulty and should be exchanged for a replacement.

First Published at printerinkcartridges.ie