I am a huge fan of HP printers and believe that overall they are the best printers for businesses and consumers. However, they come with the worst possible software that not only bloats and slows down your system but doesn't really do much to connect your computer to your printer, which is the main goal of any printer
Today, many printers are wireless or at least network capable, which means you can connect a network cable and print without having to connect the printer to your computer via USB. Diagnose hp printer problems is easy. It's absolutely ridiculous if you buy a new printer today and it forces you to connect it to your computer to set it up.
Unfortunately, setting up a network or wireless printer is much more complicated just because you now have to deal with all kinds of equipment between the two devices. Even if you can print to your wireless printer today, you may not be able to do so in a month if the IP address accidentally changes or if someone activates a security feature on your router that prevents communication between devices on the network. There are literally hundreds of things that can go wrong.
In fact, I previously wrote about troubleshooting WiFi printers and offered six possible solutions to fix most WiFi printing problems. However, there are some issues that are only manufacturer-specific and at that point, it is a good idea to just use the diagnostic tools they have provided.
HP Print and Scan Doctor is a free software utility that helps you quickly fix most printing and scanning problems with HP printers. This utility works on everything from Windows XP to Windows 10. Unfortunately, there is no Mac version of this utility yet.
HP Printer Network Troubleshooting
If you are using an HP printer that connects to your computer over a network (wireless or wired), you are likely having some problems connecting to it. Fortunately, HP has built-in a network troubleshooter to help you resolve these issues. However, before even using that troubleshooter, try a few simple steps first.
Here's what I recommend for troubleshooting HP printer network problems:
-
Turn off the computer and the printer.
-
Wait 30 seconds
-
Turn on the printer
-
Wait 30 seconds
-
Turn on the computer
-
After the boot is complete, try printing or scanning again. If everything works fine, stop here. If not, continue with the steps.
-
IF the problem persists, double-click HP Solution Center
-
Click on the Other option under "Other settings" (see image)
-
Click Network Toolbox
-
Click Utilities
-
Click Run Network Diagnostics and follow the instructions on the screen.
-
Good luck!
While generally very reliable, even in the most demanding environments, HP printers are still problematic from time to time. And we all know that printers fail at the most inopportune times. Knowing how to troubleshoot the most common problems associated with these printers is critical for an IT support professional. I have identified 10 problems that you can expect to encounter the most frequently when it comes to an HP printer, and have included suggestions for solving them.
Paper jams
Among the most common problems with any brand of the printer are paper jams. A printer jams for several reasons: it is dirty, the wrong type of paper is being used, or the printer rollers that feed the paper through its path are worn out. While regularly cleaning the printer and using the correct type of paper are easy solutions, replacing the roller can be a difficult job depending on the HP printer model. For some HP printers, the rollers are easily accessible, but other models will need to be completely knocked down to remove the rollers. Regardless of the cause, when clearing a paper jam, always pull the paper in the direction of the paper path, as pulling it backward can seriously damage the printer.
Ghost
Ghost image is a condition where the image prints correctly, but a much lighter copy of the image prints elsewhere as well. This may be due to a problem with the outlet that supplies power to the printer. Check the outlet by plugging in a different printer to see if the same results occur. Ghost images can also occur when consumable parts of the printer (such as the drum or imaging kit) are near the end of their useful life. All consumable parts in a printer are rated for a certain number of pages. Once a printer gets close to that magic number, you'll need to replace those parts to eliminate ghosting.
Conclusion
No matter what issue you are dealing with, we provide you with not only the best quality products but the best service as well. This overview guide about “how to diagnose hp printer problems” is here to help you, but if you need more help, feel free to call our customer service line, our representatives are here to help you in any way possible!