HP 8720 Printer Lost connection to Instant Ink

[PatrickWarner]

Since a few days ago, Instant Ink seems to have lost connection to my printer.

I received an automated email from HP saying I needed to accept terms and conditions on the printer screen but I could not find this button until I removed and re-add web services...

The printer was unable to get the information page from Web services, so I have removed and then re-added the web services on the printer screen, and now it says it is connected and has retrieved an email address.

The printer works correctly to print, scan etc locally and I can ping the printer on the local network (was alredy working even at the start of this issue).

HP Smart Windows 11 app shows the printer as online and working fine.

HP Smart app on IOS phone shows no printers are installed.

Account dashbord at HPSmart.com on browser shows no printers installed!

Instant Ink Overview shows the printer as enrolled, but is unable to connect.

Banner at top of printer screen is showing grey - I am pretty sure it showed green in the past when everything was working fine?  However I cannot find any error or anomoly anywhere in the printer menus.

Actions done so far:

- All house internet routers reset serveral times including complete power down for 30 seconds.

- Printer shut down and restarted several times.  Printer says firmware is current.

- Tried to "replace" printer in instant ink with the same one but the instructions I got don't seem to work or tie up with what I am seeing on the screens.

Can someone help me with further troubleshooting?

Edit: From what I can tell, I no longer have any printers listed in my HP account, and I cannot find a way to add the printer back, even though it appears correctly in the HP Smart app and it shows as enrolled but not contactable in Instant Ink

[Jerry_57 · Accepted solution]

Hi @PatrickWarner,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

To troubleshoot the lost connection to HP Instant Ink for your HP 8720 printer, follow these steps:
 

Reconnecting HP Instant Ink Services

Check Printer Screen: Your printer may require accepting updated terms and conditions on the printer screen. Make sure to navigate to the web services settings on your printer and check for any pending acceptance prompts.

Web Services Setup: Since you have already removed and re-added web services on the printer:
 

• Ensure that the printer is registered correctly and that you have enabled web services. This can typically be done through the printer’s control panel.
   
• Verify internet connectivity; the printer needs to be online to access HP Instant Ink services.

Update Printer Firmware: Ensure your printer's firmware is up to date, as this can affect connectivity. Firmware updates may be available under the printer settings or by visiting the Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support.

Sign in to the HP Instant Ink Account:
 

• Go to the HP Instant Ink account and verify if your account settings are correctly configured. Ensure there are no pending alerts or account issues.
   
• Check under Shipment Tracking or your account overview for any information that might indicate service disruptions.
   

I hope this will help.

 

Take care and have a good day.

Jerry_57
HP Support

[PatrickWarner]

HI - no the issue is not fully resolved - I tried all the suggestions and I also reset the printer to factory settings and re-enrolled it.  

The printer is now showing up on the overall HP dashboard, but it still will not update the status of how many pages was printed.

However 95% of the time, it refuses to sync with HP and display the amount of pages that were printed.  The strange thing is though - very occasionally it does sync up and update everything - e.g. the problem started on the 25th March and I spent days trying to fix it.  One time, on 28th March, the pinter suddenly updated to the HP status, so I assumed the issue was solved, but when I then clicked refresh, it again said it could not connect.

Again it would not connect for 3 days, but one time today (1st April) it has connected.  But again, when I click the refresh button it now says "unable to connect to printer" but "synced on 1st April".

Therefore it seems like very occasionally the attempt to refresh the status works, but most of the time it does not work.

[Jerry_57]

Hi @PatrickWarner,

Thank you for your response.

Kindly share the serial number of your printer or an Instant Ink account number with us in a private message.

To access your private messages, simply click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your profile and send a private message to me with the serial number, because we value your privacy.
 

Jerry_57

HP Support

[PatrickWarner]

I was still having problems with this printer up until today.  In fact , yesterday it completely stopped printing and refused to print until it was re-connected to HP.  I was just about resigned to having to go and buy a new printer today, but then this morning, everything is completely back to normal and the printer is behaving totally normally!

I can only assume that there was some kind of issue on the HP end with really old printers like this and it has now been fixed.