M477 fdw Won't wake from sleep for Mac

[MacMedix]

Set up my new HP Color MFP M477 FDW today. Demo page prints ok, prints OK from my main Mac (OSX 10.11 El Cap), but in a few minutes the power button blinks and then it is impossible to print without physically walking over to the printer and pressing the power button to wake the printer. In other words, it will not wake from sleep to print.

I'm glad it can sleep because the fan is a loud raspy unpleasant noise. But we also need the printer to print.

I have searched HP troubleshooting & forums without sucess, and hear that this is a common problem with several similar HP models, and has been for several years. But what is the solution?

Details:

IP v4 (ip v6 disabled)

Manual IP

If I connect via the print utility to the IP of the printer, then click on System -> Energy settings. Where it says;

HP Auto Off/Auto On is a power saving mode that will consume low power and wake to print.

   It is set to sleep after 5 minutes, (Max is 1 hour) and

   Shut Down after 4 hours of inactivity. (Max is 8 hours).

Some people mentioned that in older firmware for older HP printers, there was a setting to select what will wake the printer. But this printer does not have those EcoSmart setting.

I checked the firmware datecode and it is 20160921 which is the newest offered. So no reason to update to the same version of firmware.

I do not have a Windows computer, I only use Macs. I did download and install the correct Mac software from HP today.

It is interesting that even when the printer is asleep with power button blinking, I can reach it via the EWS built in webserver. But the HP Utility software can not reach the printer, and any attempts to print to it are ignored. The printer continues to blink the power button, the touchpanel does not light up.

It is also possible to SCAN using the HP Easy Scan app on the computer when the printer is asleep. SO obviously, the printer is connected to the network and responding to the scan software, but not responding to print attempts.

To print it is necessary to walk to the printer and press the power button to wake the printer. This is crazy. Is this printer defective? Or are all the HP M477 fdw printers unable to wake from sleep?

UPDATE: Hey! Printing direct from iPhone WILL Wake the printer. Which seems to point to a problem in HP firmware or HP Mac driver software. Because the printer will not wake for a Mac print job. Pathetic. Now I'm really annoyed & may need to send this printer back & buy a different printer.

[MacMedix · Accepted solution]

   No reply in a couple of days... But I have found a solution.

The HP print driver software for Mac is flawed and will not wake the printer to print. That is the problem. Lame HP print driver for Mac. The solution is actually pretty easy. You do not need to uninstall any software. You just need to re-make the printer queue. I am assuming you already installed the HP software that you downloaded from the HP website (not from anywhere else!)

Start by giving your printer an IP number. You can do that from the printer's touch screen. The printer's IP number will usually have the same first 3 segments as your computer.

Example; your computer is IP number 192.168.1.102.

So you set the printer to be 192.168.1.3 (to avoid conflict, be sure to choose an IP number that is not in use, and outside of your DHCP range).  Ok, that's it this part. Let's move to your Mac.

Pull the Apple Menu to System Preferences.
Click on Printers & Scanners  (or Print & Fax in older Mac OSX)
Click the plus sign at bottom left to add a printer. You may need to enter your admin password.
At the top of the next window, click the IP icon to add an IP printer. Do not use the "Default" because it relies on the flawed HP print driver. We want "IP".
For "Address" enter the IP number you gave the printer.
Protocol is IPP
Queue: (leave blank)

At this point it will have auto-entered the IP number for "Name". You may change the name & Locations to whatever you want. The bottom line is "Use:" and if it has had a quick network chat with the printer, then it ought to have auto-entered the printer make & model here. HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477
Click "Add" and you're finished.

You may use the "minus" to delete the other printer driver from this window, it can't wake the printer to print anyway.

Now when you print via IP, the printer will wake to print.  YAY!  🙂