printer changes ip address, and windows 11 keeps assigning it to WSD. Need to stabilize

[djohndrow]

I have two printers, two desktops and several laptops. My HP MFP 3301 is the problem. Practically every time either I or my wife want to print to it, it is offline, I have traced the problem down to 2 situations, 1) the printer changes its IP address, and Windows 11 usually re-assigns it to the WSD port. To successfully print, I have to look up the current IP address on the printer, open that printer in Win 11, open properties and make sure that the TCP/IP port that matches the current IP is selected. I really need to have a static IP address on the printer and make sure that Win 11 selects that port when I open the printer.

[Repairatrooper]

Most solid solution is to do one of two things:

1 on your router, assign a fixed address to the printer. This will force the router to assign the same address everytime the printer connects.

2. Or you can assign a static address on the printer itself by changing the IP address assignment from DHCP or Boot P to static.

You can also check the network settings on the printer as often you can Disable WSD so that windows cannot use that protocol.