printer still photocopying but not printing

[Walnut_Isle]

All of a sudden, after I moved my printer away from windows and radiator 'cause maintenance demanded everything 1 foot away from radiators, my printer is still photocopying but not printing.  I repeatedly attempted to send things to the printer.  It just sits there and waits...  I took it all apart and cleaned it and put it back together; I tried operating it from another outlet.  I tried changing ink cartridges.  I went through various prompts and made sure it didn't say "off line."  Nothing seems to help.  When I called my usual local source of help, they said it wasn't worth repairing an old printer.  However, when I look at descriptions of new printers on-line, they require an app for set-up.  I don't do I-phone or any of that stuff.  I just need my good old Windows 7 Home Office desk top for letter writing, bill paying, record keeping, the like.  Also, I need it to last, due to income limitations.  HELP!!!

[Flower_Bud]

@Walnut_Isle,

Welcome to HP Forums,

This is a great place to get support, find answers and tips,

Thank you for posting your query, I'll be more than glad to help you out 🙂

As I understand, your printer is not printing. 

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help, however, to provide an accurate resolution, I need a few more details:

When was the last time it worked fine?

Were there any hardware/software changes made? 

Do you get any error messages while trying to print?

Let's try these troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue: 

Step 1: Delete job files and restart

1. Turn off the printer using the power button and then unplug the printer power cord from the power outlet.

2. Save your work. After using these steps, your current print jobs are lost and will need to be printed again.

3. Open Windows Services using one of the following methods:

   • Search Windows for services, and click Services in the list of results.

   • On your keyboard, press Windows key ( ) + R, type services.msc in the window that opens, and then click OK.

4. Scroll through the list of services and find the name Print Spooler.

5. Right-click Print Spooler and select Stop.

   Figure: Stop selection for Print Spooler Service

   

6. After the service has been stopped, close the service window and use Windows Explorer to browse to C:\Windows\System32\Spool\PRINTERS.

7. Delete all files inside the PRINTERS folder.

8. Shut down your computer from Windows.

9. Make sure you printer has been unplugged for at least 60 seconds, and then plug the power cord into a power outlet.

10. Turn on the printer using the power button on the printer.

11. Turn on the computer and wait for Windows to open.

12. Try printing again and note what happens.

    • If the printer prints, you are done.

    • If the print job becomes stuck again, continue to the next step.

Step 2: Use HP Print and Scan Doctor

HP provides a free tool called HP Print and Scan Doctor to diagnose and resolve printing and scanning problems. Download and run HP Print and Scan Doctor to quickly and automatically perform several troubleshooting tasks known to resolve this issue. When this link is clicked, HP Print and Scan Doctor is downloaded using your Internet browser's download capabilities.

Read and respond to the screens in HP Print and Scan doctor to automatically find and fix any printer problem. After you have finished using HP Print and Scan Doctor, try to print.

• If the printer prints, you are done.

• If the print job becomes stuck again, continue to the next step.

Step 3: Reinstall the print driver

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TROUBLESHOOTING

Keep me posted,

Have a great day

Cheers 🙂