HP 6978 Printer Offline (even though it isn't)

[Torrance-JH]

My printer is connected to my wireless network and so is my PC, but my PC does not recognize the printer is online (says the printer is offline).  More confounding, HP Instant Ink recognizes the printer is online when I login, but the HP Print and Scan Doctor cannot connect with the printer saying it must be offline (just like my PC).   If I turn the printer off and on, it will connect, but it is ridiculous that I should have to do this everyday (sometimes multiple times in a day) to connect my PC and printer.   

[banhien]

@Torrance-JH 

Welcome to HP Support Forum. Please use the following tips/instructions to fix:

   http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04249080 (Windows)
   https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/c04249334 (Mac)

Regards.

[Torrance-JH]

The HP Print and Scan Doctor doesn't solve the problem.  It shows the printer to be offline as well even though the printer is connected to the network and is recognized to be online by HP instant ink as well.  The HP Print and Scan Doctor solution is to reboot everything (router, printer, etc).  While that results in the PC recognizing the printer, it's a workaround not a solution.  Given the printer is actually connected to the network, there has to be a better way.  I shouldn't have to restart my printer every few hours so it's recognized by the PC on the network.

[asmita6658]

Hi @Torrance-JH

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

Try these steps -

1) In the search box, type and open "Uninstall a Program". 
2) Look for HP Printer software. 
3) Right-click to uninstall. 
4) In the search box, type and open “Devices and printers”. 
5) In the Devices and Printers, look for your HP printer. If you see it listed right-click on it and choose “Delete” or “Remove Device”. 
6) Open the run command with the "Windows key + R" key combo.  
7) Type printui.exe /s and click Ok. (Note: there is a space in between “printui.exe” and “/s”). 
8) Click on the "Drivers" tab. 
9) Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it Click on it and click “Remove” at the bottom. 
10) Select Ok. 
11) Select Apply and Ok on the Print Server Properties windows. 
12) Close Devices and Printers Once the software and drivers are removed. 
13) Restart the computer. 
14) Download and install the software and drivers from here. 
15)Click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions.

If the issue still persists, try step# 2 and 3 from this document. 

Let me know how that goes. 

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