6220 Stopped Connecting to Instant Ink on Macbook

[ElainH]

I am getting a message in HP Smart and Instant Ink saying my printer is not connected and I need to connect it.  The printer is connected to my home network and I have tried disconnecting it and then reconnecting it.  

The printer is showing as Idle when I go into Printers & Scanners on the MacBook so it is connected - the issue seems to be with the HP apps etc.  I now need to press Connect on the printer screen for the item to print.  I have tried pulling the plug on the printer, disconnecting it and then reconnecting to my WiFi but I still get the message saying my printer is not connected to HP Smart. 

Please can someone help with this issue.  

[BeemerBiker]

---

@ElainH wrote:

 I still get the message saying my printer is not connected to HP Smart. 

---

Not connected to HP Smart is not the same as being offline.

==i am guessing the following

If a network or status printout shows the printer is online then your MacBook has an old IP address.

It is like someone changing their phone number and not telling you.

Log into your router and configure the printer to have a static or reserved IP address.  Also, ensure the name of the Wi-Fi bands are different.   Your printer can operate in the 2.4 or the 5ghz band.  If the bands have the same name, the printer can wakeup find itself on a different band than it was earlier and obtain a different IP address.

It will still be online  but your PC or smartphone will be unable to find it.

See page 68 for wireless report

Most of the below is for windows but might be useful

---

The below is all know about your OfficeJet: 6220.  Hope I am not oversharing!

---

Watch the reset video or perform the steps. After resetting, you generally have 2 hours to complete the setup. Decide if you want to connect the printer to the router or to print directly to the printer and bypass the router.

Many HP and other OEM printers have problems with the router when the router has two or more bands and all have the same name (SSID). Log into the modem and rename one of the bands. Alternately, contact your ISP and have them rename a band.

Or simply use Wi-Fi direct (but read note below about Instant Ink).

If English is not your native language or if you wish to get additional information not covered below, then use the HP and Microsoft support assistants. The latest HPSA supports 36 languages and can be downloaded here. Microsoft's AI assistant is in the latest Windows 10 and 11 releases and there are instructions here on how to enable the AI. Microsoft's AI assistant (Copilot) has a microphone button and supports natural language processing.

Do not call any phone numbers shown in any of the videos or revealed by a Bing or Google search. You may need to reset your printer.

Disconnecting the USB cable may still leave the printer in the wired or Wi-Fi mode. Connecting an ethernet cable may still leave the printer in Wi-Fi mode. The Wi-Fi reset is used to put Wi-Fi printers into setup mode. Some resets are simple and others require a video to understand. Factory resets cannot be revealed in this forum. To do a factory reset of your printer, you must contact HP.

Click here for world-wide contact info

Wi-Fi reset instructions and videos (if any) are shown below. Generally you have 2 hours to connect your printer after performing the Wi-Fi reset. Note that a reset video may show a slightly different model than yours. Do not call any phone numbers revealed in any video or site.

Microsoft's Copilot may have more recent videos.
Watch this video to see how to reset your printer: 6255. 62xx

Wi-Fi connection

Ideally, your Wi-Fi printer should connect to the modem or router. If your network has multiple boosters / repeaters, it is possible the printer may connect randomly to any of the units. The router needs to provide the same IP address on every connection. This rarely happens with random connects. An alternate Wi-Fi connection is Wi-Fi direct. Your laptop or smartphone prints directly to the printer and does not go through the router. Note that if you signed up for instant ink or internet printing your printer must also be online through the router. Do not call any phone number revealed in any video or site.

This video shows how to connect to the router: 6220
Wi-Fi Direct can be used to avoid configuring the router. Watch this: 6234
Wi-Fi Direct is explained on page 70 of the User Manual, this Wi-Fi setup avoids configuring the router.

Software

HP updates software periodically. Downloads shown below may be old. You should always visit the Software and Download page to look for new releases. You may need to select an operating system (OS) first. If windows 11 is missing then use 10. You can go as far back as Windows 7, 64bit to get missing drivers. After selecting the OS click the blue Open all button to view all downloads.

Full function printer drivers can be downloaded here: 6220
You can find all of the software here. You should select the OS and then look for the phrase "Open All" and click that. 6220

Documents

All documents are available at the below HP site. The user and reference manuals show how to get status reports and analyze error indicators on printer that have no control panel.

All HP manuals are here: 6220

Support Videos - Parts - Disassembly

HP has a YouTube site and there are a number of video in English and other languages. Typically unboxing, clearing paper jams, and cartridge problems. You may also find instructional disassembly videos from other users.

Printer problems could be cleared by one or more of these HP YouTube videos 6220

Printer Reference

One or more printer reference is listed below. Typically your printer may be part of a series and use the same software and manual. The exact spec may be different.

Specifications for your system: 6220 6255 6200 6230

[ElainH]

Thanks - I am not sure how to log into the router and configure the printer!  I did manage to print out the HP Network Configuration page for the printer, although I'm not sure what I should be looking for. 

I think this is a bit too technical for me.  I can still scan direct from the printer to the MacBook so there is a link between them.  It just seems to be an issue with HP Smart.  Last time I had an issue HP basically said the printer was old and needed to be replaced as it was no longer supported - I am hoping that this is not the case. 

Since the last Mac update I have issues with Outlook, so maybe it's something to do with the Mac update.  I've just checked and another update is available so I will do that and see what happens. 

[BeemerBiker]

I do not have your printer model but this is what a network report might show

. The password shown in Wi-Fi can be the printers PIN or the modem's password depending on how you connected to the modem. The printer can have two bands but the only one that is connected will show up.

LAN	STATUS	IP address	SSID	Password
Wi-Fi	enabled	192.168.1.15	ATT-ARRIS-2 .4	GuessAgain
Wi-Fi-direct	enabled	192.168.23.1	DIRECT-WHATEVER	BadGuess
Wired	disabled
USB	disabled

Private network IP addresses are reserved blocks start with

10.x.y.x

172.16.y.z

192.168.y.z

If you see 169.whatever then the printer is not connected to anything.

The IP address of your PC or Mac needs to be in the name subnet as the printer or it cannot find it.

For MacOS this article explains how to get the IP address

As shown above, the printer, computer and smartphone all need to be in the 192.168.1 network

If all systems are on the same subnet then you may need to consult with Apple support.  Possibly a new MacOS version and  has caused a problem with the printer. 

Possibly this video might help.  Do not call any phone numbers listed int the video.

[ElainH]

Thanks for you help and the links.  I was able to check the IP addresses and they all start with 192. 

I installed the latest Mac update and now the printer is printing OK but Instant Ink just says the printer is not connected, even though the printer is printing directly from the laptop!  I will get in touch with HP and see what they suggest, although I will try a reinstall of the HP Smart App and see if that resolves anything. 

[BeemerBiker]

---

@ElainH wrote:

printer is printing directly from the laptop!  

---

You cannot use Wi-Fi direct (air print) as the printer needs to be in contact with the network.

Possibly Secure AirPrint may need to be enabled
I do not know how to enable it as I do not have a Mac.  I do know that HP printers cannot access the internet if they are connected with USB or Wi-Fi direct.

[ElainH]

To be honest I am totally confused as I hadn't changed anything when the HP Instant Ink message on said unable to connect.  In the HP Utility App on my Mac it says printer is idle, subscribed pages low and supplies good - i was able to click on test print from the utility app after running a diagnosis that found no probems and it printed the test!  I definitely need to contact HP to try and figure out the issue as it just seems to be the HP Instant Ink that isn't connecting. 

I have noticed the message on the printer states it couldn't connect to the web service and there is a server problem - the server might be busy or unavailable - I am not sure what server it is referring to!

Thanks for your help in trying to resolve this.