Hardwired printer not seen by iMac

[Garyf2]

My Officejet Pro 8600 was doing fine printing wirelessly from my iMac Retina 5 running Sierra 10.12.6.

Then we moved to a new state with a new Internet provider.  The new modem is "dual mode" - provided a network connection and a 5G connection.  I read online that the 8600 could have problems with this type of modem.  In fact it would lose the connection everytime it went idle.  I would have to repeat the wireless setup and turn my Mac Wi-Fi off and back on in order to get it to print.  I got tired of this and bought a USB cable to connect the Mac to the printer.

I went online and downloaded the HP EasyScan driver.  I did the installation and told it that I was connected via a USB cable.  It printed a smaple page.

However, now, if I try to scan I get a message saying that the printer is unavailable.

If I try to print I get a message saying that the printer is not connected.

If I open the HP Utility I get a message that it is unable to communicate with the selected device saying it may have been turned off, or otherwise disconnected.  Although "Device Information" does list the correct model (HP Officejet Pro 8600) with Connection type "Bonjour" and Driver Version "HP Inkjet 3 Driver 4.1.1".  All of the other items on the "Device Information" page are listed as Unknown.

I have turned the printer off and on and I have unplugged it for a couple of minutes, then plugged it in and tried to print and scan again with the same negative results.

Any ideas?  Thanks.

[senan6806 · Accepted solution]

@Garyf2

Welcome to HP Forums. This is a great place to get support, find answers and tips to your technical queries.

It sounds like an issue with the print/scan driver installed on your PC. Removing existing driver and adding compatible driver may resolve the issue. Let's try these steps:

1.) Click the Apple menu, click System Preferences, and then click Print & Scan or Printers & Scanners.

2.) Check if your printer name displays in the Printers list, If your printer is listed, click the printer name, click the minus sign to delete the printer.

3.) If you see multiple printer queues for the same printer, remove all extra printers by selecting them one at a time, and then clicking the minus button  at the bottom of the list.

4.) Click the plus sign , click Add Printer or Scanner, click the printer name.

5.) Click the Use or Print Using menu, select the name of your printer in the pop-up menu, and then click Add.

6.) Try to print and scan.

Let me know how it goes!

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!
Have a great day!

[Garyf2]

Thanks.  Worked perfectly!

[senan6806]

@Garyf2

You are welcome!

Glad to hear that the issue is resolved. If you need any help, feel free to reach out to us.

Have a great day!