Printer Driver is Unavailable & HP smart app can't find the printer

[MarsLyrae]

Product: HP Smart Tank 615

"Driver is Unavailable" and when I try to print anything the PC just shows me that it's offline and not turned on despite it being powered up. 

We use the printer in the office, wirelessly, The problem started happening a week ago. Few of the work computers can still print on it however the rest is only showing "offline" and "Driver is unavailable". Everything was working fine before. 

I tried to uninstall and reinstall the drivers, but the PCs that are affected still can't find the printer. I tried automatically searching of it and manually typing in the IP address of the printer but the HP smart app still can't find the printer. I need some help.  Thank you in advance

[Max3Aj · Accepted solution]

@MarsLyrae, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
If you're experiencing issues with your HP Smart Tank 615 printer not communicating with some PCs while others are working fine, it’s likely a driver or communication breakdown. Let’s troubleshoot this step-by-step to get those affected computers back online.

🔍 Likely Root Causes:

• Corrupted or outdated printer drivers
• Conflicting entries in Windows Printer spooler
• Network/IP communication issue with printer discovery
• HP Smart App not recognizing the printer due to cache or firewall settings

✅ Step-by-Step Fix

Confirm Printer IP and Connection

1. On the printer, go to Settings > Network Setup > Wireless Settings > Print Wireless Network Test.
2. Note the IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.115).
3. On the affected PC, open Command Prompt and type:

ping 192.168.1.115

• ✅ If it replies, the network is fine.
• ❌ If it times out, the PC may be on a different subnet or Wi-Fi. Reconnect to the same network.

Fully Remove Previous Printer Installations

On the affected PCs:

1. Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click the HP Smart Tank 615 and choose Remove Device.
3. Go to Settings > Apps and uninstall:
   • HP Smart
   • Any HP printer-related entries (e.g., "HP Universal Print Driver", etc.)
4. Open Device Manager and expand Print Queues.
5. Right-click and uninstall any Smart Tank 615 entries.
6. Open C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (you may need admin rights) and clear all files inside.

Reset the Print Spooler

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

net stop spooler 
del /Q /F %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\*.* 
net start spooler

Reinstall Using HP Smart Correctly

1. Restart the PC.
2. Download the latest full driver/software from HP: HP Smart Tank 615 Drivers - Official HP Site.
3. Install the Full Software Solution (not just the basic driver).
4. During setup, manually enter the printer’s IP address if it doesn’t auto-discover.
5. Alternatively, use the “Add Printer by IP” method in Windows:
   • Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Add a Printer.
   • Select The printer I want isn’t listed.
   • Choose Add a printer using a TCP/IP address.
   • Enter the noted IP (e.g., 192.168.1.115) and select HP JetDirect - Socket as the protocol.

Set the IP to Static (Optional but Recommended)

To avoid future IP changes:

1. On the printer, set the current IP as static:
   • Go to Settings > Wireless Settings > Advanced Settings > IP Settings > Manual.
2. Alternatively, log into the printer’s IP via a web browser and set a Manual IP Configuration.

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[MarsLyrae]

Thank you! Everything is working now

[Max3Aj]

@MarsLyrae, A huge thank you for marking this post as the 'Accepted Solution'! We're thrilled that we could help resolve your issue. 

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help! 

Thanks again for your confirmation, and we wish you an amazing day ahead! 

Regards, 

Max3Aj