Printer detected but no print

[Ninabing]

My deskjet 2545 has been working fine for years, i moved desks and then experienced problems.  It would print one document at a time and then I would need to restart the PC and printer to print another document.  Thinking it was the printers end of life. I bought a Hp 2320 and the same thing happened so I bough a new usb cable and the same thing happened.  However a few days later I am unable to print anything.  I have uninstalled reinstalled spoken to an HP agent, spoken to Lenovo and still i have had no luck.  The printer is detected and ready and I was able to scan however I can't print at all, not even a test page. Please help!! 

[Max3Aj]

@Ninabing, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
I understand how frustrating it must be to have your printer detected but unable to print, especially after trying multiple printers, cables, and even reinstallations. Let's work through this step-by-step to get your printing back on track.

 

• Printer is detected and shows as "Ready"
• Scanning works, but printing (including test pages) does not
• Issue persists across two different HP printers (DeskJet 2545 and 2320)
• Tried new USB cable, reinstalling drivers, and restarting devices

This suggests the issue may be related to the Windows Print Spooler, USB port behavior, or driver conflicts.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting:

Restart the Print Spooler Service

Sometimes the spooler gets stuck and needs a reset.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter
2. Scroll down to Print Spooler
3. Right-click > Stop
4. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files (these are stuck print jobs)
5. Go back to Services, right-click Print Spooler > Start

Set Printer as Default & Clear Print Queue

• Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners
• Click your printer > Set as default
• Click Open print queue and ensure it's empty

Reinstall the Printer with Clean Driver Removal

1. Disconnect the printer USB
2. Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers
3. Right-click and remove all instances of the printer
4. Press Windows + X > Device Manager
5. Expand Print queues and Universal Serial Bus controllers
6. Uninstall any entries related to your printer
7. Restart your PC
8. Download the Full Feature Software for your printer: Official HP® Support
9. Reconnect the printer via USB only when prompted

Try a Different USB Port or Cable

• Use a USB 2.0 port (not USB 3.0) if available
• Avoid using USB hubs or docking stations

Test Printing from Another User Account or PC

This helps isolate if the issue is user-profile specific.

Check for Windows Updates

• Go to Settings > Windows Update
• Install all pending updates, especially optional driver updates 

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. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[Ninabing]

I had been battling for a few days before I asked the forum, a reply came only 2 days later. All troubleshooting in the reply is available on all websites so I had already been through everything or did not understand

 Rather whatsapp support and speak to a person its quicker.

[Max3Aj]

@Ninabing, Thank you for your response,  

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action. 

  

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link. 

  

I hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

  

Max3Aj

HP Support