79 Service Error Message on the LaserJet Pro 200 color M251 Series printer

[NebraskaPierre]

I've been using this printer with the Mac OSX 10.9.4 OS for about 9 months.

I'm now getting a 79 Service Error message. I've tried to turn the printer Off and On several times to no avail.

Strangely enough, when I try to print a new document, a message keeps appearing on my computer, that says "The printer has been paused. Do you want to resume printing?" When I click the Resume button, nothing prints out.

The user manual says that the 79 Service error message is linked to a firmware problem? Do you know how I can fix this issue?

Many thanks,

Pierre

[Gemini02 · Accepted solution]

Hi NebraskaPierre,

I see by your post that you are getting a Service 79 error on the printer. I can help you.

Make sure the printer is connected directly to a wall outlet. (don't use a power hub or a surge protector) This ensures the printer is receiving full power and may help this situation.

This can be caused by malformed PostScript documents.

Please do the following:

Locate the on/off switch on the bottom of the printer.
Switch the printer off position and COUNT to 10.
Turn the printer on again and the system should be all set.

Try printing from another application to see if you have the same issue.

If a print job of yours repeatedly causes this error, it may indicate a problem with the print job.

Try breaking your document up smaller before printing it.

Repair the Disk Permissions on the Mac:

Close all applications.

On the Apple menu bar, click Go, click Applications and then click Utilities.

Double-click Disk Utility.

Highlight your hard drive/partition on the left.

Click Verify and then Repair Disk Permissions.

Restart the computer.

Reset the Printing System:

Note: This will remove all printers in the print and Fax/Scan, any printer removed can be re-added later by clicking the plus (+) symbol.

Click the Apple icon ( ), and then click System Preferences.

Click Printers & Scanners.

Right-click (or Ctrl +click) in the left white side panel, then click Reset printing system.

Click OK to confirm the reset.

Type the correct Name and Password.

Click OK to reset the printing system.

Then click the + sign, then select the printer from the list and click on the Add button.

(make sure it shows the printer name beside Use, not the Airprint driver)

Try printing again. 

I would recommend to run a firmware update on the printer if the issue continues.

There are none on the website for the 10.9, but you can run the updates right from the printer.

Go to setup, services, Laserjet Update, Check for Updates now.

What are you trying to print and from what application are you using? (PDF)

Please provide in detail the results if you are still having issues.

Have a nice weekend!
Thank You.

[tactus]

I'd like to follow up on this - I just upgraded to OS X Yosemite, and now some - not all - of my print jobs fail and generate a "79 service error" instead. I'm using the LaserJet Pro 200 M276nw printer. The error persists on a certain PDF file, but then another PDF printed just fine. An attempt to print a regular email failed on my iMac but succeeded from my iPhone (I use AirPrint for all my devices).

I followed your advice on the power source, switched the printer off for a good while, and also reset the print software on my Mac. Also checked for updates for the printer, but none existed. Is there a Yosemite-related problem you're aware of, or is this something else?

Best

Jaakko

[Gemini02]

Hi @tactus ,

I see that you are getting a 79 error when printing some PDF files from Yosemite. I can help you with this.

I have seen the 79 error caused by malformed PostScript documents and also with the different printer's networked with a fixed IP address. On one post, they changed the fixed IP address and it resolved this issue.

If might be that the PDF could be protected by a permission password and cannot be edited and printed.

Update Adobe.

Try and print the PDF as a image. Print PDF as an image.

Let me know how you make out.

Have a great day!
Thank You.

[tactus]

Thanks - I wasn't actually using Adobe Reader to print the PDF, but rather Apple's Preview. I downloaded Reader and tried a normal print, and it worked just fine - no "print as image" was needed. Strange, but for now the problem seems to be resolved. Let me know if this makes any sense to you.

[Gemini02]

Thanks for letting me know that you can print the PDF from Adobe Reader tactus.

Most likely you have Adobe Acrobat installed already on the Mac, I would suggest to update it and see if you can use the Apple Preview to print again.

Thank You.

[cd9]

Thank you! Using Acrobat or a JPG solved the problem. Wish I didn't spend nearly $200 on toner before finding this answ

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@Gemini02 wrote:

Thanks for letting me know that you can print the PDF from Adobe Reader @tactus.

Most likely you have Adobe Acrobat installed already on the Mac, I would suggest to update it and see if you can use the Apple Preview to print again.

Thank You.

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er.