HP 8138e Printer keeps showing a printer error and will not print anything

[ridenjd]

I’ve had my HP 8138e printer for several months and haven’t had any issues with it until the past roughly two weeks. It is connected wirelessly through a DECO Mesh Network system. When I go to print anything from my desktop PC (MEK HERO G1 A5636, 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12400F (2.50 GHz), 48.0 GB RAM, 64-bit OS, x64-based processor, Windows 11 Home 25H2, OS Build 26200.8117), I keep getting a printing error that pops up. I can see the job in the print queue but it just shows an error.  I have another HP printer (HP 6978) on my network which I can print to from my desktop with no issues. I have my HP laptop which is also running Windows 11 Home 25H2 and it can print to both printers with no issues.  I’ve tried removing all the HP software and printer from the desktop and reinstalling everything from scratch, and nothing. I’ve tried doing a factory reset on the printer, nothing. I’m not sure what else to try and this printer is specifically for this desktop PC. Not sure what has changed but I need some help resolving this issue.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @ridenjd 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

I understand that you are facing issues with HP OfficeJet Pro 8138e All-in-One Printer. Your HP 8138e printer showing a persistent “printer error” on your Windows 11 desktop is most likely caused by a driver or Windows Print Spooler conflict specific to that PC, not the printer itself. I would request you to please follow the steps:

Clear the Print Spooler

• Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Find Print Spooler, right‑click → Stop.
• Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files inside.
• Go back to Services, right‑click Print Spooler → Start.
• Retry printing.

Reinstall Printer Drivers

• Go to Device Manager → Printers.
• Right‑click HP 8138e → Uninstall device.
• Remove any HP software from Apps & Features.
• Download the latest drivers and firmware for HP 8138e from HP’s support site.
• Reinstall and test.

Reset Printer Port Settings

• Open Control Panel → Devices and Printers.
• Right‑click HP 8138e → Printer Properties → Ports tab.
• Ensure the port matches the printer’s IP address (check via printer’s control panel).
• If incorrect, add a new Standard TCP/IP Port

Hope this helps, Please revert if the issue persists.

Take care and have an amazing day!