Mac constantly says "Printer Offline" when I try to print

[FusionPilot]

Computer: Mac Studio m-2.  Printer: HP 7640. Printer is on my network, as is the computer, iPad and iPhone.

Computer has good internet connection and can see the iPhone and exchange things like pictures with both the phone and the iPad.

I have been fighting this issue for some time. Through investigation, I have found the following:

1. If I leave the computer/printer alone, frequently after some time passes - and this can be several hours - the printer will wake up and print all the jobs in the queue.

2. If I print from my phone or iPad, the printer behaves as normal and prints the jobs sent to it, but it still shows as OffLine to the computer.

3. I have deleted and reinstalled the printer multiple times on the computer, and when it works, it works fine. 

4. Issue only occurs after initial start-up of Mac in the morning. Once they get together the rest is fine.

5. Restarting the Mac usually cures the issue (about 90% of the time); restarting the printer does not cure the issue.

6. The printer will copy without issue.

7. Running HP Smart and a scan command on the Mac gets the Printer Offline message as well.

I can't figure out why this is happening, but need some way to tell the computer to check with the printer for on-line status.

[Garp_senchau]

@FusionPilot, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

It sounds like you're dealing with a frustrating and persistent issue where your Mac loses communication with the printer, especially during the initial startup phase. 

Printer Going to Sleep Mode:

The printer might be going into a deep sleep or power-saving mode, causing the Mac to think it’s offline.

Check the printer settings to see if you can disable or extend the sleep timeout. This would reduce the chances of the printer "disappearing" from the network when it’s idle.

Use HP Smart App to Wake Printer: You mentioned HP Smart, so it might be possible to create a wake-up trigger within the app itself. Ensure the app is allowed to send wake-up commands when needed.

Network Communication Delays:

Assign Static IP to the Printer: This ensures the printer always uses the same IP address. You can set this up from the printer’s settings menu (usually via the control panel on the printer), or by setting a DHCP reservation on your router.

Check Router Settings: If your router has features like "AP isolation" or "Client Isolation" enabled, try disabling them. These settings sometimes prevent devices from communicating properly with each other.

Mac’s Printer Queue Management:

Go to Apple Menu > System Settings > Printers & Scanners.

Right-click in the printer list and choose Reset Printing System.

Re-add the printer manually once it's reset.

Set Printer as Default: After adding the printer back, set it as the default printer in System Settings > Printers & Scanners to ensure it tries to connect to that printer first.

Run HP Smart:

• Download and run the HP Smart. Follow the prompts to diagnose and fix common printing issues.
• Refer: Use Diagnose & Fix in HP Smart to repair common printing issues (Windows, macOS) | HP® Support

Update Printer Firmware (Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support)

• Go to the HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads page. Enter your printer model number and search for the latest firmware update. Follow the instructions to download and install the firmware update.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

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