Printer Not Copying or Printing

[carolineaston]

Hi there, 

I've been using my HP Deskjet 4255e for the last few weeks and I've been really liking it, and it hasn't given me problems until now. My school (I am a teacher) does not allow wifi printing so I've been using a USB cable. It's been working great. 

Suddenly today, the printer has completely and totally stopped printing or copying anything. This happened as I was actively using it for the past two hours 2 hours straight. I changed nothing about what I was doing, but in between rounds of copying it just stopped responding entirely. The "information" icon has continually had an light on since I've been using it, as I don't have the printer connected to the internet. This has not prevented me from printing even earlier today. 

Now, whether I am copying or printing something directly from my computer, no luck. I can see the printer is online, and I can send jobs to it, the jobs show up in the queue, but nothing show up. For copying, I can select the number of copies I'd want, but it never actually begins printing. Even after pressing the resume button. 

I've tried power cycling, I've tried manually resetting the wifi settings by pressing and holding the Cancel+Wifi button on the control panel...Nothing..apparently the power button is supposed to start flashing, but it never does. No matter what I seem to try the printer will not print anything except for the information report that simply states whether I'm connected to a wifi network. 

The only active indication I'm getting is a flashing orange light on the information icon, when I press it, it prints the same information report that states I'm not connected to a network. Again, I've been able to print without being connected to a network for upward of a month now with no issues. 

Please Advise - Thank you

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @carolineaston 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I understand how unexpected this is, especially since your HP DeskJet 4255e was printing and copying normally over USB for several weeks and then stopped responding while you were actively using it. The fact that copy jobs do not start from the printer itself is particularly helpful information because it suggests the issue is not limited to the Mac connection or the USB cable.

Based on the symptoms you've described:

• The printer appears powered on and responsive.
• The Information button can still print an information page.
• Print jobs enter the queue but do not print.
• Copy operations also do not start.
• The amber Information light continues to flash.
• The printer is able to print only the information report.

Since the printer can still generate its own information report, the print mechanism is receiving power and is capable of printing. The focus should be on resetting the printer's operational state and checking for a condition preventing normal print or copy jobs from starting.

Please try the following:

Remove any originals from the scanner glass and document feeder.

Cancel all pending print jobs from macOS:

• Open System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
• Select the HP DeskJet 4255e.
• Open the print queue and cancel all jobs.

With the printer powered on, disconnect:

• The USB cable from the printer.
• The power cord from the rear of the printer.

Wait at least 60 seconds.

Press and hold the printer's Power button for approximately 15 seconds while the printer is disconnected from power.

Reconnect only the power cord and allow the printer to fully initialize.

Attempt a standalone copy directly from the printer control panel without reconnecting the USB cable.

If copying works at this stage, reconnect the USB cable and test printing again.

If the copy function still does not start, print a Printer Status Report and inspect it for any messages related to:

• Ink system status
• Cartridge problems
• Paper path issues
• Error conditions requiring attention

Also verify:

• Both ink cartridges are fully seated.
• No paper scraps are present in the paper path.
• The carriage can move freely when the printer is powered off and unplugged.

One additional detail stands out: you mentioned that holding the Wireless + Cancel buttons does not initiate the expected reset sequence. That can sometimes indicate the printer is not fully processing button commands, which makes a power reset especially important before performing any further troubleshooting.

Please let us know:

• Whether a standalone copy works after the power reset.
• If any message appears on the Printer Status Report.
• Whether the amber Information light remains flashing after the restart.

Those results will help narrow down whether the issue is related to the printer's internal state, cartridges, or a hardware function that is preventing both printing and copying.

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye