Printer turns on by itself

[panthers97]

Why does the printer suddenly turn on by itself at random times? Nobody physically turns it on or is near it. Tried contacting "tech support" but they were useless since my printer is out of warranty they suddenly have no detailed knowledge how to assist. 

[Sneha_01]

HI @panthers97,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

Printers turning on by themselves can be due to several reasons. Here are a few possible causes and troubleshooting steps:

Possible Causes

1. Automatic Maintenance: Some printers are designed to perform automatic maintenance tasks, like cleaning print heads, which can cause them to turn on intermittently.
2. Scheduled Tasks: If the printer has a scheduled task (e.g., firmware updates or status checks), it might turn on automatically.
3. Network Activity: If your printer is connected to a network, it might turn on due to network activity or signals.
4. Remote Printing Services: If your printer is set up for remote printing services (e.g., HP ePrint, Google Cloud Print), it might turn on to check for print jobs.
5. Power Saving Features: Some printers wake up from sleep mode to perform checks or maintenance tasks.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check Printer Settings

Disable Scheduled Tasks:

• Go to your printer’s settings or control panel.
• Look for any scheduled maintenance tasks or updates and disable them if not needed.

Turn Off Remote Printing Services:

• Disable remote printing services like HP ePrint, Google Cloud Print, or others.
• This can usually be found in the printer’s network settings or web interface.

Disable Automatic Updates:

• Turn off automatic firmware updates from the printer’s settings.

2. Network and Connectivity

Disable Wake on LAN:

• Check your printer’s network settings and disable any options related to Wake on LAN or similar features.

Limit Network Access:

• Ensure that only necessary devices and users have access to the printer through the network.

3. Printer Maintenance

1. Regular Manual Maintenance:
   • Perform manual maintenance tasks (like cleaning print heads) regularly to reduce the need for automatic maintenance.

4. Power Management

1. Adjust Power Settings:
   • Check the power settings on the printer. Ensure that it is set to stay in sleep mode until manually turned on.

5. Reset Printer Settings

1. Factory Reset:
   • As a last resort, you can reset your printer to factory settings. This will clear all custom settings and configurations.

Performing a Factory Reset

Here’s how to perform a factory reset on most HP printers:

1. Turn off the printer and disconnect the power cord.
2. Wait for about 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord and turn on the printer.
4. Access the Setup menu:
   • On the printer’s control panel, go to Setup or Settings.
5. Find the Reset option:
   • Look for Printer Maintenance, Tools, or System Setup.Select Restore Factory Defaults or Reset All Settings.
6. Confirm the reset.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Rachel571

HP Support

[panthers97]

Hello, has anyone in the community experienced this? My printer is now turning on AND off on its own and I cannot seem to obtain a solution or satisfactory answer to this. I need an actually researched response, not a simple "check your settings response" as they have not changed since I got the printer years ago.