iMac will not connect wirelessly to my Laser Jet M281FDW printer.

[BMC610]

My HP LaserJet M281FDW was printing fine previously but now will not communicate wirelessly with my iMac or iPhones.

I ran through all of the troubleshooting procedures to no avail. Both are on the same network, my iMac recognizes my printer, but states there is an error communicating with the printer.

I finally connected by USB and it will print from my iMac, but I would like to be able to use Apple's Air Print to print wirelessly from iPhones and Macbooks. Any help or diagnosis would be greatly appreciated!

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @BMC610,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP LaserJet M281FDW was previously printing fine but now won’t connect wirelessly to your iMac or iPhones, even though both devices are on the same network. Let’s go through a few steps to identify and resolve this issue.

Confirm the printer’s wireless connection
– On the printer control panel → Network Settings → Wireless Setup → Confirm it’s connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.
– Print a Network Configuration page to verify the IP address and network status.

Restart all devices and network equipment
– Power cycle your printer, Wi-Fi router, and iMac/iPhones.
– This refreshes network communication and can clear temporary conflicts.

Remove and re-add the printer on your iMac
– System Settings → Printers & Scanners → Select the printer → Remove (–).
– Click Add (+) → Select your HP LaserJet M281FDW from the list detected via Bonjour/mDNS.

Check AirPrint functionality
– Ensure the printer has AirPrint enabled (Control Panel → Network/Settings → AirPrint).
– On iPhones, open a document → Share → Print → See if the printer appears.

Assign a static IP to the printer
– In the printer network settings or router, assign a fixed IP.
– This prevents IP conflicts and ensures the iMac and iPhones can always locate the printer.

Update printer firmware and HP software
– HP Smart or HP Support → Check for the latest firmware for the M281FDW.
– Updates often fix wireless or AirPrint communication issues.

I hope this helps.

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