HP 6968 won't print, it was working just fine but now nothing. I've deleted and reinstalled

[Kathieh3]

HP 6968 was working now nothing.  I click print in MS Word to print a document and nothing happens.  I deleted the printer and reinstalled it and it says it's connected to the wireless network put still won't print. Frustrating....

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @Kathieh3,

Thank you for showing your interest in HP Support Forums. It is a great place to find the help you need, from other users, HP experts, and other support personnel. 

Going through your post, I understand that you are facing the issues while printing from your OfficeJet printer. This looks like an issue with the printer drivers. Do not worry, I will help you fix the same 

To provide you with an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details:

Have you recently made any changes on the printer before the issue started?

Are you able to make a copy from the printer?

Have you tried to print using different applications?

When was the last time it worked (date)?

Hard reset on the printer, router, computer and other devices on the same network.

The following steps temporarily disconnect network and Internet connections and require restarting your computer. Complete any tasks or downloads in progress before continuing.

1. Press the Power button on the printer to turn it off.

2. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.

3. Disconnect the power cord from the wireless router.

4. Turn off the computer.

5. Wait for 30 seconds.

6. Reconnect the power cord to the wireless router.

7. Wait for 30 seconds, or until the router is fully on and ready

8. Turn the computer back on.

9. Wait for the computer to reload

10. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.

11. Turn the printer back on.

Let's try these steps here:

1.) In Windows, search for and open Programs and features

2.) Select your HP Printer

3.) Select Uninstall

4.) In Windows, search for and open Devices and printers

5.) In the Devices and Printers windows look for your HP printer. If you see it listed right-click on it and choose 'Delete' or 'Remove Device'

6.) Open up the run command with the "Windows key + R" key combo.

7.) Type printui.exe /s and click Ok. (Note: there is a space in between “printui.exe” and “/s”)

8.) Click on the "Drivers" tab

9.) Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it Click on it and click Remove at the bottom

10.) Select Ok

11.) Select Apply and Ok on the Print Server Properties windows

12.) Close Devices and Printers

13 ). Restart the PC

14 ). Now click on this link: http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software13/printers/oj6960/OJ6960__Full_WebPack_1979.exe download and install the updated printer drivers.

• On the Connection Options window, select “Wireless - Make a wireless connection to the printer”, and then click “Next”.
• The installation checks your network configuration and will give you either the “HP Wireless Connect” option or “Wireless Setup Using a USB Connection”.
• HP Wireless Connect will automatically find the wireless password from your computer and will connect the printer to the same network. Wireless setup of USB connection will require you to connect USB cable for a short while to convert your printer to wireless.
• Once the printer is connected continue with the installation setup. You can check  http://hp.care/2rpppcJ for more details.

Let me know if those steps worked for you.

If they did, that’s awesome!

Give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons,

That’ll help us and others see that we’ve got the answers!

Good Luck.

[Kathieh3]

Thank you for your instructions.  I got to step 9 in the "lets try these steps" and got a message  the specified driver is in use.  I shut the printer off but still getting the same message.

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @Kathieh3,

Thank you for replying,

I appreciate your time and efforts,

I see from the post that you are having difficulty uninstalling the printer drivers. Don't worry as I still have few steps which should help you resolve this issue.

Let's try clearing the print spooler. Follow the steps below:

• Press “Windows key” + “r” to get the “Run” window.
• Type "services.msc" to get Services – Go to “Print spooler” – Right-click and “Stop” the service.
• Now again open "Run" - Type “spool” and ok - Go to PRINTERS folder - delete everything in that folder.
• Go to services again - Start the print spooler.

Restart your computer & printer and now follow the steps suggested in the previous post to uninstall and reinstall the printer drivers.

Note: unplug the USB cable from the printer if present and then follow the instructions.

I hope this should do the trick, Let me know how it goes for further assistance.

Eagerly waiting for your response!

I hope you have a good day ahead,

And Feel free to ask your queries as this forum has some of the best people in the world available and ready to help.

Regards,

[Kathieh3]

Hi Jeet, I did follow your instructions to the letter but ran into a little glitch.  When trying to remove the print driver I got a message telling me it was part of the network and couldn't be removed.  So I experimented and went to devices and printers and deleted it from there.  When I went back to remove the driver it worked. 

The printer is working on the network.  It just won't print any documents from MSWord that are created using Times Roman , Calibri or Arial fonts.  I haven't tried them all but these three definitely don't print.  If I change the font to Georgia it prints just fine.  Very strange

I do appreciate all your time, effort and expertize in communicating with me.  If you have any other ideas I'll be happy to try them out.

Thank you

[sandytechy20]

@Kathieh3

Thanks for the reply.

Follow the below steps to fix this issue.

Step 1: Clear Temp Folder: 

1. Open your Start menu and in the 'search programs and files' box type %temp% and hit enter.
2. When the Temp folder opens select Ctrl + A at the same time on your keyboard
3. Once everything is highlighted in the Temp folder select 'Delete' on your keyboard to delete the files within the Temp folder. No files and folders on your actual computer will be removed. This will only delete Temporary files. If a file is still be used by a program on your computer you will get the pop up to 'skip' the item.
4. Once the Temp files are deleted close the window
5. On your Desktop, right click on the Recycling Bin and select Empty Recycling Bin

Step 2: Add Alternate Driver:

1. Click on your Start menu
2. Select Devices and Printers
3. In the Devices and Printers folder right click on your HP Officejet Pro 6968 and left click on Printer Properties.
4. Left click on the Advanced tab
5. Left click on New Driver
6. When the New Driver window opens just hit 'next' until you see a list of Manufacturerson the left and a list of Printers on the right.
7. Select HP as the Manufacturer on the left
8. Select Deskjet 6968 as the printer on the right. If Deskjet 9800 doesn't appear than select 'Windows Update' on the bottom left and once the update completes you will be able to select Deskjet 9800.
9. After selecting Deskjet 9800 hit next to complete the New Driver Wizard
10. Under the Printer Properties window select 'Apply' but don't hit OK
11. Select the General tab
12. Rename your printer back to HP Officejet Pro 6968
13. Hit OK
14. Lastly, right click on your HP Officejet Pro 6968 one more time and left click on Printing Preferences
15. Left click on the Paper/Quality tab
16. Left click on the 'Normal' dropdown for Print Quality on the bottom right and change this to Fast Normal
17. Hit Apply and OK

Let me know if that helps.

Cheers.