iMac running OS X 10.11.6 (El Capitan) cannot find HP Officejet Pro 8600 Premium

[Ralph1180]

My Mac can no longer find my printer.  It seems to coincide with a network outage two days ago on my ISP's end.  Connection to the internet was restored, but my printer no longer talks to my computer.

The printer says it is connected to the network.  I have restored network defaults multiple times, rebooted the printer multiple times, rebooted the computer multiple times, tried uninstalling and reinstalling drivers ...

Under system preferences, I deleted the printer, and then rebooted the computer.  After the reboot I clicked the "+" sign to add a printer under system preferences/printers & scanners, and it did find the printer.  But when attempting to use it, the software says the printer is not connected.

I note that these forums are replete with posts reporting similar problems, and so far, I have seen none of these problems solved.  So I am concerned that this problem has no solution.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Ralph1180

Welcome to HP Forums, 

This is a great place to get support, find answers and tips,

Thank you for posting your query, I'll be more than glad to help you out 🙂

As I understand the MacOS doesn't detect the HP OfficeJet printer after the ISP's network was out for a couple of days,

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help you, although, to provide an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details to dissect your concern: 

Have you made use of the Official HP website to download the latest drivers for your Mac OS?

Did you upgrade the firmware of your printer? if not please do.

While you answer my query:
If your network changed, then you will need to reconnect your printer to the network. These changes could include:

• New ISP

• New router

• Changed security type (such as from WEP to WPA)

Change the wireless network password using the printer control panel through the Setup, Wireless, or Network menu.

If you know your wireless network password and the printer disconnects from the network, see Printer Does Not Maintain Wireless Connection.

If issue persists, you can start the wireless setup from scratch, following the steps mentioned in this link: Click here

Keep me posted,

If the information I've provided was helpful, 

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.

[Ralph1180]

Problem is solved.  I'm not really sure how, because I repeated things that I had already done, i.e. restarted computer, routers, and printer.  Somehow that solved it.  Thanks for your help.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Ralph1180

Thank you for the update,

I appreciate your time and efforts,

I'm glad you found the solution you were looking for.

Thanks for taking the time to let the community know about the solution

You've been great to work with and it has been a genuine pleasure interacting with you.

I hope both you and your product works great and remain healthy for a long time 😉

To simply say thanks for my efforts to assist you, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos.

And accept this as the solution to help others find your post helpful.

Take care now and do have a fabulous week ahead. 🙂