Deskjet 5940 and MacOS Mojave

[ZeekienVee]

I have a Deskjet 5940 that I bought in 2005. I have not used it in years as I normally print at work, but it is in excellent condition. I am not working for the next few months and want to use it. I have a Macbook Pro running Mojave. Is there any way I can use this printer with this computer? Thank you!

[senan6806]

@ZeekienVee

A warm welcome to HP Support Community!

HP Printer Drivers v5.1 supports HP Deskjet 5900 series, the Deskjet 5900 series driver should be compatible with HP Deskjet 5940 printer. Download and install the HP Printer Drivers v5.1 for OS X from here. Then connect the printer to Mac using a USB cable and use the following steps to add the printer driver:

1.) Click the Apple menu, click System Preferences, and then click Print & Scan or Printers & Scanners.

2.) Check if your printer name displays in the Printers list, If your printer is listed, click the printer name, click the minus sign  to delete the printer.

3.) If you see multiple printer queues for the same printer, remove all extra printers by selecting them one at a time, and then clicking the minus button  at the bottom of the list.

4.) Click the plus sign , click Add Printer or Scanner, click the printer name.

5.) Click the Use or Print Using menu, select the name of your printer in the pop-up menu. Then click Add.

6.) Try to print and scan.

Let me know how it goes!

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the Accepted Solution and Kudos buttons, that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!
Have a great day!

[ZeekienVee]

Thank you. I followed your instructions and it did not work. The little down arrow light on the printer came on and is flashing.

I had called your tech support yesterday and someone there told me that my Mac OS and my old printer are not compatible. He said the printer is too old to work with my OS which is 10.14.4. I thought I would still ask in case he is wrong and just wanted to sell me a new printer.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks.

[senan6806]

@ZeekienVee

It sounds like the printer might be in an error state. Could you try to print a self test page and let me know the result. In order to print the test page:

1.) Turn the printer on.

2.) Press and hold the POWER button.

3.) Press the RESUME button four times.

4.) Release the POWER button.

[ZeekienVee]

I tried this and it did not print anything. It seemed to be trying to, but then the RESUME button started flashing again.  😞 

[ZeekienVee]

Hi, I got an email saying you responded to my last post but when I click on the link to see what you posted, there is nothing after my  last post. So, I am not sure if you deleted the response? Thanks.

[senan6806]

@ZeekienVee

Typically the resume light will blink if the following conditions are not met:

• The printer might be out of paper.
• Place paper in the In tray.
• Press the Resume button.

You may also refer to this document.

[ZeekienVee]

Yep, all those conditions are met! So I still wonder if the printer is incompatible with MacOS 10.14. (Mojave). That is what your tech support guy told me on the phone.

[senan6806]

@ZeekienVee

Since the printer is not able to print a self test page, I believe its a hardware failure and not a macOS compatibility issue.

[ZeekienVee]

Thanks. I bought the black ink cartridge from Amazon. It seems to be inserted correctly. Could an after-market ink cartridge cause the problem I am having? It seemed to have good reviews but was only $6.99.