Officejet 6978 doesn't print

[rxnole]

My work laptop printed fine for over a year on my HP Officejet Pro 6978 then stopped. Guessing this is related to Windows 10 update that I've seen on here multiple times. I've uninstalled the printer and reinstalled multiple times. Scan works, printer is connected, I can even print a test page to clean the printer, but cannot print an actual document. I've already tried following several suggested series of steps found on the forum. Printing works fine from my personal home laptop also on Windows 10. What gives?

[sandytechy20]

@rxnole

Welcome to the HP support community.

Perform root level uninstallation to remove all the printer related software's.

• In Windows, search for and open Programs and Features.
• Select your HP printer.
• Select Uninstall.
• In Windows, search for and open Devices and Printers.
• In the Devices and Printers window look for your HP Printer. If you see it listed, right-click on it and choose "Delete" or "Remove Device.”
• Open up the run command with the "Windows Key + R" key combo.
• Type printui.exe /s and click OK.
• Click on Drivers tab.
• Look for HP Printer driver. If you see it click on it and click Remove at the bottom.
• Select OK.
• Remove all instances of the same.
• Select Apply and OK on the Print Server Properties windows.
• Close Devices and Printers. 
• Restart the PC again.

Download and install printer full feature driver:-

Click here to download the driver.

Update the printer firmware

Here are the steps:- Click here

I hope that helps.

To thank me for my efforts to help you, please mark my post as an accepted solution so that it benefits several others.

Cheers.

[rxnole]

Hello and thank you for the suggestions. I've done much of this before unsuccessfully. I tried this again, but I'm getting stuck now trying to connect the computer to the printer, which is connected to my network. The link for the driver you sent looks like it installed for the Officejet 4630 series. Is that correct for the Pro 6978 that I have? I've tried entering IP address and also the hostname, but neither finds the printer. Any suggestions?

[Kumar0307]

@rxnole

It looks like an incorrect link that was posted by mistake. As you have already tried reinstalling the printer driver, let us try installing the printer using its IP address.

• Make sure the printer and the PC are connected to the same wireless network.
• This printer supports only 2.4GHz network. So, the PC should be on the 2.4GHz network.
• If you have a Dual-band router and both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks share the same name/SSID, the printer will not be able to connect to the network. In this case, contact your Internet service provider to assign different names to both the networks.

If you are able to scan and print test pages, it means the connectivity is good and the printer hardware is working fine.

1. On the PC, go to Control panel > Devices and printers > Add a printer(at the top) 
2. Under 'Choose a device or printer', click on 'The printer I want isn't listed'.
3. Select 'Add a printer using a TCP/IP address'
4. Find the IP address of the printer by tapping on the wireless/ethernet icon on the printer screen
5. Type in the 'IP address in Hostname or IP address' box, click next
6. Proceed to the next steps by following the on-screen instructions.
7. Try printing.

If the issue persists, Install the printer using Windows built-in driver

Refer to this document to know how. Try printing.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[rxnole]

Unfortunately, it's still not working and I've created two separate networks to make sure the printer and computer are both on 2.4 GHz. I've uninstalled and reinstalled multiple times. I get a print error every time. Is it possible it's just no longer compatible? I don't understand. Everything worked fine for a year then just stopped.

[Kumar0307]

@rxnole

Try making a standalone copy and check if that works. By this, we can conclude if the printer hardware is working fine.

• Obtain the IP address of the printer – You can touch the “wireless” icon on the printer control panel to obtain the IP address.
• Type the IP address at the top of your web browser to obtain the printer EWS page on your computer.
• If you get any security notification, click on show details/advanced and 'proceed to this website'.
• Try printing a test page to confirm the connectivity between the devices.

Let me know how this goes.

[rxnole]

I can make a copy and I can scan a document to my work laptop, so I don't believe it's a hardware issue. I can also initiate a print from a different computer on our home network. When I try to initiate a print from my work laptop, the printer shows up on the printer list and shows as "Ready", but I get a print error every time now since around March/April.

[Kumar0307]

@rxnole

Did you try to access the EWS page of the printer as mentioned in my previous post and try to print a test page from there?

Keep me posted.

[rxnole]

Sorry, yes I did that and it printed the test page. I feel like there's some weird issue with settings, but I have no idea what else to look at. I don't recall having made any changes before the issue started. But since it's a work computer, it's possible an update was applied that made a change. I just don't know where to look and because it's my personal printer, our helpdesk isn't able to troubleshoot.

[Kumar0307]

@rxnole

Thank you for the information. If you were able to print from the EWS page, it means the connectivity between the devices is fine. Also, the printer hardware is working fine. By this, we can conclude this is a software/driver issue.

If you have already tried to Install the printer using Windows built-in driver as mentioned in one of my previous posts and that did not help, try creating a new user account and then install the printer drivers.

This would be out last resort. Also, make sure you are logged in as Admin on the PC.

Keep me posted.