my printer won't print

[me2-_]

I just returned from a absence of several months and my printer won't actually print.  I have put new ink cartridges in because the ink was getting low.  The HP Smart tells me that printer is OK and ready to print.. I can print from my I Phone, but not my laptop.  The laptop documents were printing fine when I left.  I have unplugged and plugged back in.  there are several docs in the print que.  but  nothing is being printed?     What more can I try.   A couple of years ago, I actually spoke to a real person at HP about much the same issue.   Is there no way to contact a tech at HP any longer?     thanks for any help.      me2-_

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @me2-_,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for reaching out, and welcome back. I can understand how frustrating it is when the printer appears ready, prints from your iPhone, but won't print from your laptop.
 

The good news is that since the printer can print from your iPhone, the printer itself, the ink cartridges, and the connection to your network are likely working correctly. This points more toward a communication issue between the laptop and the printer.
 

Could you please try the following:

1. Clear the print queue
   • Open the printer queue on your laptop and cancel all pending print jobs.
   • Once the queue is empty, restart both the laptop and the printer.
      
2. Check the printer status
   • On the laptop, go to Printers & Scanners and make sure your HP printer is set as the Default Printer.
   • Verify that Use Printer Offline is not selected.
      
3. Remove and re-add the printer
   • Remove the printer from the laptop.
   • Add it again using the HP app or the operating system's printer setup.
      
4. Try printing a test page
   • Print a Windows Test Page (or a test page from your operating system) to see if the laptop can communicate with the printer directly.
      

To help us narrow this down further, could you please let us know:

• The exact HP printer model.
• Whether the laptop is running Windows or Mac.
• If there are any error messages shown for the jobs stuck in the print queue.

Regarding HP support, we're happy to assist here in the HP Community. If additional assistance is needed after these steps, we can help point you to the appropriate support options based on your printer model and warranty status.
 

Please let us know the printer model and what happens after clearing the print queue, and we'll be glad to continue troubleshooting with you.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!

[me2-_]

Coltan the Great was helpful. Uninstalling and reinstalling the printer worked .  I had unplugged it a couple of times but never thought to uninstall and reinstall. Thanks. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @me2-_,

Thank you for coming back and letting us know what resolved the issue. I'm glad to hear that uninstalling and reinstalling the printer restored communication and got everything printing again.

I appreciate you sharing the outcome, as it may help other users who encounter a similar issue where the printer appears online but won't print from the computer.
 

If everything is now printing normally, I'd recommend keeping the printer installed as the default printer and continuing to monitor it over the next few days.
 

Thanks again for the update, and I'm happy to hear you're back up and running!