HP Smart "Printer Status Unknown" Can't Scan

[DaltonR121]

Please help - I have been fussing with this thing for DAYS now.

Long story short, I can not get HP software to communicate with the printer whatsoever.  HP Smart says "Printer Status Unknown".  HP Smart Diagnose & Fix says "Diagnosis complete and no issues were found".  I have tried completely uninstalling and reinstalling printer and software. I have tried restarting printer, computer, and modem/router.  I have tried every fix I can find from previous similar questions all to no avail.  I can print just fine and can even scan using third party software as a work around but I'm not looking for a workaround.  I want to be able to press "Scan to computer" on the printer and it work! 

[TEJ1602]

@DaltonR121, Welcome to HP Support Community!

Assuming that the printer is connected wireless, follow the steps -

This could be due to the connectivity or the drivers installed. Let us try to isolate and resolve the issue-

You may need to instead go into your router settings and try changing the channel manually. Experiment with different channels to see which one works best.

Use HP Print and Scan Doctor

Download HP Print and Scan Doctor and run the program. It will automatically diagnose and fix any printer connectivity issues. 

For more information, go to https://support.hp.com/us-en/topic/printscandoctor

Update the printer firmware

Download available firmware updates from the HP website

With the printer on and connected to the computer, go to HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads, and then identify your printer. Look for and install any available firmware updates. Refer to the document HP Printers - Updating or Upgrading Printer Firmware

Assign manual IP to the printer

The steps on how to set a manual IP address can be found here.

For the DNS servers please use 8.8.8.8 for the Manual Preferred DNS Server and 8.8.4.4 for the Alternate DNS server. These are Google’s public DNS servers

If the issue persists, I recommend you delete the driver and root level and retry, follow the steps below: 

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”

8). Click on the “Drivers” tab 

9) Look for the 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.

Use this link to download and install the new driver. Configure the printer.

Add a TCP/IP port.

1. Print a Network Configuration Report from the Printer Settings or Wireless menu.
2. Right-click your printer, select Printer Properties, click the Ports tab, and then click Add Port.
3. Select Standard TCP/IP Port, and then click New Port.
4. Follow the instructions to add a new port using the information listed on the Network Configuration Report.
5. Try printing.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accepted 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!