Troubleshoot steps for when my printer not responding to my mac

printer

There’s nothing more frustrating than not being in a position to print a document whenever you need it. You click File then Print but there’s nothing. Then, perhaps, macOS looks like it’s printing, and you concentrate on something else and then discover 20 minutes later that nothing is coming from the printer. What now? Try these troubleshooting techniques.

Make sure that the printer’s print queue is checked App

When you print, the printer’s Print Queue application is displayed in the Dock, with a name to reflect the name of the printer. (If you don’t see it, open the System Preferences > Printers and Scanners, choose the printer you wish to use and then click to open the Print Queue.)
Within the Print Queue application, check what is happening with the printer as well as your print jobs. In the first instance, if the printer you are printing on is multiple is the app compatible with the right printer? If not, then cancel the job by hitting the X button on its right. Then, stop the Print Queue application, print once more, and select the appropriate printing printer in the Printer pop-up menu within the print dialog.
The Print Queue application may also show an important error message to let you know the issue, for instance, the printer is offline and not connecting. It is also possible to see older print jobs that are stuck in the queue, hindering the current print job. Remove them by clicking the X next to their names.
If you’ve experienced something that caused your printer to stop working and you want to resume it, press the red Resume button. It won’t work if the printer is unable to continue printing because of a paper jam or lack of supplies. In that situation, you must resolve the issue first.

Make sure you check the printer and its Connection

Error messages could have provided you an indication of problems in the printer itself however, they’re rarely informative. Examine the following:

  • Does the printer turn up? though! If it is you need to turn it off, then switch it off. Try switching it off and then turning it on again. This will resolve a huge number of printing issues.
  • Do you have the printer connected? It should be connected to either a USB or Wi-Fi Ethernet network. . . Make sure that all cables are connected and on an identical network to your Mac. Try restarting your router if you think there are to be issued with communication.
  • Is the printhead contain paper? No paper, no printout.
  • Do you see an issue with paper? Printers usually squawk about jams in the paper. Clear it before trying it again.
  • Are any ink cartridges or toner cartridges full? Some printers are known for not printing even if one cartridge is depleted or even empty. It can happen the printer is printing in black, and a colour cartridge has been empty.

One final test of the printer that you can do by printing a test sheet straight from your printer (check the manual of your printer for the instructions). If this fails it could be that the printer needs maintenance.
Make sure that your Mac has the printing setup
The last place to search for a solution for why is my printer not responding to my mac is to check the subsystem for printing on your Mac. Issues there could relate to your particular document or related to the application or connected to the driver for your printer.

As a first step Start by opening your document in Preview and printing it as a PDF (in the Print dialog for the document select the PDF option and then open it in Preview) Printing it out from Preview.
If this is the case, then your Mac can print, and the issue lies with the application or the document. To pinpoint the issue to the document or application Print a different document using the application. If the document prints then you’ll know that the issue is in your document, however, since you’ve already received the PDF file to print from that document, the immediate issue may already be solved. If the issue is with the application, you’ll need to resolve the issue, naturally. However, the majority of the time the problem is in the driver of your printer.
It’s not common for driver updates to be released out of macOS updates nowadays However, make sure to go to Systems Preferences > Software Update to be sure. Also, look at the printer’s manufacturer’s website site for updates. Google for “printer Name And Model Mac driver” to see the updates available. You can compare that with what you’ll see when selecting the printer from the System Preferences section under Printers & Scanners. Click to select the Options & Supplies option. If you see a newer version that you can download and install, then download it and install it.
If installing a fresh version isn’t working Try removing your printer in Printers & Scanners and re-adding it. Choose the printer from the list, and then click the button that says – to erase it. Click the + button to return it.

No luck? Do you try to delete the driver, then install it again however, select an alternative option from the Use pop-up menu on the end? Begin by entering your printer’s name in place of Secure Air Print to make sure you’re using the driver of the manufacturer rather than Apple’s. If it doesn’t make any difference, try using a Generic PostScript Printer or Generic PCL Printer. Be aware that they might not offer full functionality beyond basic printing. To test something different, if the printer is compatible with your printer, consider installing an independent driver using the free-of-cost Gu ten print initiative.
One tip: If possible try to avoid using the printer Sharing feature that has been available include in macOS for many years. It’s a good idea however, it requires the Mac that is sharing the printer to be in a state of alert and on when the user of the shared printer needs to print.

If you are stuck, you can go to the nucleus. Re-visit your Printers & Scanners preferences, Control-click on any printer, then select Reset Printing Systems. In the dialog that warns you, doing this will remove all of your current printers, scanners, faxes as well as any pending printing jobs. This resets your printer system back to factory defaults, following which you’ll need to install printers again.

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