Printers have a talent for breaking at the worst possible moment. Most printer problems, however, fall into a handful of recurring categories and can be fixed without needing a technician. Here’s a practical walkthrough of the most common faults and their solutions.
Print jobs stuck in the queue
This is the most frequent complaint we hear. A job sent to the printer disappears into the queue and nothing happens — the printer shows as ready but nothing prints.
Fix: Open the print queue (click the printer icon in the taskbar on Windows, or go to System Settings → Printers on macOS), select all queued jobs, and delete them. If jobs won’t delete, you need to restart the print spooler. On Windows: open Services (search for it in the Start menu), find “Print Spooler”, right-click it, and select Restart. On macOS, deleting all jobs from the queue and restarting the printer usually resolves it. Once the queue is clear, try printing again.
Printer not found on the network
The printer was working yesterday and today the computer can’t find it.
Common cause: The printer picked up a new IP address from the router (DHCP lease expired), so the address saved on your computer no longer points to the printer.
Fix: Print a network configuration page directly from the printer (usually done by holding the Wi-Fi button or going into the printer’s own settings menu) and note the current IP address. On Windows, go to Devices and Printers, right-click your printer, select Printer Properties, and update the port with the new IP. Longer-term solution: assign the printer a static IP in your router settings so this doesn’t happen again.
Printer connects but won’t print from macOS after an update
macOS updates occasionally break driver compatibility. The printer appears in the list and seems connected, but print jobs are rejected silently.
Fix: Remove the printer from System Settings → Printers and Scanners, then add it again. macOS will usually detect the correct driver automatically. If it doesn’t, go to the printer manufacturer’s website and download the current macOS-compatible driver directly — the version that shipped with the printer may not be compatible with recent macOS releases.
Poor print quality (streaks, faded areas, lines)
Inkjet printers: Run the built-in head cleaning utility (usually found in the printer software or under Maintenance in the printer’s own menu). This pushes ink through blocked nozzles. If quality doesn’t improve after two cleaning cycles, one of the ink cartridges may be empty or a nozzle may be permanently blocked and need replacement.
Laser printers: Streaks or faded patches typically indicate a toner cartridge nearing the end of its life. Try removing the cartridge, gently shaking it side to side, and reinserting it — this redistributes the remaining toner and can extend the cartridge life by another hundred pages or so.
AirPrint not working from iPhone or iPad
iPhones and iPads use AirPrint to print wirelessly without needing a separate app or driver. If the printer doesn’t appear when printing from an iPhone, there are two common causes:
- The printer isn’t AirPrint compatible. Most printers made since 2012 are, but it’s worth checking the manufacturer’s website to confirm.
- The printer and phone are on different networks. If you have a separate guest Wi-Fi network, your phone may be on it while the printer is on your main network. AirPrint requires both to be on the same network.
When to call for help
If the printer is showing errors on its display, making unusual noises during a print cycle, or consistently failing despite driver reinstallation and queue clearing, the fault is likely hardware rather than software. Paper feed rollers wear out, fuser units in laser printers can fail, and scanner components in all-in-ones can develop faults independently of the print mechanism.
Contact us or see our printer setup service page if you’d like us to take a look.