Why am I not able to print to a LaserJet 4250, but others can?

Question

We've got an HP LaserJet 4250 network enabled printer on our network. I normally can print to it, as can anyone else in our office. For some reason I can't print to it now. It appears, to my PC, to be offline, but it doesn't appear that way to others.

Why?

Solution

Since you say you're using Windows 7 and the others are using Windows XP, I've actually seen a printer that does this before (a Xerox Workcentre M20i to be exact). It was incorrectly reporting the online status of the device, so Windows refused to print, but only in Windows 7 (it's ancient so the driver is...questionable). Try this -

• In Devices and Printers, right-click the printer and select Printer properties.
• Under the Ports tab, select the port that's currently in use (presumably standard TCP/IP of some sort) and click Configure Port...
• Uncheck SNMP Status enabled.

This should, in theory, get it to always assume that printer is online. If this is your only problem, it should print properly like this. (The downside is if it ever DOES go offline for realsies, you have no way of knowing.)

Comments

[uxout]

What operating system(s)?

[Scott C Wilson]

@Rod, please tag your question "Windows" if this is happening on a Windows PC (which has been the assumption in the two answers so far).

[Rod]

Sorry I left that out. I'm using Windows 7. Others are using Windows XP.

[Rod]

OK, I've removed the printer from my Devices and Printers, but cannot add it. It can't find it.

[Logman]

can you connect to the printers http address?

[Rod]

I've checked ad the printer's subnet, gateway, etc, are the same as my PC's.

[Rod]

OK, I'm adding the port settings manually. It gives me a choice of either using raw or LPR for protocol. I don't know what that means, but I'm going to go with Raw for now. I'm leaving the SNMP Status Enabled checkbox, unchecked.

[Rod]

OK, that worked, thanks. I've got a Ricoh Aficio MP 4001 PCL6 copier/printer that's giving me the same problem, so I'm guessing I'll have to do the same thing with it.

[uxout]

Glad to hear that fixed it!