A printer is one of your most important work buddies. But what happens when your buddy stops functioning properly?

 You are not able to complete your tasks, especially if you are printing out a project for an urgent meeting at the office or printing out your kids’ homework for school. There are many problems that can arise when your printer stops working. While it can be resolved in a few simple steps, if you don’t have proper knowledge, it can consume fragments of your precious time.

Fixes for HP Printer ready but not printing

Check printer status

  • The first step is to ensure that your printer is loaded with paper.
  •  After that confirm if your printer has sufficient ink for printing. If you are using an inkjet printer, make sure your ink levels are not low.
  •  Sometimes your printer might not be printing because of a faulty cartridge. If that may be the case, replace your cartridge with a new one.
  •  Make sure your printer and computer are connected either via USB cable or Bluetooth. You can also connect your computer and printer through Wi-Fi.
  • If after following these steps your problem persists, move on to the next solution.

Also read: hp printer alignment

Set your HP printer as the default printer

Sometimes wrong printer configuration can also cause you problems while printing. This can be resolved by setting your correct printer as your default printer. You can do that by:

  •  Press Window key + S.
  • Type control panel and select the first option
  • Click on Hardware and Sound, then select devices printers.
  • Right-click on your HP printer and select Set as default printer.
  • Try printing again and if the problem continues move on to the next solution.                   

Cancel all previous print jobs 

Cancel all your lined-up print jobs. Another reason for this problem could be a stuck print queue. If your print queue contains a failed print job, it can stop the operation of other prints in the queue and lead to non-printing issues in the printer. 

Also Read: hp customer service number

Run printer troubleshoot

Troubleshooting your printer when it stops functioning properly. Check the connection between your device and your HP printer. Turn the power off of your printer and unplug the power cord. Leave it alone for a few minutes. 

Then plug the cord, turn the power on and check if the printer is back in action.  

Reinstall printer driver

A printer driver is software that helps in translating instructions from your computer into a language your printer can understand. An out-of-date or a faulty hp printer driver is unavailable can also cause your printer to break down. Reinstalling or updating a correct printer driver can fix issues with your printer when it has stopped responding to print commands. 

How to update a printer driver?

While updating the printer driver ensure the connectivity between your PC and your HP printer.

Here are the steps to update the HP printer driver

  • Press the Windows button, and search for Device Manager 
  • Select the printer from the list of available devices 
  •  Right-click on the selected device and select the Update Driver or Update Driver Software 
  • Click on the Search automatically for Updated Driver Software. 
  • Follow instructions written on the screen to install the updated driver 
  • Restart your computer. 

After updating the printer driver, check the functionality of your printer. This is the ultimate solution to faulty printers. 

Printer drivers should be updated every few months for the proper working of your driver is unavailable printer hp

It is not just faulty printer drivers that can cause your printer to stop working. Corrupted files, out-of-date BIOS, and old windows can also cause your printer to work efficiently.