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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Can no longer print to HP 4000

JimmEee - Jul 1, 2008 - 12:35 am

It was working just fine. Today, it doesn't work at all. Printer is networked through a router. iMac Intel 10.5.2. Restart. Repair permissions. Download latest drivers from HP and install. Still nothing. There used to be a printer setup utility and that no longer exists. In Printers & faxes? Doesn't see anything. Drivers that is. It was just working Friday.

gsahli - Jul 1, 2008 - 8:31 am

In Leopard, Printer Setup Utility was combined into Print & Fax preferences.
I think you are describing a problem with the appletalk comm protocol. Apple has simplified it in OS X and it isn't reliable as before. To get the printer to appear, you can try unplugging power to the router for ten seconds, and then restarting the printer and the Mac.

Or, you can set up the printer as an IP printer in Print & Fax prefs. First, find the IP address of the printer by printing a test page - from the printer front panel or by pushing a button on the back near the network connector (I don't remember which). Then in Print & Fax, click +, then IP printer, then select HP Jetdirect, then set it up.

JimmEee - Jul 1, 2008 - 11:46 am

Thanks for the reply. Still not working. I can print a test page so I know the printer is working. Something happened in OS X.

That Print Setup Utility came up when I set up the printer initially and I quickly locked it to the dock. When it disappeared so did my ability to print.

HP says no setup necessary. Mac says about the same. I still can't print however.

Any other suggestions?

gsahli - Jul 1, 2008 - 2:59 pm

Please be a little clearer. I'm not there to see exactly what you've done.
I gave you two methods to try. You tried using IP printer > HP Jetdirect protocol and it's not printing?

Please tell me your computer's IP address and the printer's IP address. (These should be local IP addresses that aren't accessible from the internet.)

I'm not sure what "no setup" means - you're still going to add/+ the printer in Print & Fax prefs, right? That's setup.

JimmEee - Jul 2, 2008 - 2:10 am

Hello again gsahli. After pinging the printer I got 100% failure. The printer works and the network works, so I switched ports on the router and it worked. Is it possible for only one port on the router to go bad?

gsahli - Jul 2, 2008 - 6:55 am

Hey, good troubleshooting!
Yes it is possible for one port to go bad.

JimmEee - Jul 2, 2008 - 10:44 am

Thanks again for the help. The weird thing is that the same port (the bad one) works to the internet but not the printer. Go figure.

gsahli - Jul 2, 2008 - 11:59 am

It could be something like weak or corroded contact springs in the port, or slight differences in how the contacts are exposed in the cables. I'd have a spare cable ready in case it happens again.

Good luck.