Troubleshooting Print Devices Lesson 001: Printer Connectivity Issues Part 1

What does printer connectivity issues encompass?

Operating system is not detecting a locally attached printer, network connectivity issues, issues with a frozen print queue, testing printer connectivity, and power cycling the printer.

What should happen if a printer is directly connected to a device via USB?

It should be automatically connected.

What is the first step in troubleshooting printer connectivity when the printer is connected directly to the device via USB?

That the printer is powered on and online.

What does a printer being online or offline reference?

The printer’s internal status.

What happens if a printer is offline?

It won’t accept any print jobs and in some cases won’t be detected by the OS.

Why might a printer be in offline mode?

Printer is out of paper, a detected feed error, or received a corrupted print job.

How is the issue of a USB connected printer being in offline mode usually fixed?

By troubleshooting it and following the messages on the control panel and manually switching it back on.

What is a possible physical connection issue concerning troubleshooting a USB connected printer?

The printer cable is not properly seated at both ends.

If checking the cabling on a USB connected printer doesn’t work, what is the most logical next step?

Replace it with a known good one.

What if the known good replacement method doesn’t work when dealing with physical wire connectivity issues with a USB connected printer?

Test the printer using a different USB port on the computer.

If all else fails when troubleshooting a USB connected printer, what could that be an indicator of?

The USB port on the printer is malfunctioning.

What should a tech do if all ways of trying to fix the connectivity issue on a USB connected printer fail?

Switch to a different connection method.

How can most modern printers establish a connection?

USB or through a network.

Why would a wirelessly connected printer be having issues connecting to a network?

Due to a failure to obtain a DHCP address.

How can a tech troubleshoot a printer that is failing to obtain a DHCP address?

Through static assignment.

What will happen if a printer is too far from a WAP or router?

A strong connection cannot be obtained.

What can be used to solve the issue of a printer being too far from a WAP or router when connecting to a network wirelessly?

Using a wireless repeater or move closer.

What should be check to ensure that a printer is properly connected via a wireless connection?

That it is connected to the appropriate SSID with the appropriate password.