Unknown Printer

How to Identify and Fix Common Problems ?

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HP Smart app might display the “Printer status unknown” error message if your printer is idle or offline. If your printer goes into sleep or standby mode after a period of inactivity, press the power button to “wake” it.
Ghost prints happen when the drum or fuser unit within your printer become faulty. Because a fault with this element won`t heat the particles of the toner to a high enough temperature, the marks being made on the paper are much lighter in colour and appear more faded than typical documents.
Changing the status of the printer:

In the Devices and Printers window right-click or tap and hold on your printer and select See what`s printing. Click or tap the Printer tab, then untick Use Printer Offline from the menu.

Make sure that both ends of the USB cable are correctly inserted into the computer and the printer. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable at both ends. Disconnect the printer and the computer and reconnect them. Try another USB port if available.
If the LabelWriter appears as Unspecified or Unknown in Devices and Printers on Windows, it usually means that the computer has not identified that device as a printer yet.
Your printer should have been packaged with a USB cable regardless of whether it is a wireless or wired printer. Plug the cable into your printer and your computer`s USB port. The direct linking should trigger your computer to recognize the printer and start up the software needed to complete the installation.
To be specific, you should make sure that your printer has sufficient paper, ink or toner and without paper jam. If the printer cartridge`s status is faulty, you should replace it with a new one. After carrying out these operations, check if the HP printer can print properly.
Open the start menu and select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > and choose the Services icon. Locate the Print Spooler service and right-click. Then select the option to “Stop” the service.
Usually a quick paper setting adjustment will clear up a ghosting issue right away. Run a cleaning – Most printers have a cleaning function built into the machine. Run this a couple of times to attempt to clear up the printing issue. Inspect the drum – Sometimes excess toner powder can stick to the drum.
Select Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings. In the Advanced sharing settings dialog box, expand the Private section. Next, under Network discovery, select Turn on network discovery. Under File and printer sharing, select Turn on file and printer sharing.
RESET THE PRINTER

Switch the printer on and unplug the cable completely, both the USB connection on the device and the plug to the power socket. Wait for at least a minute. c. Reconnect the cable and plug it to the power source.

Restoring the factory-set defaults returns most of the settings to the factory defaults. It will not reset the page count, tray size, or language.
Reset. Resetting the printer stops printing and clears the current print job received from the active interface. You may want to reset the printer when there is a problem with the print job itself and the printer cannot print successfully.
During the printing process, paper, toner and dust particles can accumulate inside the printer. Over time, this buildup can cause print-quality problems such as toner specks or smearing. This printer has a cleaning mode that can correct and prevent these types of problems.
Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. Locate the Printer troubleshooter, and click on the Run button. Once the wizard completes the process, reconnect the printer and check if the issue is resolved.
Click Start on your computer, then select Devices and Printers. Right-click on the printer`s icon that did not install correctly, then select Troubleshoot. After you confirm that the printer driver for the device you want to use is not installed, select Apply this fix.
Make sure your Wi-Fi network and printer setup meet connection requirements. Restart the printer and the computer or mobile device to clear possible error conditions. Make sure the printer is not connected to a computer with a USB cable.
Restart devices

If your printer connects to a Wi-Fi network, disconnect your computer or mobile device from the network name (SSID), and then reconnect it to the same network name your printer is connected to. If the printer is available and has a ready status, the issue is resolved.

What causes ghosting? The most likely culprit is either the imaging drum unit or the fuser unit, however humidity and the incorrect paper type can all play a role in ghosting. Ghosting is often caused by a malfunctioning imaging drum unit.
Shadow printing is a printing technique that creates a lighter shade of the text off centered to make the text appear to have a shadow beneath it.
In some respects, the signs that your printer has been infected with malware are similar to the general signs of a malware infection on your computer, the signs include unusual behaviour by your printer, such as not responding to your commands, printing unauthorised print jobs and refusing to install security updates.
Nesting is a process whereby as much width of the paper as possible is utilized by aligning or rotating many separate images before the job is printed.
Common factors include driver problems, software issues, hardware failures and overuse.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

My printer feeds through one piece of paper all the way and then a half piece of paper and stops. I pull out the paper to stop the paper jam and then it prints but sounds rough. After printing, it doesn't feed the paper all the way through.
ANSWER : And the first 2 sheets, the full and half sheet that go through first, are blank.

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Unknown Printer

when printing front and back, the front will print well but the back will fade
ANSWER : It happens because second side voltage is much higher and the board breaks. Are you getting this issue in auto duplex only, or same error you are getting when you print second side manually?

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Unknown Printer

Print file sent but no printing occurs
ANSWER : Been working on these since they first were released. Never seen a problem like yours. If it happens again, try doing an engine test, as it bypasses the formatter board. The engine test is located at the right side of the manual tray opening. Look for a hole in the side wall. Stick something like a paper clip into it to actuate the test button. It will then print a lined test page. If it does that, then it points to the formatter board as the cause of your problem.

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Unknown Printer

Prints blank pages, won't print from computer
ANSWER : Don’t know why you replaced the fuser, but assuming you had print before, then it must have been something you did during the procedure. Only thing I can suggest is to recheck your work. Just because you reinstalled a connector doesn’t mean that it is seated firmly enough to work. Any flat ribbon connectors that you removed and reinstalled, check to see that the contacts are all flat and not peeled back.

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Unknown Printer

Epson Artisan 835 print head cleaning question
ANSWER : I had the same problem. After reading the comments, I tried Liquid Wrench spray. 1st try got about sixty percent improvement. Tried again this time I let it set for about 10 min then did a head cleaning. Completely solved the problem. I am a little concerned about its use on plastic. So far so good.

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Unknown Printer

HP Deskjet 640c wont print??
ANSWER : yes

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Unknown Printer

My printing come out blurred
ANSWER : doris…There are usually 2 reasons for blurry output on this printer. First, make sure that the alignment is correct. You can get to it from the maintenance tab on the software that came with the printer. The other common cause of blurring is debris under the printhead. Hope this helps.

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Unknown Printer

problems with printing
ANSWER : Check your settings to make sure they are Left to Right print order. If they are then reinstall printer driver. If that doesn’t correct problem uninstall printer, reboot computer, and reinstall printer.

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Unknown Printer